The modifications of English sounds in speech

The Phonological Analysis of English Speech Sounds
In connected speech a sound is generally modified
1) by the neighbouring sounds;
2) by its position in a word or a phrase;
3) by prosodic features: stress, melody, the tempo of speech

Methods of phonological analysis
The rules to determine the phonemic status of a sound of a complex nature :
A phoneme is indivisible as no syllable division can occur within it.
A phoneme is produced by one articulatory effort.
The duration of a phoneme should not exceed that of other phonemes in the language.

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Variation
idiolectal diaphonic allophonic
reduction elision
accommodation assimilation

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Idiolectal variation embraces the individual peculiarities of articulating sounds. For instance, the speaker may mumble, or lisp (say ‘thish ish’ for ‘this is’), or stutter (say a f-f-f-fine d-d-d-day)/
Idiolectal variation may cause a lot of difficulties in the communication.

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Diaphonic variation is caused by concrete historical tendencies active in certain localities.
E.g., the diaphonic variation of the sound /æ/ ranges from a front open /æ/ in the southern part of England to /ɑ:/ in Northern England.

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Allophonic variation is conditioned by phonetic position and phonetic environment (the influence of the neighbouring sounds).
The main types of allophonic variations are reduction, elision, assimilation and accommodation (or adaptation).

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Reduction – the weakening of articulation and shortening of the duration of unstressed vowels
Reduction
qualitative quantitative zero
can /kən/ she /∫i/ can /kn/

Modifications of phonemes in speech
In qualitative reduction the unstressed vowel is usually reduced to /ə/.
In quantitative reduction the unstressed vowel is shortened.
In zero reduction the unstressed vowel is dropped.

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Elision – the disappearance of a sound
Elision
historical juxtapositional
(contemporary)
know /nəu/ a blind man /ə blain mæn/
palm /pα:m/ sit down /si daun/

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Historical elision reflects the process in which a sound that existed in an earlier form of a word was omitted in its later form (e.g. cupboard).
In juxtapositional elision a sound that exists in a word pronounced by itself is dropped in connected speech (especially in rapid speech).

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Assimilation – the process by which a sound is altered through the influence of a neighbouring sound.

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Assimilation may influence:
the work of the vocal cords (voice assimilation);
the active organ of speech;
the manner of noise production (loss of plosion or incomplete plosion);
the place of articulation (in trip alveolar /t/ becomes post-alveolar).

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Voice assimilation is observed when one of the two adjacent [ə̍ʤeɪs(ə)nt] (смежный, соседний) consonants becomes voiced under the influence of the neighbouring voiced consonant, or voiceless - under the influence of the voiced consonant. E.g.:
translate [trənz ˈleɪt], I shoud pay [aɪ ʃt ˎpeɪ].

Modifications of phonemes in speech
The active organ of speech may be affected in a careless rapid speech, e.g.:
Give me /ˎgɪm mɪ/;
bad pain /̍bæb ˎpeɪn/;
queen mother /̍kwi:m ˎmʌðə/.

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Assimilation
(according to direction)
progressive regressive double
(bidirectional)
desks /desks at the desk /ət ðə/ twice /twais/
bags /bægz/ ( /t/-dental ) /dj/ > /dʒ/ education
happen /hæpm/ good bye /gub bai/ /tj/ > /t∫/ situation
give me /gim mi/ /sj/ > /∫/ issue

Modifications of phonemes in speech
Accommodation (adaptation) – the process of adapting the articulation of a vowel to a consonant, or a consonant to a vowel.
Vowels:
nasalization: [tẽn]
shortening: cease [si·s]
Consonants:
palatalization: / ∫, ʒ, t∫ ∫, dʒ/ shirt, cheese, June
labialization: Compare /t/ in tea and two