the:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the definite article the has the weak form /ðə/ when the following word begins with a
consonant.
first:
When /t/ is at the end of a word (more specifically, in a syllable coda) and is
immediately preceded by a consonant (except /l/ and /n/), it is commonly
elided/deleted when another consonant immediately follows (i.e. without a
pause) in another word or in a suffix.
I:
Although I is a monosyllabic
function/grammatical word and is usually unstressed, it doesn’t usually have a
weak form.
wasn’t:
Although function/grammatical words are generally unstressed in English,
negative contractions such as wasn’t
(and don’t, won’t, can’tshouldn’t, etc.) are usually stressed.
Although /t/ isn’t usually elided when
it is preceded by /n/ (e.g. in bent nail
/ˈbent ˈneɪl/, front door /ˈfrʌnt ˈdɔː/),
the negative contractions, because of their high frequency, are an exception
and their final /t/ can be elided before both consonants and vowels (e.g. I couldn’t say /aɪ ˈkʊdn̩ ˈseɪ/. He didn’t ask /hi ˈdɪdn̩ ˈɑːsk/.), but
not before a pause. This is much more common in the case of disyllabic negative
contractions (e.g. didn’t, doesn’t, haven’t, hasn’t, hadn’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, etc.). In the case of
monosyllabic negative contractions (won’t,
can’t), elision of /t/ is only usual
in rather casual speech.
very:
The symbol i represents the same
vowel phoneme as the symbol iː. We
use i in unstressed syllables and iː in stressed syllables. This
distinction isn't very helpful for TEFL purposes and learners should simply
treat the two symbols as the same. Because we are using two different symbols
for one phoneme, this means our transcription isn't truly phonemic (phonemic
transcription = one symbol for each phoneme).
a:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the indefinite article a has the weak form /ə/.
it:
Although it is a monosyllabic
function/grammatical word and is usually unstressed, it doesn’t have a weak
form.
of:
When unstressed, as it usually is, of
has the weak form /əv/. When a consonant immediately follows in the next word, of can have the form /ə/. This is
particularly common before /ð/ (e.g. of
the, of those, of them, of this, of that) and in high-frequency phrases
(e.g. a cup of tea, a bunch of grapes).
mine:
Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) are usually stressed and do not have weak forms.
The first time I went skiing, I wasn’t
very good. I broke a leg. Fortunately, it wasn’t one of mine.
my:
Although my is monosyllabic
function/grammatical word and is usually unstressed, it doesn’t usually have a
weak form.
thinks:
When a verb ends in a voiceless consonant /p t k f θ/ (excluding /s ʃ ʧ/), the
third person singular is formed by adding /s/ (e.g. sips /sɪps/, hits /hɪts/,
licks /lɪks/, stuffs /stʌfs/, unearths
/ʌnˈɜːθs). The same pattern applies to possessive s, plural s and the
contracted form of is.
I’m: When unstressed, as it usually is,
and immediately preceded by I, am has the weak form /m/, which attaches
to the preceding I to form the
contraction I’m /aɪm/.
nosy: The symbol i represents the same vowel phoneme as the symbol iː. We use i in unstressed syllables and iː
in stressed syllables. This distinction isn't very helpful for TEFL purposes
and learners should simply treat the two symbols as the same. Because we are
using two different symbols for one phoneme, this means our transcription isn't
truly phonemic (phonemic transcription = one symbol for each phoneme).
at:
When unstressed, as it usually is, at
has the weak form /ət/.
leastː
When /t/ is at the end of a syllable (more specifically, in a syllable coda)
and is immediately preceded by a consonant (except /l/ and /n/), it is commonly
elided/deleted when another consonant immediately follows (i.e. without a
pause) in another word or in a suffix.
that’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.
what:
What is usually stressed in all its uses and has no weak form.
in:
Although in is monosyllabic
function/grammatical word and is usually unstressed, it doesn’t usually have a
weak form.
her:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the determiner her usually has the weak form /ɜː/, or sometimes /ə/. When her is a
pronoun (e.g. I’ve met her. /aɪv ˈmet ə/), it usually has the weak form /ə/, or
sometimes /ɜː/.
diary:
The sequence /aɪə/ (and the sequence /aʊə/, also less frequently the sequences
/eɪə ɔɪə əʊə/) is often referred to as a ‘triphthong’. This is incorrect. A
triphthong is a vowel which glides from one vowel position towards a second and
then towards a third, all in one syllable.
The sequence /aɪə/ (and /aʊə eɪə ɔɪə əʊə) is a disyllabic sequence of a
diphthong (one syllable) and schwa (another syllable).
