An English Gentleman

ˈwen ə ˈmæn ˈəʊpənz ə ˈkɑː ˈdɔː fər ɪz ˈwaɪf | ɪts ˈaɪðər ə ˈnjuː ˈkɑː | ɔːr ə ˈnjuː ˈwaɪf

Key at bottom of page.

Commentary

when: Although the when is a monosyllabic function/grammatical word, it tends to be stressed and has no weak form.

a: When unstressed, as it usually is, the indefinite article a has the weak form /ə/.

opens: Although the syllable /ən/ can form a syllabic consonant when preceded by /p/, this isn’t the most common variant and learners can ignore the possibility in this context.

The third person singular s has three pronunciations depending on the sound at the end of the verb:

• ·         /ɪz/ after /s z ʃ ʒ ʧ ʤ/
• ·         /s/ after the remaining voiceless consonants
• ·         /z/ after vowels and the remaining voiced consonants.

The same pattern applies to plural s, possessive s and the contraction of is.

for: When unstressed, as it usually is, for has the weak form /fə/.

When a word ends in schwa /ə/ and is immediately followed (without a pause) by a word beginning with a vowel, the consonant /r/ is inserted between the vowels. This process is known as /r/-liaison and also occurs after /ɑː ɔː ɜː eə ɪə ʊə/.

his: When unstressed, as it usually is, and not immediately preceded by a pause, his has the weak form /ɪz/. After a pause, unstressed his is pronounced /hɪz/ (e.g. His home is his castle. /hɪz ˈhəʊm ɪz ɪz ˈkɑːsl̩/ His brother took his money. /hɪz ˈbrʌðə ˈtʊk ɪz ˈmʌni/ His dog bit his nose. /hɪz ˈdɒɡ ˈbɪt ɪz ˈnəʊz).

it’s: When unstressed, as it usually is, the word is can have three different pronunciations, depending on the final sound of the immediately preceding word:

• ·         When the final sound of the preceding word is /s z ʃ ʒ ʧ ʤ/, then is has the form /ɪz/, e.g. Chris is well /ˈkrɪs ɪz ˈwel/.
• ·         When the final sound of the preceding word is a voiceless consonants (excluding the consonants listed above), then is has the form /s/ and forms a contraction with the preceding word, e.g. Jack is well /ˈʤæks ˈwel/.
• ·         If the final sound of the preceding word is voiced (i.e. a vowel or a voiced consonant (excluding the consonants listed above)), then is has the form /z/ and forms a contraction with the preceding word, e.g. John is well /ˈʤɒnz ˈwel/.

This is the same pattern as with possessive s, plural s and the third person singular s.

either: Both /ˈaɪðə/ and /ˈiːðə/ are common pronunciations in the General British (GB) accent, with /ˈaɪðə/ appearing to be more frequent.

When a man opens a car door for his wife, it’s either a new car or a new wife.