Common words and expressions
As we saw in Chapter 9, sounds are deleted in some very
common expressions. For example:
Going to ⇒ gonna /ˈɡʌnə/ or /ˈɡɔnə/
Want to ⇒ wanna /ˈwɑnə/
Could have ⇒ coulda /ˈkᴜdə/
Should have ⇒ shoulda /ˈ∫ᴜdə/
Some common words can also have sounds or whole syllables
omitted. (See Chapter 8 for a longer list of words with
“disappearing syllables.”) Here are a few examples:
Missing sounds:
governor ⇒ /ˈɡʌvənɚ/ surprise ⇒ /səˈprayz/
because ⇒ ’cause /kəz/ about ⇒ ’bout /baut/
Missing syllables:
chocolate /ˈʧɑklət/ vegetable /ˈvɛʤtəbəl/
family /ˈfæmliy/ restaurant /ˈrɛstrɑnt/
Segmentation (dividing sounds into words)
Because of all the blending and changes that take place in
connected speech, it’s sometimes di#cult to know where to
divide a stream of sound into individual words, but this is a
skill that listeners need in order to understand spoken
language. The ability to hear spoken language and mentally
divide it into understandable words is called segmentation.Learners who hear connected speech may sometimes not
understand the words at all, or they may divide the words up
incorrectly and misunderstand what was said. An often-heard
example is the story of a waiter in a restaurant who asks, “Do
you want soup or salad?” and the customer, interpreting it as
“Do you want super salad?” answers, “Yes, please.”Di"erences in segmentation are also the source of jokes. In
the credits at the end of every episode of Car Talk, a
humorous radio program in which two brothers give callers
advice about car repairs, the names of some of the program’s
(!ctitious) sta" members are given at the end of each
program. If you say the names quickly, they sound like
phrases related to their imagined jobs.- Lighting Expert: Shanda Lear (Chandelier)
- Speechwriter: Audrey Marx (Odd remarks)
- Audience Estimator: Adam Illion (Add a million)
- Chief Benefactor: Myra Chunkle (My rich uncle)
- Weather Forecaster: Windsor Calm (Winds are calm)
- Optometrists: Ike and Zeke Leerly (I can see clearly)
(You can see more Car Talk Sta" Credits at http://
http://www.cartalk.com/content/sta"-credits.))
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