The triphthong vs. disyllabic sequence
confusion is caused by the tendency towards smoothing in this context (more so
in the case of /aʊə aɪə/ than the others). Smoothing involves the loss of the
gliding element of a diphthong. In the case of /aɪə/, the glide in the
direction of /ɪ/ is lost, resulting in the diphthong [aə] and the loss of a
syllable. This diphthong can itself be smoothed to [a:], a long open vowel.
Depending on the quality used as the starting point of the /aʊ aɪ/ diphthongs,
the long open [a:] vowel resulting from smoothing may or may not be identical
to the speaker’s /ɑː/ vowel.
Historically, smoothing has led to the word
our having the common variant
pronunciation /ɑː/ (as a citation form, not merely a realisation of an
underlying /aʊə/). In all other cases, however, smoothing is an optional
process, some speakers doing it more or less than others or not at all. Learners
need not imitate it, or even perhaps should not imitate it because extensive
smoothing can be perceived as socially conspicuous or ‘posh’.
My daughter thinks
I’m nosy. At least that’s what she wrote in her diary.
[Don't worry if you find this difficult.
Don't let yourself be put off. The same phenomena will come up again and again
in these transcriptions. There'll be plenty of opportunities for them to sink
in over time. Slow and steady, a little each day, is the key to success.]
I:
Although I is a monosyllabic
function/grammatical word and is usually unstressed, it doesn’t usually have a
weak form.
was:
When unstressed, as it usually is, was
has the weak form /wəz/.
so:
The word so is sometimes stressed and
sometimes unstressed. When unstressed, it occasionally has the weak form /sə/
before consonants, but /səʊ/ is always acceptable and learners can safely use
it in all unstressed contexts.
ugly:
The symbol i represents the same
vowel phoneme as the symbol iː. We
use i in unstressed syllables and iː in stressed syllables. This
distinction isn't very helpful for TEFL purposes and learners should simply
treat the two symbols as the same. Because we are using two different symbols
for one phoneme, this means our transcription isn't truly phonemic (phonemic
transcription = one symbol for each phoneme).
as:
When unstressed, as it usually is, as
has the weak form /əz/.
a:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the indefinite article a has the weak form /ə/.
that:
When unstressed, as it usually is, that as a conjunction or relative pronoun has the weak form /ðət/. Note that the other uses of that do not have weak forms and are
always pronounced /ðæt/: pronoun, I know
that. /aɪ ˈnəʊ ˈðæt/; determiner, I
know that man. /aɪ ˈnəʊ ˈðæt ˈmæn/; adverb, It wasn’t that good. /ɪt ˈwɒzn̩t ˈðæt ˈɡʊd/.
when:
Although the interrogative pronoun when
is a monosyllabic function/grammatical word, it is usually stressed and has no
weak form. This is true of the other interrogative pronouns: which, who, where, etc.
played:
When a verb ends in a voiced sound (i.e. a vowel or a voiced consonant (except
/d/)), the regular <-ed> ending has the form /d/.
in:
Although in is monosyllabic
function/grammatical word and is usually unstressed, it doesn’t usually have a
weak form.
the:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the definite article the has the weak form /ðə/ when the following word begins with a
consonant.
sandpit:
When /d/ is at the end of a syllable (i.e. in a syllable coda) and is
immediately preceded by a consonant, it is commonly elided/deleted when another
consonant immediately follows (i.e. without a pause) in another word, in a
suffix or, as in this case, in the second part of a compound.
The /n/ of sand- undergoes assimilation, changing from /n/ to /m/ because once
the /d/ has been elided, the immediately following sound is /p/. The consonant
/n/ is a voiced alveolar nasal and
/m/ is a voiced bilabial nasal. The
change from /n/ to /m/ is a change of place of articulation (not of voicing or
of manner of articulation). The place of articulation of the nasal changes to bilabial
because the following consonant is bilabial (/p/ = a voiceless bilabial
plosive). It is usual for /n/ to change its place of articulation to that of an
immediately following consonant, becoming /ŋ/ before velar consonants (/k/ or /ɡ/)
or /m/ before bilabial consonants (/p b m/).
cat:
The final consonant of cat undergoes
assimilation, changing from /t/ to /k/ because the immediately following word begins
with /k/. The consonant /t/ is a voiceless alveolar
plosive and /k/ is a voiceless velar
plosive. The change from /t/ to /k/ is a change of place of articulation (not
of voicing or of manner of articulation). The place of articulation of the plosive
changes to velar because the following consonant is velar (/k/ = a voiceless velar
plosive). It is usual for /t/ to change its place of articulation to that of an
immediately following consonant, becoming /k/ before velar consonants (/k/ or /ɡ/)
or /p/ before bilabial consonants (/p b m/).
