University M’hamed Bougara – Boumerdes

Faculty Of Letters And Foreign Languages

Department Of English

2nd year / S3 phonetics courses

Teacher : Mr. Gourari
Lesson 1 : Linking (aspects of connected speech)
Objectives : Discover and use the main kinds of linking

1- Definition :
Linking is the connection of the final sound of a word to the initial (first) sound of
the next word.

The ability to speak english smoothly, to pronounce words or syllables that are
appropriately connected entails the use of linking.

If there is no pause between two words, they should be linked together so that they
sound like one word. Linking means that words should be joined smoothly to each
other. If you don’t link words together, your speech sounds choppy. If you practise
linking words, your speech will be clearer.

When English people speak, they generally do not pause between words, but move
smoothly from one word to the following.

There are special ways and characteristics for linking :

a)- Linking a vowel to vowel : (linking glide)

when a word or a syllable ends in /i:/ /ı / /eı/ /aı/ or /ɔı/ and the following word begins
with avowel, there is a linking glide represented with the phonetic symbol [ʲ]
examples : « say it » pronounced [seıʲıt]
«  my own » pronounced [maıʲǝʊn]

Similarly, when a word ends in /u:/ /ǝʊ/ or /aʊ/ and the following words begins with a
vowel, there is a linking glide represented with the phonetic symbol [ʷ]
examples : « blue ink » pronounced [bluʷıŋk]
«  how is » pronounced [haʊʷıs]
‘Linking-r’ is also included here : for example ;
« is it far ? » [ızıt ' fɑ:] but « it is far away » [ıtız ' fɑ:rǝweı]

b)- Linking a consonant to vowel (resyllabification):

If a word ends in a consonant and the following begins with avowel, use the
consonant to begin the syllable of the following word.

Examples : - « down and out » becomes « dow/nan/dout » [daʊ nǝ naʊt]

- « left arm » becomes « lef/tarm » [lef tɑ:m]

c)- Linking a consonant to consonant (gemination):

when you link two consonants that are the same, do not say the sound twice. Say the
consonant once, but make it longer.

In a phonetic transcription, we will represent it with the length mark [:]. This
phonetic symbol means ‘long sound’, and is the same we used to represent the
lengthened vowels.
Examples : - « big girls » [bi ɡ:ɜ:lz]
- « nice summer » [naı s:ʌmǝ]
- « with thanks » [wi θ:æŋks]

Practice :
Transcribe the following words using linking where necessary . mention the
type of linking used in each case :

- green nuts : ……………………

- rice and meat : ………………………

- late hour : ………………………

- war and peace : ……………………..

- match of the day : ………………………

- black costume : …………………………

- how are : ……………………….

- day and night : ……………………