Pronunciation and Fluency
Understanding Fluency and Pronunciation
Fluency in speaking is the ability to express yourself smoothly and effortlessly, without frequent pauses or hesitation. It’s about being able to communicate ideas clearly and naturally. Pronunciation, on the other hand, refers to the way in which words are spoken, including the sounds, rhythm, and intonation. When we talk about fluency in pronunciation, we’re focusing on the natural flow of speech.
Connected Speech and Reduced Forms
In natural conversation, words often blend together. For example, “What do you want to do?” might sound like “Wha-daya wanna do?” In fluent speech, some sounds may be dropped or reduced. For instance, “going to” often becomes “gonna,” and “want to” becomes “wanna.”
Examples of Speech Reduction
Text: “Do you want to come with me?”
- Natural Pronunciation: /də jə wɑːnə kʌm wɪð mi/
- Reduced Speech: “D’ya wanna come with me?”
Text: “I am going to eat lunch.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪ əm ɡoʊɪn tə it lʌntʃ/
- Reduced Speech: “I’m gonna eat lunch.” “Im unna eat lunch.”
Text: “Did you get the message?”
- Natural Pronunciation: /dɪd jə ɡɛt ðə ˈmɛsɪdʒ/
- Reduced Speech: “Ditch’ya get the message?”
Text: “I have got to finish this.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪ hæv ɡɑːtə fɪnɪʃ ðɪs/
- Reduced Speech: “I’ve gotta finish this.”
Text: “What are you doing?”
- Natural Pronunciation: /wʌt ər jə ˈduɪŋ/
- Reduced Speech: “Whatcha doin’?”
Text: “Give me a hand with this.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /ɡɪv mi ə hænd wɪð ðɪs/
- Reduced Speech: “Gimmea hand with this.”
Text: “How are you going to do that?”
- Natural Pronunciation: /haʊ ər jə ɡoʊɪn tə du ðæt/
- Reduced Speech: “How’re ya gonna do that?”
Text: “I would have liked to have gone.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪ wʊdəv laɪkt tə ɡoʊ/
- Reduced Speech: “I’d’of liked to of gone.”
Text: “What do you think?”
- Natural Pronunciation: /wʌt də jə θɪŋk/
- Reduced Speech: “Whaddaya think?”
Text: “He could have told me.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /hi kʊdəv toʊld mi/
- Reduced Speech: “He could’a told me.”
Explanation of Speech Reductions
- “Wanna”: A reduction of “want to,” commonly used in casual conversation.
- “Gonna”: A reduction of “going to,” used when talking about future actions.
- “D’ya”: A reduction of “Did you” or “Do you,” often used in questions.
- “Gimme”: A reduction of “give me,” often used when asking for something.
- “Wha-cha”: A reduction of “What are you,” typically used in casual questions.
- “How’re ya”: A reduction of “How are you,” used in informal conversation.
- “I’d’of”: A reduction of “I would have,” which is often used when talking about past hypotheticals.
- “Whad-da-ya”: A reduction of “What do you,” typically used in casual questions.
- “Could’of”: A reduction of “could have,” used to talk about past possibilities.
Example of Reducing “I’m going to” to “I’m unna”
Text: “I’m going to watch a movie tonight.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪm ɡoʊɪn tə wɑtʃ ə ˈmuːvi təˈnaɪt/
- Reduced Speech: “I’m unna watch a movie tonight.”
Text: “I’m going to call her later.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪm ɡoʊɪn tə kɔːl hɜr ˈleɪtər/
- Reduced Speech: “I’m unna call her later.”
Text: “I’m going to make dinner.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪm ɡoʊɪn tə meɪk ˈdɪnər/
- Reduced Speech: “I’m unna make dinner.”
Explanation
- “I’m unna”: This reduction is an informal blend where “going to” is contracted even further to “unna,” especially when spoken quickly. It’s not as commonly taught but can be heard in certain dialects or casual speech.
Examples of Writing Text and Natural Pronunciation
Text: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪ dənoʊ wətʃɚ tɔːkɪn əˈbaʊt/
- Fluent Speech: This might sound like “I dunno what’cher talkin’ ’bout.”
