Understanding Connected Speech: Rhythm, Assimilation, Elision, and Linking

Connected Speech

Speech is a continuum, and sounds influence one another while speaking. There are four main characteristics of human speech:

• Rhythm
• Assimilation
• Elision
• Linking

Rhythm

Rhythm can be defined as a noticeable event happening at regular intervals of time, such as a heartbeat, a flashing light, or a piece of music. English speech is rhythmical, and the rhythm is detectable in the regular occurrence of stressed syllables. The stress-timed rhythm theory states that the times from each stressed syllable to the next will tend to be the same, irrespective of the number of intervening unstressed syllables.

Consider these examples:

1. First, Mike took John's book back.
2. Later, Mike visited Millington's ancient bookshop.
3. Jean Craig didn't post Bob the letter at once.
4. I'd have thought it was going to be pasted.

Sentences a and b take roughly the same amount of time because they both have six accented syllables each, although example b has seven extra unaccented syllables.

Sentence c takes longer than d because, though both have the same number of syllables, c has more accented ones.

A unit of rhythm is required to measure stress units (the foot). A foot begins with a stressed syllable and includes all following unstressed syllables up to the next stressed syllable (not included). For example:

(1) Walk (2) down the (3) path to the (4) end of the ca (5) nal

In normal speech in English, weak and strong syllables alternate, and stress is adjusted to bring this about. This is called stress-shift. For example:

• 'Compact' but 'compact disc'
• 'Thirteen' but 'thirteen place'
• 'Westminster' but 'Westminster Abbey'

Rhythm (stress time) seems to be a result of the presence of weak and strong syllables in English. For native speakers of Spanish, it can be helpful to practice repeating strongly rhythmical utterances since this forces the speaker to concentrate on making unstressed syllables weak.

Assimilation

In natural connected speech, the sounds of a word may influence the sounds of neighboring words. We call this assimilation. Assimilation is more likely to be found in rapid, casual speech. There are two types of assimilation:

• Regressive: When the phoneme that comes first is affected by the one that comes after it.
• Progressive: When the phoneme that comes later is affected by the one that comes before.

We can identify assimilation of:

• Place of articulation: Especially in regressive assimilation of alveolar consonants.
• Manner of articulation: Much less noticeable.

Elision

Under certain circumstances, some phonemes have zero realization; they are deleted or disappear. This happens especially in rapid, casual speech. These are some of the many possibilities of elision:

• Loss of weak vowel after p, t, k: 'potato', 'tomato', 'canary', 'perhaps', 'today' (first syllable)
• Weak vowel + n, l, r resulting in syllabic consonants: 'police', 'bottle'
• Avoidance of complex consonant clusters: 'George the Sixth's throne'
• Loss of final v in 'of' before consonants

Linking

In real connected speech, we sometimes link words together by introducing a consonant.

Linking r: When a word is spelled with a final r and the next word begins with a vowel, the r is exceptionally pronounced. For example, 'four eggs'.

Intrusive r: When a word ends in a vowel and the next one begins with a vowel, an r is introduced. For example, 'media event'.