Короткі теоретичні відомості. Language in everyday use is not conducted in terms of isolated, separate units; it is performed in connected sequencesof larger units

Language in everyday use is not conducted in terms of isolated, separate units; it is performed in connected sequencesof larger units, in words, phrases and longer utterances.

Consonants are modified according to the place of articulation. Assimilation takes place when a sound changes its character in order to become more like a neighbouring sound. The characteristic which can vary in this way is nearly always the place of articulation, and the sounds concerned are commonly those which involve a complete closure at some point in the mouth that is plosives and nasals which may be illustrated as follows:

1. The dental [t], [d], followed by the interdental [θ], [ð] sounds (partial regressive assimilation when the influence goes backwards from a 'latter' sound to an «earlier» one), e.g. eigth, at the, breadth, said that.

2. The post-alveolar [t], [d] under the influence of the post-alveolar [r] (partial regressive assimilation), e.g. free, true, that right word, dry, the third room.

3. The post-alveolar [s], [z] before [ʃ] (complete regressive assimilation), e.g. horse-shoe ['ho:ʃʃu:], this shop [ðIʃʃ'ʃɔp], does she ['d٨ʃʃi:].

4. The affricative [t + j], [d + j] combinations (incomplete regressive assimilation), e.g. graduate ['græʤueit], congratulate [kən'græʧuleit], did you ['diʤu:], could you ['kuʤu:], what do you say ['wɔtƷu:'sei].

The manner of articulation is also changed as a result of assimilation, which includes:

1. Loss of plosion. In the sequence of two plosive consonants the former loses its plosion: glad to see you, great trouble, and old clock (partial regressive assimilation).

2. Nasal plosion. In the sequence of a plosive followed by a nasal sonorant the manner of articulation of the plosive sound and the work of the soft palate are involved, which results in the nasal character of plosion release: sudden, not now, at night, let me see (partial regressive assimilation).

3. Lateral plosion. In the sequence of a plosive followed by the lateral sonorant [l] the noise production of the plosive stop is changed into that of the lateral stop: settle, table, at last (partial regressive assimilation).

It is obvious that in each of the occasions one characteristic feature of the phoneme is lost.

The voicing value of a consonant may also change through assimilation. This type of assimilation affects the work of the vocal cords and the force of articulation. In particular voiced lenis sounds become voiceless fortis when followed by another voiceless sound, e.g.:

1. Fortis voiceless/lenis voiced type of assimilation is best manifested by the regressive assimilation in such words as newspaper (news [z] + paper); gooseberry (goose [s] +berry). In casual informal speech voicing assimilation is often met, e.g. have to do ['hæf tə'du:], five past two ['faif past 'tu:]. The sounds which assimilate their voicing are usually, as the examples show, voiced lenis fricatives assimilated to the initial voiceless fortis consonant of the following word. Grammatical items, in particular, are most affected: [z] of has, is, does changes to [s], and [v] of of, have becomes [f], e.g. She's five. Of course. She has fine eyes. You've spoiled it. Does Pete like it?

2. The weak forms of the verbs is and has are also assimilated to the final voiceless fortis consonants of the preceding word thus the assimilation is functioning in the progressive direction, e.g. Your aunt's coming. What's your name? (partial progressive assimilation)

3. English sonorants [m, n, r, 1, j, w] preceded by the fortis voiceless consonants [p, t, k, s] are partially devoiced, e.g. smart, snake, tray, quick, twins, play, pride (partial progressive assimilation).

Lip position may be affected by the accommodation, the interchange of consonant + vowel type. Labialisation of consonants is traced under the influence of the neighbouring back vowels (accommodation), e.g. pool, moon, rude, soon, who, cool, etc. It is possible to speak about the spread lip position of consonants followed or preceded by front vowels [i:], [i], e.g. tea – beat; meet – team; feat – leaf, keep – leak; sit – miss.

The position of the soft palate is also involved in the accommodation. Slight nasalization as the result of prolonged lowering of the soft palate is sometimes traced in vowels under the influence of the neighbouring sonants [m] and [n], e.g. and, morning, men, come in (accommodation).

Завдання до теми

Read the tongue-twisters

1. Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?

2. Casual clothes are provisional for leisurely trips across Asia.

3. Cedar shingles should be shaved and saved.

4. Celibate celebrant, celibate celebrant, celibate celebrant

5. Cheap sheep soup.

6. Cheap ship trip.

7. Cheryl’s chilly cheap chip shop sells Cheryl’s cheap chips.

8. Chester Cheetah chews a chunk of cheep cheddar cheese.

9. Chocolate chip cookies in a copper coffee cup.

10. Chop shops stock chops.

Контрольні питання

1. What articulatory features of the sonorant [Ij within the word flower are affected by assimilation?

2. Transcribe and pronounce the words train, quarter, twilight and swallow and say what type of assimilation takes place inthem.

3. Ask a fellow-student to read the following sets of words. Concentrating on the difference between the sonorant [w] in word initial position and the [w] preceded by the plosives [s, t] or [k]. Ask him what type of assimilation it is.

(1) win — twin, (2) wept — swept, (3) white — quite.

4. Which consonant within the word clock is affected by assimilation?

What degree of assimilation is it?

5. What kind of assimilation do you come across in the cluster [tw] in the word twilight? In what other clusters do we come across the same type of assimilation?

6. Ask a fellow-student to tell you what articulatory features of the sonorant [w] are affected by assimilation within the words twin, swing, queen. What type of assimilation is it?

7. Can you formulate the principles which determine the pronunciation of the ending -ed, added to regular English verbs to form the Past Indefinite tense? Give examples illustrating all the possible cases.

8. Ask a fellow-student to formulate the principles which determine the pronunciation of the ending -s, - г, added to the end of the word to make a noun plural or possessive, or to put a verb in the third person singular form of the present tense. This ending is spelled in several different ways: -s, -es, -'s or - s '.

9. Tell your fellow-student to pronounce each of these words and write the phonetic symbol which represents the sounds he gave to the ending. Then ask him to explain why the ending is pronounced as it is:

asked, breaks, caps, believed, appears, animals, lighted, fixed, brooches.

10. What advice regarding voicing and force of articulation would you give a fellow-student who makes the following errors in the pronunciation of:

1. had as [hast] instead of [haedj

2. than as (Gaen] instead of [daen]

3. dog as [ dDk ] instead of [dog]

4. languages as ['laerjgwitfis] instead of flaeggwicfciz]

5. obstinate as ['opstinit] instead of ['obstinit]

11. Suppose your fellow-student pronounces the word medicine as ['metsin] and blackboard as [’blaegbad]. Keeping in mindwhat you know about voicing and devoicing in English andRussian tell him what he must do to eliminate the error.

12. Tell your fellow-student to read the words behind, perhaps. Ask him what allophone of [h] is used in them. What is thisposition of [h] called?

13. Your fellow-student probably makes an error in pronouncing [b] within the following words: public, better, job. Keeping in mind what you know about voicing in English tell him how to eliminate the error.

14. Transcribe and read the following sets of words:

(1) day, today, loved; (2) glue, degree, bag.

Література [6, c. 68-74]

Практичне заняття  № 23

Тема. Редукція (елізія)

     Reduction (elision)

Мета: to study the phenomenon of reduction (elision).