Modification of phonemes in connected speech

MODIFICATION OF PHONEMES IN CONNECTED SPEECH
Husanova Muxlisa
Abstract. In speech, not individual sounds are pronounced, but interconnected sound sequences, and the articulation of any sound in the speech stream is influenced by the articulation of neighboring sounds. In connected speech, there are no pauses that would correspond to the intervals of written speech. As a rule, pauses in speech are not used between two words following one another, but between groups of words that can be considered one phonetic word.
In this article, we will focus on the most typical cases of the interaction of sounds in a speech stream, which include the processes of assimilation, reduction and elision. Sound modifications are caused by the fact that when phonemes are connected in chains, the speech organs adapt to a quick change in articulations, providing a more convenient transition from one articulation to another, while changing the quality of sounds.
Key words: assimilation, partial assimilation, combinatorial changes, accommodation, elision, reduction.
Human perception is a complex process of perception and processing of information. There are several theories and views on the features of speech perception. One of the points of view boils down to the fact that it is assumed that speech is not innate: it develops as we master the world and master the grammar of the language. Scientists note a number of differences that exist between the perception of sound and written speech. When reading, it is possible to control the rate of information flow, to segment the incoming signal, however, the message perceived from the ear is richer in the sense that it is accompanied by intonation characteristics. The processes of speech perception from hearing and reading differ in a number of parameters: spatio-temporal distribution (the written text is distributed in space, and the sounding text is distributed in time) and in terms of stability / variability, as well as ease / difficulty of segmentation.
Difficulties in perceiving a sounding text can arise not only because of the nature of the different sound of segment speech (sound-syllable-word), but also at the super-segment level (word stress, division into syntagmas, logical and contrast stress). While the context, both linguistic and extralinguistic, often helps native speakers to interpret this or that linguistic reality, foreign students tend to rely on phonetic information. Deviations from the norm of pronunciation, especially at the segment level, interfere with the perception of information for those for whom English is not their native language.
There is no longer any doubt that in English words spoken in isolation and in the flow of speech sound differently depending on whether they are pronounced in the course of speech or separately. When a word is spoken alone, its pronunciation is perfect, but when it sounds in a stream of connected speech, we get a completely different pronunciation.
Assimilation can be partial, when different variants of phonemes arise, and complete, when there is a complete assimilation of articulations.
Speaking about the direction of assimilation, there are progressive, regressive and double / mutual assimilation. Progressive assimilation occurs when the previous sound affects the next one (stopped, stocks). Regressive assimilation occurs when a subsequent sound affects the previous one (newspaper). Progressive assimilation is much less common than regressive assimilation. There are also optional or accidental assimilations as a result of the fast pace of speech (give me - gimme; going to - gonna).
The causes of assimilation are explained by the interaction of sounds in the speech stream. It should be noted that assimilation and other cases of modification of sounds in spontaneous speech are constantly present and are of great importance, because. in fact, several words are merged into one and a phonetic word is formed, as already mentioned above. Such a mixture of sounds, uttered by native speakers, can be deciphered through the situation and with the help of typical phrases.
Among the factors causing the appearance of assimilation, such a factor as the style of speech is called. It is believed that in colloquial speech, which is characterized by high tempo and carelessness of pronunciation, the assimilation of consonants occurs much more often than in formal speech and slow tempo, when sounds are articulated more carefully and modification processes are less pronounced.
Another example of the modification of sounds in speech is reduction, which results in a weakening and change in the sound of unstressed syllables. It is believed that the inertia of the vocal tract is the main factor in the presence of vowel reduction. Vowel reduction occurs in prosodic or morphologically weak positions, especially in unstressed syllables and affixes. There are quantitative reduction, in which the length and strength of the vowel is reduced, and qualitative, in which the quality of syllabic vowels changes, i.e. vowels in unstressed syllables become weaker and shorter. With a very strong reduction, unstressed vowels can reach zero, i.e. stop speaking.
This type of reduction is called zero reduction. For example, in the words postman, policeman, vowels may not be pronounced in all unstressed syllables.
The most common phenomenon in the flow of speech is elision, i.e. the process by which no articulation of any sound is realized in hasty or careless speech. This phenomenon is typical not only for colloquial speech, but also for official and neutral styles.
There are several types of elision: historical, when letters in the initial, middle, or final positions in a word are not pronounced as a result of historical changes (for example, in words such as walk, knee, castle, write), as well as modern elision, which often occurs in everyday life. speech at a fast pace. I would like to dwell in more detail on examples of modern elision.
So, the most common cases of modern elision, selected by us from modern audio sources, are:

