Coarticulation and connected speech processes

Question 1

What is coarticulation?

What is the result?

What are the key features?

What are the two types?

Answer 1

The overlapping of adjacent articulations so that a sound becomes more like the next sound

This results in allophones

coarticulation is a phonetic phenomenon, linked to the mechanics or getting one sound to another

regressive or anticipatory coarticulation where the second sound impacts the first sound

progressive/carry over coarticulation - the first sound impacts the second sound

Question 2

What happens in dental realisations?

What is an example of this?

What is the diacritic for this?

What sounds does this apply to?

Answer 2

Plosive sounds in particular may be made at different places depending on their phonetic context

/t, d/ may be produced as dental versions before a dental sound - as in eighth [eɪt̪θ]

Diacritic [ ̪ ]

applies to alveolar stops /t, d, n/ and approximant /l/ - Alveolar sounds that come before a dental sound will change their articulation to dental via coarticulation

Question 3

What is advancement?

Example

What is the diacritic for this?

Answer 3

When a consonant preceeds a vowel it may be produced in a different place in the mouth in anticipation

Words ‘car’ and ‘key’

The second /k/ is more forward: [k̟ʰiː]
/k, g/ may be produced further forward in the mouth – advancement

Diacritic [ ̟ ]

Question 4

What is retraction?

Examples

Answer 4

When sounds / are retracted before postalveolar sounds

/t, d, n/, and approximant /l/ are retracted before postalveolar sounds: tree, lunch, Grinch, belch, Welsh
Also /k, g/ before back vowels /uː ɔː/ and /w/: queen, caught

Question 5

What is labialisation?

What is the diacritic for this?

Answer 5

Labialisation (lip rounding) before rounded vowels

Diacritic [ʷ]

Question 6

Examples of anticipatory coarticulation

Answer 6

Dental realisations

Advancement

Retraction

Labialisation

Question 7

What is nasalisation?

When does this happen?

What is the diacritic?

Answer 7

Approximants and vowels are nasalised in the vicinity of a nasal consonant

It can happen in both directions, but anticipatory effect is stronger: green [gɹ̃iː̃n] (anticipatory) vs. Molly [mɒ̃li] (carry-over coarticulation)

Diacritic [ ̃]

Question 8

What is velarisation?

What are clear and dark /l/?

What are the allophones of l?

Answer 8

Secondary articulation in the velar region

Clear /l/ - before a vowel sound, e.g. in lead /liːd/, light /laɪt/ - not velarised
Dark /l/ - after a vowel at the end of a syllable, and preceding a consonant, e.g. in eel /iːl/, field /fiːld/

[l] and [ɫ] (or [lˠ]) are allophones of the phoneme /l/

Question 9

What are connected speech processes?

What is the result of this?

Where does it occur?

At what level does it affect sound?

Answer 9

Sounds change when words are put together in larger stretches of speech, such as phrases and sentences

This may include sounds changing, being lost, or being added

Often occur at the edges of words

They are optional

Affect sounds at the phonemic level (not allophonic level)

Question 10

What are the types of connected speech processes?

Answer 10

Weak forms:

Elision

Alveolar plosive elision
Schwa elision

Assimilation

Alveolar plosive regressive place assimilation
Alveolar fricative regressive place assimilation
Coalescence
Voice assimilation

Liaison

Question 11

What happens in weak forms of connected speech processes?

Answer 11

Usually happens when words are unstressed e.g., in function words (pronouns, prepositions etc.)
The vowels change to schwa & some sounds deleted

Question 12

What is elision?

Examples

Answer 12

Under certain circumstances sounds disappear

Basically means sounds are deleted

Typical of rapid, casual speech

It is an optional process

The patterns differ in different languages

Alveolar plosive elision
Schwa elision

Question 13

What is alveolar plosive elision?

Answer 13

Alveolar plosives /t, d/ often undergo phonological processes

There are certain environments in which /t/ and /d/ are likely to disappear:

Two-consonant clusters
The alveolar plosive must be in the coda of the syllable, not the onset
It must be preceded by a consonant with the same voicing
The following sound must be a consonant other than /h/

Question 14

Examples of alveolar plosive elision

Answer 14

Examples:

Last night /ˈlɑːst ˈnaɪt/→/ˈlɑːs ˈnaɪt/

Locked door /ˈlɒkt ˈdɔː/→/ˈlɒk ˈdɔː/

Send them /ˈsend ðəm/→/ˈsen ðəm/

Bold man /ˈbəʊld ˈmæn/→/ˈbəʊl ˈmæn/

Question 15

Exceptions of alveolar plosive elision

Answer 15

/d/ is usually elided in and, whether or not it is followed by a consonant

/t/ deletion may take place in negative contractions if followed by another word

Don’t shout /ˈdəʊnt ˈʃaʊt/→/ˈdəʊn ˈʃaʊt/

Wouldn’t answer /ˈwʊdn̩t ˈɑːnsə/→/ˈwʊdn̩ ˈɑːnsə/

Question 16

What is word internal elision?

