Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

Consonant + consonant

Two identical consonants: When a word ends in a
consonant sound and the next word begins with the same
sound, we don’t pronounce two separate sounds. Instead, two
identical consonants blend into one longer consonant.
(However, this rule doesn’t work with a"ricates. If we say
orange juice or rich children, we hear two separate
a"ricates.)

If the two sounds are continuants, they simply continue
longer. (Continuants are sounds in which the air stream
continues through the vocal tract without being completely
blocked o": fricatives, nasals, liquids, and glides.)

/m/ + /m/ Give him more. ⇒ Give himmore.

/s/ + /s/ Miss Smith ⇒ MissSmith

/l/ + /l/ I feel like singing. ⇒ I feellike singing.

If the sounds are stops, the stop is held longer. That is, the
tongue or lips block o" the air stream and stay in place a bit
longer than usual, and then the sound is released. We don’t
hear two separate stops.

/p/ + /p/ the top part ⇒ the toppart

/d/ + /d/ a good dog ⇒ a gooddog

/g/ + /g/ big grapes ⇒ biggrapes

/k/ + /k/ bake cakes ⇒ bakecakes

Two similar consonants: When a word ends in a stop

sound and the next word begins with a stop or a"ricate, the

!rst stop is not released, and the two sounds blend together.

We often don’t pronounce them as two separate sounds.

/t/ + /k/ pet cat ⇒ petcat

/g/ + /b/ big building ⇒ bigbuilding

/p/ + /t/ top tier ⇒ toptier

/t/ + /ʤ/ get juice ⇒ getjuice

Linking within words

These same types of linking can also happen between sounds

in the middle of a word, as well as between words. For

example:

Consonant +vowel: A consonant joins the following

syllable.

attend omit pepper party

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