18 Lesson n°8
18.1 Warm up
| Word | Stress Pattern | IPA (RP) | Received Pronunciation | General American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| society | /0100/ | /sə.’saɪ.ət.i/ | /sə.’saɪ.ət.i/ | |
| hypochondriac | /20100/ | /ˌhaɪp.əʊ.’kɒndr.i.æk/ | /ˌhaɪp.əʊ.’kɑːndr.i.æk/ | |
| soldier | /10/ | /’səʊldʒ.ə/ | /’soʊldʒ.ər/ | |
| official | /010/ | /ə.’fɪʃ.əl/ | /ə.’fɪʃ.əl/ | |
| authority | /0100/ | /ɔː.’θɒr.ət.i/ | /ɔː.’θɔːr.ət.i/ | |
| verify | /100/ | /’ver.ɪ.faɪ/ | /’ver.ɪ.ˌfaɪ/ | |
| nationality | /20100/ | /ˌnæʃ.ə.’næl.ət.i/ | /ˌnæʃ.ə.’næl.ət.i/ | |
| diversify | /0100/ | /daɪ.’vɜːs.ɪ.faɪ/ | /daɪ.’v3r ːs.ɪ.ˌfaɪ/ | |
| thematic | /010/ | /θi.’mæt.ɪk/ | /θi.’mæt.ɪk/ | |
| notify | /100/ | /’nəʊt.ɪ.faɪ/ | /’noʊt.ɪ.ˌfaɪ/ |
18.2 The processes in connected speech
Liaison
Weakening
Elision
Assimilation
18.2.1 Liaison
< r-> transformed vowels and /ə/ are followed without a pause by another vowel, an /r/ is inserted between them.
This can be seen within words when suffixes are added to words ending with one of these vowels:
| Word | Stress Pattern | IPA (RP) | Received Pronunciation | General American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| murder | /10/ | /’mɜːd.ə/ | /’m3r ːd.ər/ | |
| murderer | /100/ | /’mɜːd.ər.ə/ | /’m3r ːd.ər.ər/ | |
| star | /1/ | /stɑː/ | /stɑːr/ | |
| starring | /10/ | /’stɑː.rɪŋ/ | /’stɑː.rɪŋ/ |
|
| four | /1/ | /fɔː/ | /fɔːr/ | |
| fourish | /10/ | /’fɔː.rɪʃ/ | fourish | |
| fur | /1/ | /fɜː/ | /fɜ˞ː/ | |
| furry | /10/ | /’fɜːr.i/ | /’f3r ːr.i/ | |
| care | /1/ | /keə/ | /ker/ | |
| caring | /10/ | /’keər.ɪŋ/ | /’ker.ɪŋ/ | |
| clear | /1/ | /klɪə/ | /klɪr/ | |
| clearest | /10/ | /’klɪər.ɪst/ | /’klɪr.ˌɪst/ | |
| pure | /1/ | /pjʊə/ | /pjʊr/ | |
| purist | /10/ | /’pjʊər.ɪst/ | /’pjʊr.ˌɪst/ |
Examples of < r-> liaison between words:
| Expression | Transcription |
|---|---|
| bitter anger | ’bɪtər ’æŋgə |
| far away | ’fɑːr ə’weɪ |
| sore arm | ’sɔːr ’ɑːm |
| fur allergy | ’fɜːr ’ælədʒi |
| bare earth | ’beər ’ɜːθ |
| ear infection | ’ɪər ɪn’fekʃən |
| pure evil | ’pjʊər ’iːvəl |
| Westminster Abbey | westminsterr abbey |
| killer instinct | ’kɪlər ’ɪnstɪŋkt |
| flower arranging | ’flaʊər ə’reɪndʒɪŋ |
| solar energy | ’səʊlər ’enədʒi |
| gather evidence | ’gæðər ’evɪdəns |
18.2.1.1 Liaison with /ɑː/
- star athletes, car alarm, bizarre ideas, far apart, bar owners, cigar ash, guitar amplifiers
18.2.1.2 Liaison with /ɔː/
- four hours, core ideas, war artist, core audience, more important, door alarm
18.2.1.3 Liaison with /3ː/
- occur often, confer ownership, deter intruders, defer action, infer information
18.2.1.4 Liaison with /eə/
tear apart, wheelchair access, square inches, spare energy, scare away, air inlets
compare information, care assistant, stare ahead, bare earth, pair up, wear earplugs
18.2.1.5 Liaison with /ɪə/
- near impossible, clear English, ear infection, cheer up, severe acne, Near East
18.2.1.6 Liaison with /ʊə/
- obscure information, premature aging, mature attitudes, secure investment
18.2.1.7 Analogical r-liaison
Most words that contain the vowels that trigger /r/-liaison have the letter < r > in the spelling because historically there was an /r/ in the pronunciation, which has been lost, and /r/-liaison is a remnant of this. However, some words with /r/-liaison vowels are not spelt with < r > because there was never an /r/ in the pronunciation (e.g. sofa, Utah, flaw, milieu, idea, etc.). These words have also come to be pronounced with /r/-liaison through analogy with those which historically had an /r/, for example:
- sofa and chairs
- our Utah office
- flaw in
- milieu of
- idea of
| Expression | Transcription |
|---|---|
| We find ourselves in an exciting moment for American cinema | ’wi ’faɪnd aʊə’selvz ’ɪn ən ɪk’saɪtɪŋ ’məʊmənt fər ə’merɪkən ’sɪnəmə |
| Look closer at the painting | ’lʊk ’kləʊsər ət ðə ’peɪntɪŋ |
| It’s Dutch, as far as I know | ’ɪts ’dʌtʃ əs ’fɑːr əz aɪ ’nəʊ |
| As a teacher, I was horrified to hear of a girl being strip-searched at school | æz ə ’tiːtʃə aɪ wəz ’hɒrəfaɪd tə ’hɪər əv ə ’gɜːl ’biːɪŋ ˌstrɪp’sɜːtʃt ət ’skuːl |
| but this did not occur in a vacuum | bət ’ðɪs dɪdən ə’kɜːr ɪn ə ’vækjuəm |