Elision

3 Sounds and simplifications in connected speech
/s/ can change to / / and /z/ can change to /3/ when / / begins the next syllable:
this shop /ðIs p/ /ðI p/
these shops /ði s ps/ /ði 3 ps/
Voicing can change too. Here /v/ becomes an unvoiced /f/ under the influence of
the following unvoiced /t/:
have to go /hæv tԥ gԥ / /hæf tԥ gԥ /
/d/ and /j/ can fuse, or coalesce, to make a less plosive sound, the affricate /d3/:
how d’you do /ha dj du / /ha d3 du /
And similarly /t/ and /j/ can coalesce to give the unvoiced affricate /t /:
don’t you know /dԥ nt j nԥ / /dԥ ntԥ nԥ /
Assimilation is the natural result of the various speech organs ‘cutting corners’ as
they perform their complex sequence of movements, and this occurs mostly at
word boundaries and affects mainly consonant sounds.
Although assimilation follows fairly regular patterns, the most common of which
are set out above, it is different in different languages. Learners cannot therefore
simply apply their mother tongue assimilations to English. Learners who do not
assimilate at all may sound finicky, over-precise, too careful, and where their
mother tongue assimilation patterns intrude they may be difficult for English
listeners to follow. Lack of appropriate assimilation in the stream of speech can
inhibit the use of English rhythm and intonation patterns, leading to a loss of
both fluency and clarity of meaning.
I don’t think it is necessarily helpful for learners to learn the rules governing
assimilation. What is much more important is that you, the teacher, draw your
learners’ attention to examples of assimilation when they arise, either in
recordings or while speaking in class. Ŷ
Elision
Elision occurs when a sound which would be present in a word spoken in
isolation is omitted in connected speech.
48 Discovery activity 61 Elision

It is mainly /t/ and /d/ that are elided in English, particularly when they are
between two other consonants. Experiment yourself with the possible omissions
in these phrases:
Omission of /t/
next please /neks pli z/
I don’t know /aI dԥ nԥ /
post the letter /pԥ s ð ԥ letԥ/
Omission of /d/
old man /ԥ l mæn/
you and me /ju ԥn mi /
sandwich /sænwIt /
stand there /stæn ð eԥ/
61
Discovery toolkit Level 3: Connected speech
I have given the elided versions in phonemic spelling above. But now say each
phrase again without eliding any of the sounds. How different does it feel? What
impression do you get?
Commentary ŶŶŶ
Like assimilation, elision is a natural result of the speech organs ‘cutting corners’
in connected speech, mainly at word boundaries. It applies particularly to
consonant sounds, and as with assimilation, speakers who do not elide may sound
over-meticulous and rather crisp in their articulation. It may also be more difficult
for them to use intonation and rhythm patterns with fluency.
When learners become aware that a number of phonemes they might expect to
hear are not actually produced, and when they discover that they can make these
sounds disappear in their own speech, they begin to gain an insight which helps
them when they listen to rapid connected English. Ŷ
Elision and assimilation together

Learners of English often remark on the way English speakers seem to ‘swallow’
the sounds. Usually what they are observing is the combined action of
assimilation, elision and vowel reduction.
Vowel reduction
Unaccented vowels in the stream of speech are characterized by a reduction in
length, and a change in quality towards a less distinct, more central vowel sound.
Most monophthongs reduce towards /ԥ/. This process is sometimes called
centralization since the /ԥ/ sound is produced with the lips and jaw relaxed and
the tongue in a central, neutral position. However, the two monophthongs /i / and
/u / are often only partially centralized, /i / reducing towards /I/ and /u /reducing
towards / /.
49 Discovery activity 62 Vowel reduction

Say these two sentences rapidly, stressing the underlined syllables and
unstressing the others:
You and me
I wish you would tell me
How does the vowel sound in you change from the first to the second sentence?
And how does me change?
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3 Sounds and simplifications in connected speech

48 Discovery activity 61 Elision

Elision and assimilation together

49 Discovery activity 62 Vowel reduction

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