Introduction to English pronunciation and phonetics Lecture 4

Introduction to English pronunciation and phonetics Lecture 4

Sounds in context Why doesn’t synthetic speech sound natural? • All sounds tend to be pronounced in all words • Stress patterns are not natural, or all words are stressed equally much • Pauses between words tend to be of same length

Sounds in context • Sounds in isolation are sometimes different from sounds in words • Words in isolation are sometimes pronounced differently from words in sentences • Neighbouring sounds affect each other

Some important sound changes in English are. . . • Assimilation • Elision • Strong and weak forms in connected speech (vowel reduction) • Word stress

Assimilation • the pronunciation of a sound is influenced by a sound that comes immediately after or before it • the sounds become more similar • can be regressive or progressive • assimilation also common in Swedish

Regressive assimilation • A sound is influenced by the following sound Examples: gunman /'gummæn/ /n/ → /m/ can be /kæm bi: / pancake /pæŋkeık/ /n/ → /ŋ/ this shop /ðıʃ ʃɒp/ /s/ → /ʃ/ have to /hæftu: / /v/ → /f/

Progressive assimilation • A sound is influenced by the previous sound Examples: washed /wɒʃt/ tricks /trıks/ ribbon /rıbm/ /d/ → /t/ /z/ → /s/ /n/ → /m/

Elision • one sound is omitted (or several sounds) • common in rapid or casual speech • especially noticeable in consonant clusters • makes a word or phrase easier to pronounce

Elision Examples: fifth clothes dustbin asked handbag don’t know /fıfθ/ → /fıθ/ /kləʊðz/ → /kləʊz/ /dʌstbın/ → /dʌsbın/ /ɑːskt/ → /ɑːst/ /hændbæg/ → /hæmbæg/ /'doʊnt 'noʊ/ → /də'noʊ/

Strong and weak forms • most function words have a strong and a weak form • closed word classes: auxiliary verbs (e. g. do, has, can) conjunctions (and, but, as) prepositions (to, from, of) determiners (the, a, some) pronouns (him, her, them)

Strong forms • used at the end of sentences (but pronouns can have weak form here too) • used for emphasis or contrast Compare: Have some more. vs. I’ve had some. We must meet. Vs. Must I do this? He’s so nice. vs. How nice he is!

Weak forms Characterised by: • omitted or reduced vowel to /ə/ or /ı/ • omitted or reduced /h/ initially • omitted end consonant (esp. in and) Examples: Do you know him? /djə/ You and me /ən, n/ I’d love some coffee /səm/

Strong and weak forms strong weak Ask her, not him. I can do it, but I won’t. I said fish and chips, not fish or chips! I know where he’s from. I said I didn’t want to! But I have told you! Have you asked her? Can you pass the milk? I’d like fish and chips. Did you hear from him? Do you want to go? I’ve quit smoking.

Stress • syllable = a sound unit with vowel sound at the centre Examples: one syllable: stress, sound, with two syllables: unit, centre, English • one syllable in a word pronounced more strongly = stressed syllable

Word stress • stress is marked with a vertical line before the stressed syllable in the transcription Examples: England /'ıŋglənd/ sofa /'səʊfə/ machine /mə'ʃi: n/ police /pə'li: s/

Word stress • Words with two or three syllables are often stressed on the first syllable Examples: balance menu model article principle democrat

Word stress • more than three syllables = normally stressed on third syllable from the end Examples: analysis parenthesis democracy thermometer biology

Word stress • words ending in suffixes = stressed on syllable before suffix (e. g. -ic, -ian, -ial, ion) Examples: energetic, physician, collision • a few words have two main stresses Examples: thirteen, fourteen, fifteen (cf. thirty, forty) Chinese, Japanese, legalese

Double or single stress? Note the difference between compounds and phrases! Compound Phrase a blackbird a black bird a redneck a red neck a French teacher the White House the white house

Regular stress shifts • words with two syllables that can be both a noun/adjective and a verb have a regular stress shift • the noun/adjective is stressed on the first syllable • the verb is stressed on the second syllable

Examples: export (n) present (n) progress (n) perfect (adj) conduct (n) record (n) export (v) present (v) progress (v) perfect (v) conduct (v) record (v)