English phonetics and

phonology

Language Theory Division

Faculty of Foreign Languages
Hanoi University of Industry
 LECTURE 13

Aspects of
connected speech

Assimilation & Elision

Contents
1. Assimilation
1.1. Definition
1.2. Kinds of assimilation across word boundaries
2. Elision
2.1. Definition
2.2. Rules of elision
1. Assimilation
1.1. Definition
1.2. Kinds of assimilation across word boundaries
 1.1. Definition

❑ Assimilation is the process which takes place when

………………………………………..........................................
................in one or more aspects. In other words, assimilation is
the influence of one phoneme upon another neighbouring
phoneme, so that they become more alike.
❑ Assimilation mostly happen in ……………………..
❑ Assimilation may occur across ……………………………or
…………………………… 5
 1.1. Definition
❑ Example:
✔ light blue /laɪt bluː/ 🡪 /laɪp bluː/
✔ good girl /ɡʊd ɡɜːl/ 🡪 / ɡʊg ɡɜːl/
❑ Diagram with two words are combined
------ Cf Ci ------
Word boundary

Cf : ……………………………
Ci : ……………………………
2.2. Kinds of assimilation
across word boundaries
2.2.1. In terms of the direction of change
• ……………………………….: Cf → Ci (the phoneme that comes
first is affected by the one that comes after it. )

• …………………………………: Ci → Cf (the phoneme that follows

is affected by the one that comes before it.)

7
Regressive assimilation
• E.g. Good boy
• /gʊd/ /bɔi/

/b
/
Progressive assimilation
• E.g. Get them
• /get/ /ðəm /

/ t/
2.2. Kinds of assimilation
across word boundaries
2.2.2. In terms of the way in which phonemes change
• …………………………………..: Cf → Ci
• ………………………………….. : Cf → Ci
• ………………………………….. : Cf → Ci

10
Assimilation of place of
articulation
a. Alveolar + bilabial 🡪 bilabial
❑ /…./ becomes /…./ before bilabials
…………………………………
• right place /raɪt pleɪs/ 🡪 /raɪp pleɪs/
• might put /maɪt pʊt/ 🡪
• Might make /maɪt meɪk/ 🡪
• white bird /waɪt bɜːd/ 🡪
• might win /maɪt wɪn/ 🡪
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Assimilation of place of
articulation
❑ / …. / becomes /…. / before bilabials
(/……………………………/)
• hard path /hɑːd pɑːθ/ 🡪
• should make /ʃʊd meɪk/ 🡪
• good boy /ɡʊd bɔɪ/ 🡪
• should win /ʃʊd wɪn/ 🡪

12
Assimilation of place of
articulation
❑ ……………………………………………………………………
…
• gone past /ɡɒn pɑːst/ 🡪 /ɡɒm pɑːst/
• seen Bill /siːn bɪl/ 🡪
• ten men /ten men/ 🡪
• seen Walter /siːn ˈwɔːltə/ 🡪

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Assimilation of place of
articulation
b. Alveolar + velar 🡪 velar
❑ ………………………………………………………
………………
• white coat /waɪt kəʊt/ 🡪 /waɪk kəʊt/
• that girl /ðæt ɡɜːl/ 🡪
• might go /maɪt ɡəʊ/ 🡪

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Assimilation of place of
articulation
b. Alveolar + velar 🡪 velar (cont.)

❑ …………………………………………………………
……………
• bad cold / bæd kəʊld/ 🡪 /bæg kəʊld/
• should go / ʃʊd gəʊ/ 🡪
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Assimilation of place of
articulation

b. Alveolar + velar 🡪 velar (cont.)

❑ …………………………………………
…………………
• one cup /wʌn kʌp/ 🡪 /wʌŋ kʌp/
• main gate /meɪn ɡeɪt/ 🡪

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Assimilation of place of
articulation

c. Alveolar + dental 🡪dentalized

• get through: [get̪ θru:]
• cut through:
• that thing:

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Assimilation of place of
articulation
d. Alveolar + palato-alveolar/palatal 🡪 palato-alveolar
❑ /…/ becomes /…/ before /…/ or / …/
/ /
/ /
/ /
❑ /…/ becomes /…/ before /…/ or / …/

/ /
/ /
/ /
18
Assimilation of place of
articulation
e. Alveolar stops /…/, /…/ and a following / …/ may merge to form an affricate /…/,
/…/
• want you /wɒntju/ 🡪 / wɒntʃu/
• did you? /dɪdju/ 🡪
f. /…/ changes to /…/ before /…/
• both sides /bəʊθ saɪds/ 🡪 /bəʊssaɪds/
• fourth season /fɔːθˈsiːzn/ 🡪

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Assimilation of manner of
articulation

a. Plosive + fricative 🡪 ……………..

/ /

20
Assimilation of manner of
articulation
b. Plosive + nasal 🡪 ………………

/ /

/ /

❖ Note: /…./ follows a plosive or nasal at the end of a preceding

word 🡪 it becomes the plosive or nasal sound
• get them /get ðəm/ 🡪 /gettəm/
• in the /ɪn ðə/ 🡪
• read these /riːd ði:s/ 🡪
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Assimilation of voicing
❑ Found only in regressive assimilation of voice
❑ Cf (Lenis-voiced) + Ci (Fortis- voiceless) 🡪 Cf becomes …….

