Over the last two weeks, we’ve looked at the /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ʧ/ and /ʤ/ sounds in individual words. We also find them a lot (more, in fact, in the case of /ʒ/) in connected speech.
So, what is connected speech? It’s a blanket term for all the changes that happen to sounds when we speak at speed, where the environment the sounds are in can affect how they’re pronounced. ‘Can’ is the keyword here: connected speech tends to be produced inconsistently, so we have to learn two or more pronunciation patterns for many words: they way they’d be pronounced in isolation, and the way or ways in which the sounds within them may change depending on those around them. This can be frustrating for learners, and can be difficult especially when listening… This also means, though, that it can be one of the most rewarding things to learn because it will really help unlock higher level listening skills.
In terms of producing the features of connected speech, this is a personal choice. If you never produce connected speech, it won’t affect people’s ability to understand you. However, if you’re aiming for speech which is perceived as more fluent, or if you enjoy aiming for an “English from England” accent, you’ll probably have a lot of fun playing with the way these sounds change, and notice quite a difference in the feeling of the words and sentences in your mouth.
The type of connected speech we’re talking about today is called ‘assimilation’, where a sound takes on the characteristics of a neighbouring sound, but don’t worry too much about the technical terms – it’s more important to know what the sounds do.
Throughout today’s episode, the main task is just to recognise where the connected speech is happening. The script will really help with that, so please do open it up if you need to. If you’re comfortable listening to the sounds, then do try to repeat, but don’t worry if repetition is a step too far for you today! Keep coming back to it, and you will get there!
/ʃ/ and /ʒ/ in connected speech.
We said back in episode 19 that there aren’t many individual words with the /ʒ/ sound, but it’s not an uncommon sound in spoken English, because it happens where words run together. /ʃ/ does too. Let’s start with /ʒ/. When read quickly, /z/ often changes to /ʒ/ before a /j/ sound, or sometimes a /ʃ/. For example, can you hear how the question “Is your brother here?” becomes /ɪʒə/ when read quickly?
Listen and repeat – I’ll read each sentence slowly, so you can hear the individual words, and then at a natural pace for you to repeat. The sounds will obviously change from one to the other – that’s what we’re thinking about!
Is your brother here?His shoulder hurts.Choose your favourite.These shells are beautiful.That was yesterday.Now let’s move on to /ʃ/ in connected speech. In a similar way to /z/ and /ʒ/, /s/ often changes to /ʃ/ before a /j/ sound.
Listen and repeat.
This yellow one.She’s the boss, you know?/s/ also often changes before a /ʃ/ sound, but because it changes to /ʃ/ itself, we could then argue that it results in just one sound, and the first /s/ is simply elided. I still want you to practise and be aware of this, though.
Listen and repeat.
This should help.A close shot.The dress shop’s shut (there are two in there!)./ʧ/ and /ʤ/ in connected speech.
Just as changes happen with /s/ and /z/ to /ʃ/ and /ʒ/, something similar happens with /ʧ/ and /ʤ/.
When a /t/ sound is followed by a /j/ sound, we often make a /ʧ/.
Don’t you like him?Eat your breakfast!He hasn’t left yet!Let yourself relax!The cat you like’s here!This is complicated by the fact that we may also drop the /t/, in which case this assimilation wouldn’t happen. I may say either “don’ you like him” or “don’t you like him”, “le’ yourself relax” or “let yourself relax”. So, in terms of listening, we need to match both patterns to the same meaning.
When a /d/ sound is followed by a /j/ sound, we often make a /ʤ/.
This often happens in would/ could/ should questions:
Could you help?Should you be here?Would you like to come?This also often happens in “did you” questions,
Did you go?Did you see my text?Indeed, in these questions, that second /d/ in ‘did’ is often elided as well, giving not “did you go” but “d’you go?”. The same thing happens to the /d/ either way!
And /d/ also often changes to /ʤ/ in ‘do you’ questions, as we don’t pronounce the unstressed syllable and instead connect through to the next consonant:
Do you like him?Do you live near here?So, you may have noticed that there may be no audible difference between a past simple “did you” question and a present simple one. This can be really tricky when listening, and can confuse learners, who don’t realise that they’re hearing a past tense because it doesn’t sound like what they expect of one!
And of course this /d/ to /ʤ/ can happen in other places too. Listen, and repeat.
He phoned yesterday.I found your coat!I like flavoured yoghurtShe loved yogaThis is the bread you bought.Finally, where a /d/ sound is followed by a /ʃ/ sound, you may also notice that it becomes /ʤ/. Again, this tends be a very subtle thing, just noticeable where the voicing of the /d/ is carried over into the beginning of the /ʃ/.
Could she hear him?Did she like it?He seemed shocked.They preferred sugary foods.It’s a round shape.Well done, that’s the end of this week’s workout. This was a first introduction to connected speech, and it can be a lot to wrap your thoughts around at first. If you found it overwhelming, try not to panic: we’ll continue to break it down over the next few seasons and you will get there!
If you felt quite comfortable with what we did, I really encourage you to practise listening and speaking in the real world this week, and as you do so to see if you can notice any times when these sounds occur in connected speech.