English Pronunciation - Connected Speech & Linking American English Practice

TL;DR

Learn how connected speech affects the way we speak and understand English by examining five types of connections between words.

Transcript

it's because we talk in a different way that it looks when it's written written when it's written and it's because we we tie our words together and we connect our speaking so it's faster and it's harder to understand so there's five five main ways that we tie our words together that we connect our speech and today i'm going to review these five way... Read More

Key Insights

• 😯 Connected speech involves the blending of words, making spoken language faster and harder to understand than written language.
• 👂 Linking, intruding sounds, disappearing sounds, ending sounds, and twin sounds are the five main ways that words connect in speech.
• 😯 Understanding connected speech is vital for effective communication and enhances language learning proficiency.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is spoken language sometimes harder to understand than written language?

Spoken language, or connected speech, is faster and words are blended together, making it more challenging to decipher individual words.

Q: What is linking in connected speech?

Linking occurs when the end sound of one word blends into the beginning sound of the next word, creating a connected flow of speech.

Q: How do intruding sounds affect connected speech?

Intruding sounds, like the Y or W sound, insert themselves between vowel sounds, altering the pronunciation and making the speech flow more smoothly.

Q: Can you provide an example of disappearing sounds in connected speech?

One example of disappearing sounds is when the T sound in "next door" is not pronounced, making it sound like "next door."

Q: How do ending sounds contribute to connected speech?

Ending sounds of words can blend together and form a new sound, such as the CH or J sound, enhancing the natural flow of spoken language.

Q: What are twin sounds in connected speech?

Twin sounds occur when two sounds of the same letter or sound are pronounced back-to-back, and only one of them is articulated, making the speech more efficient.

Q: How does understanding connected speech improve English language skills?

Understanding connected speech helps listeners decipher spoken language more effectively, allowing them to comprehend conversations, movies, and news better.

Q: Why is connected speech important in language learning?

Connected speech is a crucial aspect of natural communication and improves both speaking and listening skills, enabling learners to communicate more fluently and understand native speakers better.

Key Insights:

• Connected speech involves the blending of words, making spoken language faster and harder to understand than written language.
• Linking, intruding sounds, disappearing sounds, ending sounds, and twin sounds are the five main ways that words connect in speech.
• Understanding connected speech is vital for effective communication and enhances language learning proficiency.
• Learning to recognize and produce connected speech patterns improves fluency and comprehension in the English language.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Connected speech refers to the blending of words in spoken language, making it faster and more difficult to understand compared to written language.

• There are five main ways that words are connected in speech: linking, intruding sounds, disappearing sounds, ending sounds, and twin sounds.

• Linking occurs when the end sound of one word blends into the beginning sound of the next word, such as in "I want this outside" sounding like "I want this outside."

• Intruding sounds, like the Y or W sound, insert themselves between vowel sounds, such as in "he asked" sounding like "he asked."

• Disappearing sounds happen when a T or D sound is not clearly pronounced, like in "next door" sounding like "next door."

• Ending sounds blend together to form a new sound, like in "I like ice cream" sounding like "I like a ice cream."

• Twin sounds occur when two sounds back-to-back are the same, such as in "social life" pronounced as "so-cial life."