Second year LMD Phonetics

Elision

Elision according to Peter Roach

glossary (2011)

21 NOV
Elision /ɪˈlɪʒən/

Some of the sounds that are heard if words are pronounced slowly and clearly appear not
to be pronounced when the same words are produced in a rapid, colloquial style, or when
the words occur in a different context; these “missing sounds” are said to have been
elided. It is easy to find examples of elision, but very difficult to state rules that govern
which sounds may be elided and which may not. Elision of vowels in English usually
happens when a short, unstressed vowel occurs between voiceless consonants, e.g. in the
first syllable of ‘perhaps’, ‘potato’, the second syllable of ‘bicycle’, or the third syllable of
‘philosophy’. In some cases we find a weak voiceless sound in place of the normally voiced
vowel that would have been expected. Elision also occurs when a vowel occurs between
an obstruent consonant and a sonorant consonant such as a nasal or a lateral: this
process leads to syllabic consonants, as in ‘sudden’ /sʌdn̩/, ‘awful’ /ɔːfl̩/ (where a vowel is
only heard in the second syllable in slow, careful speech).

Elision of consonants in English happens most commonly when a speaker “simplifies” a

complex consonant cluster: ‘acts’ becomes /æks/ rather than /ækts/, ‘twelfth night’
becomes /twelθnaɪt/ or /twelfnaɪt/ rather than /twelfθnaɪt/. It seems much less likely
that any of the other consonants could be left out: the l and the n seem to be unelidable.

It is very important to note that sounds do not simply “disappear” like a light being
switched off. A transcription such as æks for ‘acts’ implies that the t phoneme has
dropped out altogether, but detailed examination of speech shows that such effects are
more gradual: in slow speech the t may be fully pronounced, with an audible transition
from the preceding k and to the following s, while in a more rapid style it may be
articulated but not given any audible realisation, and in very rapid speech it may be
observable, if at all, only as a rather early movement of the tongue blade towards the s
position. Much more research in this area is needed (not only on English) for us to
understand what processes are involved when speech is “reduced” in rapid articulation.

2. Elision
The term elision describes the disappearance of a sound. For example, in the utterance
He leaves next week speakers would generally elide (leave out) the /t/ in next saying
/neks
wi:k/. Again here, the reason is an economy of effort, and in some instances the
difficulty
of putting certain consonant sounds together while maintaining a regular rhythm and
speed.
 Apart from internal elisions and those associated with weak forms, sounds may be elided in rapid,
colloquial speech, especially at
word boundaries (Gimson, 1978, p. 297). These sounds include vowels and consonants.
I) Vowels
1) Loss of the weak vowel /ə /after p, t, k
Word Transcription Transcription (using elision)
tomato
potato
today
perhaps
canary

2) Loss of the weak vowel /ə /+ n, l or r

Word Transcription Transcription (using elision)
police
correct
tonight

3) Loss of initial /ə / when followed by a continuant and preceded by a word final consonant
Phrases/ Sentences Transcription Transcription (using elision)
He was annoyed
get another
run along
not alone

*when an appropriate vowel precedes word initial /ə /, it may coalesce with the preceding vowel
phrases Transcription Transcription (using elision
go away
try again

or when final /ə / occurs with a following final /r / and word initial vowel /ə /
Phrases Transcription Transcription (using elision
father and son
over and above
as a matter of fact

II) Consonants
In addition to the loss of /h/ in pronominal weak forms and other consonantal elisions, alveolar plosives
may be elided.
1) Such elision appear to take place most readily, in rapid speech, in the sequence continuant consonant
+ /t / or /d /
(e.g/ st, ft, ʃt, nd, ld, zd, ,vd) followed by a word with an initial consonant
Phrases Transcription Transcription (using elision
next day
first flight
pushed them
raced back
just one
last chance
refused both
found five
causes loses
let turn
old man
moved back
2) Similarly, word final clusters of plosives or affricates + / t/ or /d/ (e.g. /pt, kt, tʃt, bd, gd, d d may lose
the final alveolar
stop when the following word has an initial consonant.
Phrases Transcription Transcription (using elision
kept quiet
thanked me
dragged them
urged them
helped me
looked like
begged one
judged fairly
stopped speaking
robbed both
changed colour
reached home

3) Final /t, d/ followed by a word beginning with /j/ are usually kept in a coalesced form, e.g., /tʃ/ and
/d /
Word Transcription Transcription (using elision
helped you
liked you
told you
left you

4) The /t/ of the negative form /nt/ is often elided, particularly a following consonant
Sentences Transcription Transcription (using elision)
You mustn’t loose it.
Doesn’t she know?

And sometimes before a vowel

Sentences Transcription Transcription (using elision
You mustn’t over eat
Wouldn’t he come

5) Less common is the omission of the stops in the negative /nt/

He won’t do it.
6) Clusters of final /t/ or /d/ are sometimes simplified
Sentences Transcription Transcription (using elision
I’ve got to go.
We could try.
What do you want
They should do it.

7) The elision of one of a boundary cluster of two consonants occurs in very rapid speech
Sentences Transcription Transcription (using elision
He went away.
Give me a cake.
Let me come
I’m going to come.