/ /

/ /

/ /
❑ C (Fortis) + C (Lenis) 🡪 C becomes voiced but assimilation
f i f

of voice never happens 🡪 should be avoided

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 2. Elision
2.1. Definition
2.2. Rules of elision
2.1. Definition

Elision is the ………………………………………. in

speech. This is done to make the language easier to say,
and faster.
2.2. Rules of elision

❑
…………………………………………………………
……………
✔ potato /pə'teɪtəʊ/ 🡪 [phteɪtəʊ]
✔ today /tə'deɪ/ 🡪
✔ canary /kə'neəri/ 🡪
❑ …………………………………………………………
……………
2.2. Rules of elision
• Avoidance of complex consonant clusters
• Stop +(stop) + stop
✔ looked back /lʊkt bæk/ 🡪 /lʊk bæk/
✔ stopped killing /stɒpt kɪlɪŋ/ 🡪
• stop + (stop) + fricative
✔ acts /ækts/ 🡪 /æks/
✔ scripts /skrɪpts/ 🡪
 2.2. Rules of elision

• Avoidance of complex consonant clusters

• Fricative + (stop) + fricative
✔ desks /desks/ /des/
✔ Guests /gests/ /ges/
• /-…/ + stop, nasal, fricative 🡪 /-…/
/ /
/ /
/ /
2.2. Rules of elision
• Avoidance of complex consonant clusters
• /-…/ + stop, nasal, fricative 🡪 /-…/
/ /
/ /
/ /

• /-…/ + lenis stop, nasal 🡪 /-…/

/ /
/ /
 2.2. Rules of elision

• Avoidance of complex consonant clusters

• /-…/ + lenis stop, nasal /-…/
/ /

/ /
• /-…/ + fricative, nasal /-…/
✔ lent me /lent mi/ /len mi/
✔ Penthouse /ˈpenthaʊs/
 2.2. Rules of elision

• Loss of final ‘v’ in ‘of’ before consonants

✔ lots of them /lɔts əv ðəm/ /lɔts ə ðəm/
✔ waste of money /weɪst əv mʌni/
2.2. Rules of elision

• Some contractions of grammatical words:

• Had, would: spelt 'd, pronounced /d/ (after vowels),
/əd/ (after consonants)
E.g.:
I would like to go for a walk. /aɪ d/
The next bus stop would be there. /stɒp əd/
• Will: spelt 'll, pronounced /l/ (after vowels), /l̩ / (after
consonants)
✔ I will do it carefully. / aɪ l/
✔ Boys will be boys. / bɔɪz l̩ /
2.2. Rules of elision
• Some contractions of grammatical words:
• Is, has: spelt ’s, pronounced /s/ (after fortis consonants),
/z/ (after lenis consonants), except that after s, z, ∫, t∫, ʒ,
dʒ “is” is pronounced /iz/ and ‘has’ is pronounced /əz/ in
contracted form
E.g.: It’s a good book. / ɪts/

Bob’s a cat. / bɒb z/

 2.2. Rules of elision
• Some contractions of grammatical words:
• Have: spelt ’ve, pronounced /v/ (after vowels), /əv/ (after
consonants)
E.g.: They’ve gone to Hanoi. / ðeɪ v/
There’ve been some changes in this neighborhood. / ðer əv/
 2.2. Rules of elision
• Some contractions of grammatical words:
• Not: spelt n’t, pronounced /nt/ (after vowels), /n̩t/ (after
consonants). There are also vowel changes associated with n‘t
E.g.: “can” /kæn/ – “can’t” /kɑ:nt/, “do” /du:/ - “don’t” /dəʊnt/, “shall”
/∫æl/ - “shan’t” /∫ɑ:nt/
• Are: spelt ’re, pronounced /ə/ (after vowels), or /ər/ (after
consonants) usually with some change in the preceding vowel
E.g. “you” /ju:/ - “you’re” /jʊə/ or /jɔ:/, “we” /wi:/ - “we’re” /wɪə/,
“they” /ðeɪ/- “they’re” /ðeə/
 Practice
Exercise 1: Write the phonemic transcription of the
following phrases to show likely assimilations
1. bad pain 6. bad girl
2. good morning 7. dress shop
3. green bean 8. good night
4. short cut 9. at zero
5. fat girl 10. good zebra
Exercise 1
1. bad pain 1.
2. good morning 2.
3. green bean 3.
4. short cut 4.
5. fat girl 5.
6. bad girl 6.
7. dress shop 7.
8.
8. good night
9.
9. at zero
10.
10. good zebra
 Practice
Exercise 2: Transcribe the following words in their full
form, then with elision
 No. Words/ Phrases Full form Elision
1 polite
2 tomato
3 accepts
4 kept quiet
5 Investment
6 guests
7 first thing
8 most famous
9 studentship
10 sent them
11 spend money
12 blind man
13 it seemed good
14 One of my favorite songs
15 A lot of candies