Короткі теоретичні відомості. The realization of reduction as well as assimilation and accommodation is connected with the style of speech

Vowel reduction

The realization of reduction as well as assimilation and accommodation is connected with the style of speech. In rapid colloquial speech reduction may result in vowel elision, the complete omission of the unstressed vowel, which is also known as zero reduction.

Zero reduction is likely to occur in a sequence of unstressed syllables, e.g. history, factory, literature, territory. It often occurs in initial unstressed syllables preceding thestressed one, e.g. correct, believe, suppose, perhaps.

The example below illustrates a stage-by-stage reduction (including zero reduction) of a phrase. Has he done it? [hæz hi·,dΛn it] [həz hI,dΛn it] [əz i,dΛn it] [z i,dΛn it].

Consonants reduction

The reduction of some consonants was established long ago:

1. the initial [w, k, g ] may be dropped e.g. write, know, gnat

2. the medial [t] or [d] are dropped in clusters of three consonants: e.g. listen, soften, Wednesday.

3. the final [b] is dropped in the cluster [mb]: lamb [læm], dumb[dΛm]

In the others cases of recent formation the elided forms are typical only for rapid colloquial speech.

- [h] may be dropped in the following monosyllables when non-initial and unstressed have, has, had; he, him, his, her, who tell him he is wanted.

Завдання до теми

Read the tongue-twisters:

1. Each Easter Eddie eats eighty Easter eggs.

2. East Fife Four, Forfar Five

3. Ed had edited it.

4. Ed Nott was shot and Sam Shott was not. So it is better to be Shott than Nott. Some say Nott was not shot. But Shott says he shot Nott. Either the shot Shott shot at Nott was not shot, or Nott was shot. If the shot Shott shot shot Nott, Nott was shot. But if the shot Shott shot shot Shott, the shot was Shott, not Nott. However, the shot Shott shot shot not Shott — but Nott. So, Ed Nott was shot and that’s hot! Is it not?

5. Eddie edited it.

6. Eleven benevolent elephants

7. Elizabeth has eleven elves in her elm tree.

8. Elizabeth’s birthday is on the third Thursday of this month.

9. Ere her ear hears her err, here ears err here.

10. Esau Wood sawed wood. All the wood Esau Wood saw, Esau Wood would saw. All the wood Wood saw, Esau sought to saw. One day Esau Wood’s wood-saw would saw no wood. So Esau Wood sought a new wood-saw. The new wood-saw would saw wood. Oh, the wood Esau Wood would saw. Esau sought a saw that would saw wood as no other wood-saw would saw. And Esau found a saw that would saw as no other wood-saw would saw. And Esau Wood sawed wood.

Контрольні питання

1. Mark sentence-stresses and underline all the content words in the sentence: «Isent them a photo of the children». What parts of speech are content words?

2. Mark sentence-stresses and underline all the form-words in the sentence: «They all went for a walk in the park». What parts of speech are form-words?

3. Are the personal and possessive pronouns generally stressed in connected speech?

4. Transcribe the following sentence, mark the stresses and tunes. Read it, make it sound rhythmically correct: «He told his son to wait for him».

5. Are the auxiliary and modal verbs generally stressed in connected speech?

6. Try to remember in what positions the auxiliary and modal verbs are generally stressed in a sentence.

7. Transcribe the following sentence, mark the stresses and tunes. Read it: ‘What do you generally do in the evening?’ Mind that the verb to do is used here first as an auxiliary, then as a content verb.

8. Pronounce the correct forms of the verb can in the phrase: «I can do it as well». And now in: «Can you write it yourself?» Give other examples where auxiliary and modal verbs have their strong forms.

9. In what positions are prepositions generally stressed in a sentence?

10. Transcribe, mark the stresses and tunes and read the sentence: «Who are you waiting for?» Which form of the preposition for have you used? Give other examples where prepositions have their strong forms.

11. Which form-words have no weak forms?

12. Give examples of the word that as a demonstrative pronoun and as a conjunction.

13. Transcribe, mark the stresses and tunes and read the sentence: «He isn't away, is he?» Give examples where link verbs have their strong forms.

14. Transcribe, mark the stresses and tunes and read the sentences: «We have an elder brother». «He has left for the Urals at present». How have you transcribed the verb have in the first sentence, and has in the second?

Література [6, c. 74-75; 122-123].

Практичне заняття  № 21