Phonological Processes: Elision and Epenthesis in English Speech

Plosive Elision and Epenthesis in Connected Speech

The pronunciation of speech segments is conditioned by two primary factors: the phonetic environment and the speed at which we speak.

The Principle of Least Effort in Articulation

Many of the changes that occur when we speak result from the speaker’s need for ease of articulation—a need that derives from the Principle of Least Effort. This need is more marked when the speaker speaks quickly.

Two processes affect the pronunciation of words in connected speech: elision and epenthesis.

Understanding Elision

Elision is the process by which a phoneme is dropped from a word. This process mainly affects alveolar plosives.

Conditions for Alveolar Plosive Elision (/t/ and /d/)

The alveolar plosives /t/ and /d/ are commonly elided when the following three conditions are met:

1. They appear second in a syllable-final cluster.
2. /t/ must follow a voiceless consonant, and /d/ must follow a voiced consonant.
3. They must precede a consonant other than /h/.

This elision is common in these cluster combinations: /ft/, /st/, /ld/, and /nd/.

Elision in Verb-to Constructions

The “verb + to constructions” (e.g., want to, got to) are often pronounced with only one plosive when they are followed by another verb.

Elision of /k/ and /t/

The elision of /k/ in the past tense form...

Understanding Epenthesis

Epenthesis consists of the insertion of a segment (a phoneme) within a word. This phenomenon is often observed in the case of consonant clusters.

This type of insertion mainly happens between a nasal and a voiceless fricative.

Pronunciation of the -(e)s Ending (Epenthesis Example)

The pronunciation of the -(e)s ending (used for regular plurals, possessive nouns, and third-person singular of the present tense) may have three realizations: /s/, /z/, and /ɪz/.

The rules governing these realizations are:

1. When the noun or verb ends in a sibilant consonant, the ending is realized as /ɪz/ (a clear case of epenthesis to break up the sibilant cluster).
2. When the noun or verb ends in a vowel or a voiced non-sibilant consonant, the ending is realized as /z/.
3. When the noun or verb ends in a voiceless non-sibilant consonant, the ending is realized as /s/.