Text: “I have to go now.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /aɪ hæf tə ɡoʊ naʊ/
- Fluent Speech: This might sound like “I hafta go now.”
Text: “Did you see that?”
- Natural Pronunciation: /dɪdʒə si ðæt/
- Fluent Speech: This might sound like “D’ja see that?”
Text: “He is going to be late.”
- Natural Pronunciation: /hi ɪz ɡoʊɪn tə bi leɪt/
- Fluent Speech: This might sound like “He’s gonna be late.”
Connected Speech
Linking
Definition: When one word ends in a consonant sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound, the two words are often linked together, making them sound like a single word.
Example Sentences:
- “An apple”:
- Pronounced as: “Anapple“
- Explanation: The “n” sound at the end of “an” links directly to the “a” sound at the beginning of “apple.”
- “Go on”:
- Pronounced as: “Gowan“
- Explanation: The “o” at the end of “go” links smoothly into the “o” in “on,” making them sound like one word.
- “Sit down”:
- Pronounced as: “Sitdown“
- Explanation: The “t” at the end of “sit” connects with the “d” in “down,” creating a blended sound.
Elision
Elision occurs when certain sounds or syllables are dropped, especially in fast or casual speech, to make speech smoother or faster.
Example Sentences:
- “Last night”:
- Pronounced as: “Las’ night“
- Explanation: The “t” sound at the end of “last” is dropped, so it sounds more like “las’ night.”
- “Next week”:
- Pronounced as: “Nex’ week“
- Explanation: The “t” in “next” is often dropped, leading to the more fluid “nex’ week.”
- “I must be going”:
- Pronounced as: “I mus’ be going“
- Explanation: The “t” in “must” is often elided in fast speech, making it sound like “mus’.”
Assimilation
Assimilation occurs when a sound in one word changes to become more like a neighboring sound, often to make the transition between words easier to pronounce.
Example Sentences:
- “Input”:
- Pronounced as: “Imput“
- Explanation: The “n” sound in “in” becomes more like the “m” sound in “put,” resulting in “imput.”
- “Good boy”:
- Pronounced as: “Goob boy“
- Explanation: The “d” in “good” changes to sound more like a “b” because it’s followed by the “b” in “boy.”
- “Have to”:
- Pronounced as: “Havta“
- Explanation: The “v” in “have” changes slightly to blend with the “t” in “to,” making “have to” sound like “havta.”
Intonation
Rising and Falling Intonation
This is the rise and fall of your voice as you speak. It can change the meaning of a sentence. For example, the question “You’re coming?” can sound different depending on whether you’re confirming or asking. A rising intonation at the end of a sentence often indicates a question (e.g., “You’re coming?”), while a falling intonation usually indicates a statement (e.g., “You’re coming.”).
Intonation plays a crucial role in conveying different meanings and emotions in spoken English. Here’s how changing the intonation can affect the meaning of the same sentence:
Rising vs. Falling Intonation
Sentence: “You’re coming.”
- Falling Intonation: “You’re coming.”
- Meaning: This is a statement. The speaker is confirming or stating a fact that the person is coming.
- Rising Intonation: “You’re coming?”
- Meaning: This is a question. The speaker is unsure and is asking for confirmation whether the person is coming.
Emphasis on Different Words
English relies heavily on stress. Certain syllables in words and certain words in sentences are emphasized more than others. For example, in the sentence “I never said she stole my money,” the meaning changes depending on which word is stressed.
Sentence: “I never said she stole my money.”
- Emphasizing “I”: “I never said she stole my money.”
- Meaning: Someone else might have said it, but not me.
- Emphasizing “never”: “I never said she stole my money.”
- Meaning: I didn’t say it at any time.
- Emphasizing “said”: “I never said she stole my money.”
- Meaning: I might have thought it or implied it, but I didn’t say it.
- Emphasizing “she”: “I never said she stole my money.”
- Meaning: Someone stole my money, but I’m not saying it was her.
- Emphasizing “stole”: “I never said she stole my money.”
- Meaning: She might have borrowed or found it, but I didn’t say she stole it.
- Emphasizing “my”: “I never said she stole my money.”
- Meaning: She might have stolen someone else’s money, but not mine.