🔗 Speaking: Pronunciation B2 - Lesson 1: Connected Speech: Assimilation & Elision
Welcome to B2 Pronunciation! At this level, we move beyond single sounds and focus on what makes speech sound truly fluent1: Connected Speech2. Fluent speakers don't pronounce every word separately. Instead, sounds change or disappear to make speech faster and smoother. Today, we'll learn two key processes: Assimilation and Elision.
Scenario: A Casual Chat
Listen to this natural conversation. The text below is what is said, but pay attention to how the sounds in bold are actually pronounced. We will analyze them below.
Nita: "Hey, Sam. Did you hear the news about the concert next Saturday?"
Sam: "No, what's up? Don't you mean the one in May? I suppose so."
Nita: "Yeah, that one. I used to love that band. I've got to buy the tickets soon. Can you lend me some money?"
Sam: "(Laughing) I dunno... ten pounds maybe? Just kidding. Of course. But I must go now, I'm late for a class."
Assimilation: When Sounds Change
Assimilation3 is when a sound changes to become more like a neighboring sound to make it easier to say. It's a key shortcut in fluent speech.
/d/ + /j/ → /dʒ/(like the 'j' in juice)- "Did you" becomes "/dɪdʒu/"
- "Would you" becomes "/wʊdʒu/"
/t/ + /j/ → /tʃ/(like the 'ch' in chair)- "Don't you" becomes "/doʊntʃu/"
- "Can't you" becomes "/kɑːntʃu/"
/n/ → /m/(when before /m/, /p/, or /b/)- "ten pounds" becomes "/tem paʊndz/"
/d/ → /g/(when before /g/ or /k/)- "good girl" becomes "/gʊg gɜːl/"
Elision: When Sounds Disappear
Elision4 is the complete dropping of a sound (a vowel or consonant) from a word to simplify the pronunciation, especially in unstressed syllables.
- Elision of /t/ and /d/: This is very common when the /t/ or /d/ is between two other consonant sounds.
- "next Saturday" becomes "/neks sædədeɪ/"
- "I must go" becomes "/aɪ məs gəʊ/"
- "friendship" becomes "/frenʃɪp/"
- Elision of /h/: We often drop the /h/ sound from pronouns (he, him, his, her) when they are not at the start of a sentence.
- "What did he say?" becomes "/wɒtɪd i seɪ/"
- "I must ask her." becomes "/aɪ məst æskə/"
- Elision of vowels: Unstressed vowels often disappear.
- "I don't know" becomes "dunno" /dʌnoʊ/
- "chocolate" becomes "/tʃɒklət/"
💡 Why This Matters for Fluency
For Your Listening: Understanding these changes is one of the biggest keys to improving your listening skills. If your brain is waiting to hear "did... you...", you might completely miss the real sound of "/dɪdʒu/". Recognizing these patterns helps you decode fast, natural speech.
For Your Speaking: You don't need to use every single one, but starting with the most common examples (like "did you", "don't you", and dropping the 't' in "must go") will instantly make your English sound more natural and fluent. It shows a higher level of comfort with the language.
🧠 Practice Quiz: Identify the Process
Read the phrase and identify the main connected speech process happening to the sound in bold.
1. In the phrase "I'm going to meet (h)im", the disappearance of the /h/ sound is an example of:
A) Assimilation
B) Elision
C) Something else
→ Answer: B) Elision. The /h/ sound is dropped because the pronoun 'him' is unstressed.
2. In the question "Don't you believe me?", the change of "don't you" to sound like "/doʊntʃu/" is an example of:
A) Assimilation
B) Elision
C) A mistake
→ Answer: A) Assimilation. The /t/ sound and the /j/ sound (from 'you') blend together to make a new sound, /tʃ/.
3. In the phrase "She's my bes(t) friend", the dropping of the /t/ sound is an example of:
A) Assimilation
B) Elision
C) A regional accent
→ Answer: B) Elision. The /t/ is between two other consonants ('s' and 'f'), so it's often dropped to make speech smoother.
📝 Your Mission: Become a Speech Detective
Your mission is to find these features in the real world.
- Listen: Watch a 1-2 minute clip from a movie or a TV show with native English speakers (e.g., on YouTube or Netflix).
- Identify: Listen carefully. Try to find at least one clear example of assimilation (like "would you" -> /wʊdʒu/) and one clear example of elision (like "and" -> /ən/ or a dropped 't').
- Imitate: Once you find an example, pause the video. Say the phrase out loud exactly as the speaker did. Copy the connected, fluent sound. Do this several times. This active listening and imitation is a powerful way to improve your own pronunciation.
Vocabulary Glossary
- Fluent: (Adjective) - ស្ទាត់ជំនាញ (stuat chumnanh) - Able to speak or write a language easily, well, and quickly. ↩
- Connected Speech: (Noun Phrase) - ការនិយាយតភ្ជាប់ (kaa ni'yiiay dɑt'bɑɲ'cɔp) - The way sounds and words are linked together in natural speech, which can cause sounds to change or disappear. ↩
- Assimilation: (Noun) - សមានీកម្ម (sa'maanii'kam) - A process where a speech sound changes to become more like a nearby sound. ↩
- Elision: (Noun) - ការលុបសំឡេង (kaa lup sɑm'leeng) - The process of not pronouncing a sound or syllable in a word. ↩
- IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet): (Noun) - អក្ខរក្រមសូរស័ព្ទទូទៅ (ak'kʰa'ra'krɑm so'sap tuu'tav) - A system of symbols for showing how words are pronounced. ↩