Reduced forms in common American pronunciation

mostly adapted from <www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8995/relaxed.html>

You won’t understand Americans unless you recognize these informal forms. They will
understand you whether you use these forms or a dictionary’s. Don’t use these in a lecture.
     
Key to my spellings WOTCHER = WHAT IS YOUR TSKOH = LET'S GO
WOTCHER name? TSKOH to the movies!
A: as in HAT, THAT, MAP
JAV = DO YOU HAVE TSOP = WHAT'S UP?
a: the vowel sound in the
JAV a minute? TSOP, Mike?
word THE; the most
unstressed and short vowel JAV = DID YOU HAVE PRAHLY = PROBABLY
sound possible; the sound JAV a good time? He’s PRAHLY at work now.
that is represented by an HAFTa = HAVE TO MELP / MaELP = MAY I HELP
upside-down “e” in a I HAFTa go to the bathroom. MELP / MaELP you, Sir?
dictionary’s spelling of GAHDa = HAVE GOT TO ’NKYOO = THANK YOU
pronunciation; a schwa Sorry, I GAHDa go now. ’NKYOO very much!
AH: as in STOP, NOT, ROCK
GUNa = GOING TO LEMEE = LET ME
O: as in BUCK, LOVE, NONE I'm GUNa write to you. LEMEE show you something!
OH: as in GO, TOE, ROW WAHNa = WANT TO GIMEE = GIVE ME
U: as in PUT, FOOT, GOOD I WAHNa stop now. GIMEE a few minutes to think it
OO: as in YOU, WHO, BLUE over.
YOOSTa = USED TO(as an aux.
IGH: as in WHY, BUY, HIGH v) Fa / FUR = FOR
D (when it replaces a “T,” as She YOOSTa come here often. She did that work Fa nothing.
it does between 2 vowels if SHUDa = SHOULD HAVE a = OF
the first is stressed): Only You SHUDa told me he was your That’s enough a that.
the very tip of the tongue-tip boyfriend!!
taps your alveolus– and for aLAHDa = A LOT OF
WUDa = WOULD HAVE
less time than in a real D. I have aLAHDa friends.
I WUDa gone, but it was raining.
Feel this with your mouth KIGHNa / KIGHNDa = KIND OF
CUDa = COULD HAVE
closed. You look KIGHNa / KIGHNDa off.
---------------------------------------- You CUDa come with us; we had
a car. SORDa = SORT OF
Ta = TO It was SORDa unethical to do it.
It’s hard Ta remember. SHUDaNa, WUDaNa, CUDaNa =
SH…N’T,W…N’T,COULDN’T ADa / OUDA = OUT OF
Da = TO HAVE Get ADa / OUDA my car!
Try Da hurry. You SH…, W…, CUDaNa eaten
SOaM = SOMETHING
Y’ / Ya = YOU it.
I wish I had SOaM Ta do.
Y’know / Ya know what I mean? MIGHDa = MIGHT HAVE
YUR = YOUR You MIGHDa gotten sick. Homework:
YUR money or YUR life! SHUJa, WUJa, CUJa = SHOULD Read each form to an
AHR = OUR YOU, WOULD YOU, COULD YOU American. Ask him/her to
AHR car is parked far away. SHUJa, WUJa, CUJa redo it? g u e s s it s d i c t i o n a r y f o r m .
Ja / DIJa = DID YOU CaN = CAN Write a dash before any
Ja / DIJa ever lose your keys? How CaN I help you? s/he can’t correctly guess.
CAN = CAN’T Put an extra dash before
WOJa = WHAT DID YOU
WOJa do over the weekend? Sorry, I CAN help you. any s/he can’t guess even
after you then spell it.
WODaYa/WOTCHa=WHAT DO DOHN = DON’T
Underline any s/he claims
YOU I DOHN care what they think.
isn’t American.
WODaYa / WOTCHa have there? DUNOH = DON'T KNOW
WOTCHa/WODaYa=WHAT ARE Does she like you? –I DUNOH.
YOU CUZ = BECAUSE
WOTCHa/WODaYa drinkin’? I did it CUZ he told me to.
OUT-TAKE:
SaM = SOME
JAV SaM more?
Alternative OUT-TAKES from HW ass’t:
together with his/her comment; s/he dictates it and you write it.
Hand in his/her choice, together with his/her verbatim comment.

Relaxed Pronunciation: Reduced forms in American pronunciation

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8995/relaxed.html

Name of the page at the above URL: Relaxed Pronunciation

INGLES ONLINE PRESENTS:

Forewarning: All languages have spoken forms which are unacceptable when written
but completely acceptable when spoken. That's why I think it is so important to alert
your students to the differences between the written and spoken forms. To not do so
is a great disservice to your students, as 99% of the time, be it in videos,
presentations or talking with native speakers, they will hear Relaxed Pronunciation.
Of course, I am not encouraging neither you nor your students to use Relaxed
Pronunciation all the time. It's really up to you and of course you should really be
selective when it comes to sound very informal. (The context will help you
determine the appropriate time. Above all, be sensible. Have fun and enjoy the list!

[I (DM) changed the phonetic spelling system and some of the

other info and added a few entries.]