In this context, the glottal
plosive/stop variant of the /t/ phoneme is also a possibility. When /t/ is at
the end of a syllable (i.e. in the syllable coda), preceded by a sonorant (i.e.
a vowel, a nasal or an approximant) and immediately followed by a consonant
(within a word in the following word), it can be realised as a glottal
plosive/stop [ʔ].
kept:
When /t/ is at the end of a syllable (more specifically, in a syllable coda)
and is immediately preceded by a consonant (except /l/ and /n/), it is commonly
elided/deleted when another consonant immediately follows (i.e. without a
pause) in another word or in a suffix.
covering:
When schwa /ə/ is followed by /r/ and then an unstressed syllable, the schwa /ə/
is often elided. Memory /ˈmeməri/
becomes /ˈmemri/, separate (adj.)
/ˈsepərət/ becomes /ˈseprət/, etc. Here, /ˈkʌvərɪŋ/ becomes /ˈkʌvrɪŋ/.
meː
The symbol i represents the same
vowel phoneme as the symbol iː. We
use i in unstressed syllables and iː in stressed syllables. This
distinction isn't very helpful for TEFL purposes and learners should simply
treat the two symbols as the same. Because we are using two different symbols
for one phoneme, this means our transcription isn't truly phonemic (phonemic
transcription = one symbol for each phoneme).
up:
The word up is usually stressed and
has no weak form.
I was so ugly as a kid that when I
played in the sandpit, the cat kept covering me up.
[Don't worry if you find this difficult.
Don't let yourself be put off. The same phenomena will come up again and again
in these transcriptions. There'll be plenty of opportunities for them to sink
in over time. Slow and steady, a little each day, is the key to success.]
when:
Although the interrogative pronoun when
is a monosyllabic function/grammatical word, it is usually stressed and has no
weak form. This is true of the other interrogative pronouns: which, who, where, etc.
I:
Although I is a monosyllabic
function/grammatical word and is usually unstressed, it doesn’t usually have a
weak form.
was:
When unstressed, as it usually is, was
has the weak form /wəz/.
so:
The word so is sometimes stressed and
sometimes unstressed. When unstressed, it occasionally has the weak form /sə/
before consonants, but /səʊ/ is always acceptable and learners can safely use
it in all unstressed contexts.
surprised:
When a verb ends in a voiced sound (i.e. a vowel or a voiced consonant (except
/d/)), the regular <-ed> ending has the form /d/.
that:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the relative pronoun that has the weak form /ðət/. Note that the other uses of that do not have weak forms and are
always pronounced /ðæt/: pronoun, I know
that. /aɪ ˈnəʊ ˈðæt/; determiner, I
know that man. /aɪ ˈnəʊ ˈðæt ˈmæn/; adverb, It wasn’t that good. /ɪt ˈwɒzn̩t ˈðæt ˈɡʊd/.
didn’t:
Although function/grammatical words are generally unstressed in English,
negative contractions such as didn’t
(and don’t, won’t, can’tshouldn’t, etc.) are usually stressed.
Although /t/ isn’t usually elided when
it is preceded by /n/ (e.g. in bent nail
/ˈbent ˈneɪl/, front door /ˈfrʌnt ˈdɔː/),
the negative contractions, because of their high frequency, are an exception
and their final /t/ can be elided before both consonants and vowels (e.g. I couldn’t say /aɪ ˈkʊdn̩ ˈseɪ/. He didn’t ask /hi ˈdɪdn̩ ˈɑːsk/.), but
not before a pause. This is much more common in the case of disyllabic negative
contractions (e.g. didn’t, doesn’t, haven’t, hasn’t, hadn’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, etc.). In the case of
monosyllabic negative contractions (won’t,
can’t), elision of /t/ is only usual
in rather casual speech.
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/.
a:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the indefinite article a has the weak form /ə/.
and:
When unstressed, as it usually is, and
has the weak form /ən/ or /ənd/. Some books say that /ən/ is used before
consonants and /ənd/ before vowels, but this is not true. While both forms can
be heard before consonants and vowels, /ən/ is much more common than /ənd/.
Learners can safely use only /ən/ for the weak form of and because it will never be wrong to do so.
When I was born, I
was so surprised that I didn’t talk for a year and a half.
