Weak forms strong forms Weak forms strong forms

Weak forms, strong forms

Weak forms, strong forms I can! I can leave! She has decided ! He was afraid

I decided to wait at the corner of the street for the girl from Ipanema

I can see John was trying. John has been trying too long. He must try better He must have been trying

I can see John was trying. John has been trying too long. He must try better He must have been trying

I think he knows I think she knows I think we know I’ll be there I’ve been robbed

Words which change before a word beginning with a vowel 1 be, he, she I’ll be there – I’ll be early Does he drink? Does he agree?

Words which change before a word beginning with a vowel 2 do, to, you What do they want? What do Amricans want? Give it to Mary – give it to Arthur Did you make it? – Did you eat it?

Words which change before a word beginning with a vowel 3 for, her, are, were for me – for all of us her mother – her aunt What are they doing – what are all the children doing

• foregrounding Mary has seen him before Mary has seen hm before

• comparative stress This train isn’t coming from London, it’s going to London

• evasion of repetition (deaccenting) Government of the people, buy the people, for the people City life is great, as long as you don’t actually live in the city

• citation forms How do you spell the word “than”?

• Prepositions and auxiliary verbs are strong at the end of utterances I come from Brighton – Brighton’s where I come from Do you want to come I’m not sure I want to

• Prepositions and auxiliary verbs are strong at the end of utterances - but pronouns remain weak I don’t want to see him I don’t want to see her I don’t want to see them

(c) Different grammatical function • that: weak when relative (complementizer), strong when a determiner that’s the man that I saw He said that was the man he saw

(c) Different grammatical function • some – weak when an indefinite deteriminer, strong when adjectival There are some people waiting to see you Some of them are drunk Some party this is!

(c) Different grammatical function • Verbs which can be either main or lexical (strong forms) or auxiliary (weak forms) Jean has found it Jean has the answer Does Paul agree? Paul does his duty

• Structural words beginnng with h- drop the h when weak I gave her the letter I gave him the letter Toby went to see his mother

• Structural words beginnng with h- drop the h when weak – but usually retain it at the beginning of a sentence His mother was glad to see him Her answer was quite definite

• Structural words beginnng with h- drop the h when weak – but usually retain it at the beginning of a sentence Adam has lost it What have you done with the evidence?

• If the dropped h leads to V-V, it may reappear, or lead to r-insertion I tried to give her his letter Tessa has lost it

• H-dropping does not occur on lexical words in RP English! Harry hurt his head • Nor does it occur on stressed structural words He hurt his head, not hers • But some lexical words are spelled with a “silent” h – honest, hour --- hotel? herb?

Mary and Bruce and quicker than me but slower than you

am is are was were have has had does did can will must I think I can do it Jane will have finished by now When does she leave work?

We must get some more What was I saying Where were the children

• That’s not what i said • That isn’t what I said • You can’t do that

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The first 2 columns show whether the word takes 0 or i when it is weak. If it takes final this should be regarded as the 'happ. Y' vowel, i. e. it may be tensed to , especially if it is followed by a vowel in the next word - look in column 4. Column 3 shows forms which lose their initial h except at the beginnings of utterances

Columns 4 -8 show words which change before vowels, and the changes concerned. An arrow means "becomes". Column 6 applies only to non-rhotic accents; the rhotic accents will always have a final -r in these words. Also, many American accents do not change to as in column 5. Columns 7 and 8 only concern the words the and a (an). The change in the before vowels does not take place in many American accents. Finally, column 9 shows those words which retain their STRONG vowel at the end of utterances, BUT REMAIN UNSTRESSED.