Connected speech
Introducing connected speech
Compare: A good way to introduce the concept of
connected speech is to present a simple sentence and read it
very carefully, using the citation form of each word. Ask
students if people really talk that way and if it sounds like
normal English. (If they’re not sure, tell them that this is
certainly not normal. Real people are not that careful and
precise.) Then read the sentence again, using normal
connected speech. For example:
I am going to write you a letter.
Carefully: /ay æm gowɪŋ tuw rayt yuw ə lɛtɚ/
Normally: /aymgənərayʧuwəlɛtɚ/
Let students listen to both versions a few times and see if
they can point out which sounds are changed or omitted.
Reassure them that this is a normal way of speaking, and it
isn’t sloppy or uneducated. Real people talk this way in all
but the most formal and careful speech.
Listening to connected speech
Mark the script: As students listen to spoken or recorded
sentences, draw attention to sounds that are linked and have
students draw lines or circles to connect them on a written
script. After doing some examples as a group, have students
listen and mark linked sounds on their own or with a partner.
It’s normal to have some disagreement about exactly where
linking was heard. At the beginning, try to use sentences that
are spoken somewhat slowly, but with normally connected
speech, then gradually speed up to a normal speaking speed.
Students might mark sentences in one of these ways:
When did you meet Tom?I put a bag of chips in my backpack.Dictations: Dictations are useful for practicing connected
speech, just as they are for practicing individual sounds.
Prepare several sentences or a dialog to highlight the types of
connected speech you’ve been practicing. Have students
listen to the sentences using normal reduced forms and
“translate” them into their citation forms, writing the full
forms of the sentences. Then check what they’ve written and
discuss why certain combinations of sounds were hard to
hear or had unexpected sounds. It’s very important for the
dictated sentences to use normal connected speech, not
overly careful pronunciation (even if the students ask you to
speak more slowly and carefully).Skeleton dictations: Give students a handout showing the
sentences that will be dictated, omitting only certain words
that involve connected speech. (A “skeleton” of the
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