Example

Answer 16

The same process as alveolar plosive elision but within a word

The same rules, but across syllable boundary (not word boundary); or within a single syllable

For example:
- exactly /ɪɡˈzæktli/→/ɪɡˈzækli/

Question 17

What is schwa elision?

Example

What is the result?

Answer 17

The unstressed schwa
is prone to deletion

If schwa is unstressed and followed by /n/, /r/ or /l/ before an unstressed syllable

Examples: history, travelling, camera, family etc.

history /ˈhɪstəri/→/ˈhɪstri/
travelling /ˈtrævəlɪŋ/→/ˈtrævlɪŋ/

These result in the loss of one syllable

Question 18

What is assimilation?

Where is it more likely to be found?

How is it different from coarticulation?

What are the two types?

Which sounds are most likely to undergo assimilation?

Answer 18

“sounds become more similar to neighbouring sounds”

more likely to be found in rapid, casual speech

Different from coarticulation: affects sounds at the phonemic level

Two types:

Regressive or anticipatory assimilation: a sound takes features from the sound following it A←B

Progressive or perseverative assimilation: a sound takes features from the sound preceding it A→B

Alveolar plosives are most likely to undergo assimilation

Question 19

What is alveolar stop regressive place assimilation?

Which phonemes are susceptible?

Example?

What doesn’t change?

Answer 19

Place of articulation of a phoneme can change when followed by a consonant

Alveolars - highly susceptible

/t d n/ may be realised as:
Bilabial /p b m/ when followed by a bilabial consonant

Velar /k g ŋ/ when followed by a velar consonant

Voicing does not change!

Question 20

What happens if one alveolar consonant at the end of a word assimilates?

Answer 20

All consonants will assimilate

Question 21

What is alveolar fricative regressive place assimilation?

Examples

Answer 21

/s/ and /z/ may be realised as postalveolar when followed by /j/, /ʃ/ (sh) or /ʒ/(j)

does she /dʌz ʃi/ → /dʌʒ ʃi/
this year /ðɪs jɪə/ → /ðɪʃ jɪə/

Question 22

What is Coalescence?

Examples

Answer 22

Coarticulation that affects the manner of articulation

/t/ and /d/ may merge with a following /j/ to become post-alveolar affricates /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ respectively
/t/ + /j/ → /tʃ/

Tuesday /ˈtjuːzdeɪ/→/ˈtʃuːzdeɪ/

won’t you /ˈwəʊnt ju/→/ˈwəʊntʃu/
/d/ + /j/ → /dʒ/
due /djuː/→/dʒuː/
would use /wʊd ˈjuːz/→/ wʊˈdʒuːz/

Question 23

What is voice assimilation?

Examples

Answer 23

Anticipatory assimilation of voicing

/v/ is realised as /f/
Have to /ˈhæv tu/→/ˈhæf tu/

Of course /əv kɔːs/→/əf ˈkɔːs/
/z/ is realised as /s/

Newspaper /ˈnjuːzpeɪpə/→/ˈnjuːspeɪpə/

Question 24

What is liaison?

What is hiatus?

What is the most common consonant to be added?

What is the opposite of liaison?

Answer 24

Addition of sounds in connected speech

Liaison = adding a phoneme to avoid hiatus

The insertion of a consonant to avoid a sequence of a word-final and a word-initial vowel

when two vowels occur next to each other

Most commonly: /r/ is added

Elision is the opposite of liaison as in liaison sounds are added

Question 25

What is r liaison?

What is linking r?

What is intrusive r?

Which speech is this found in and which is it not?

Answer 25

Adding r into a word to prevent two vowels occuring next to each other

Linking r
In pronunciation, when the word is spelled with a final /r/ and the following word begins with a vowel:
four /fɔː/ vs. four eggs /fɔːr egz/
you were out /juː wər aʊt/

Intrusive r - when not justified by spelling :
media event /miːdiə ɪvent/ ® /miːdiər ɪvent/

It is an optional process in non-rhotic speakers but r is always produced in rhotic speakers

Question 26

What is the difference between rhotic and non-rhotic speech?

What is non-rhotic speech also known as?

Answer 26

rhotic speakers pronounce the /r/ in words like large and park, while non-rhotic speakers generally don’t pronounce the /r/ in these words.

Non-rhotic is also known as “r”-dropping.