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  omission of stop alveolar sounds /t, d/, for example. combined last night, second ring;
  
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  loss of interdental fricative fricatives, for example. in the words months, clothes;
  
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  disappearance of a consonant preceding an interdental sound, e.g. in the words fifth, sixth;
  

loss of a labial-tooth fricative sound in the preposition of before an interdental consonant, as well as before other consonants at a faster pace, for example. point of that, box of pens;

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  loss of a labial-tooth fricative consonant before a stop sonant, for example. give me three rings;
  
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  contraction of a doubled consonant, e.g. the next train, you've got to scrawl it.
  

It is noted that assimilation, reduction and elision form certain modern trends in pronunciation, namely:

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  "smoothing" a number of diphthongs;
  
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  the transition of triphthongs to the category of monophthongs;
  
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  omission of the consonant /j/ in words like suit, student, etc.;
  
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  fusion of consonants /tj/ and /dj/ in stressed syllables, in which the words Tuesday, reduce sound like Chooseday, rejuice;
  
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  incorrect use of the back-lingual nasal sonant in words where there are no endings -ing (chicken, garden).
  
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  omission of the pharyngeal sound /h/;
  
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  the use of a hard attack instead of stop consonants at the end of words, as well as in positions between vowels.
  

In fluent colloquial speech, some consonants often fall out. This phonetic phenomenon is called elision. Examples of historical elision of some consonants are: dropping out of consonants [w, k, g] at the beginning of a word: knee [ni:], write [raɪt], gnat [nӕt]; consonant sounds [t] and [d] in combinations consisting of three consonant sounds in the middle of a word: listen [lɪsn], Wednesday ['wenzdɪ], often [ɒfn]; consonant sound [b] in combination [mb] at the end of words: lamb [læm], dumb [dʌm], tomb [tu:m], comb [kəʊm].
In modern English, the process of consonant elision continues to evolve. Consider the most common cases of elision.
Explosive consonants [t], [d] at the end of words can drop out in fluent colloquial speech when they are followed by a word beginning with a consonant sound: last time [ˈla:s ˈtaɪm], next day [ˈneks ˈdeɪ], old man [ˈəʊl ˈmæn], kept quiet [ˈkep ˈkwaɪət].
The guttural consonant [h] is often not pronounced in personal and possessive pronouns and unstressed verbs: he, his, him, her, have, has, had. Tell him [ˈtel ɪm].
Vowels can also undergo elision. The articulation of vowels [ɪ] and [ə] is most often not implemented: different ['dɪfərent] → ['dɪfrənt], similar ['sɪmɪlə] → ['sɪmlə].
Accommodation is a partial change in the articulation of a consonant sound under the influence of an adjacent vowel sound in colloquial speech and, conversely, under the influence of a consonant sound, partial changes occur in the articulation of an adjacent vowel sound.
Thus, the consonant becomes partially labialized under the influence of the subsequent labialized vowel: tooth [tu:θ], look [lʊk], noon [nu:n].
Long vowels before nasal consonants are nasalized, because at the moment of pronouncing the vowel, the soft palate descends to articulate the sonorant consonant: morning [ˈmɔ:nɪŋ], aunt [a:nt].
It can be concluded that in real speech phonetic units are greatly modified. According to the given information above, their modifications may be conditioned by:

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  complimentary distribution of phonemes in a word;
  
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  contextual pronounciation at the joins of words;
  
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  by the style of speech (formal, colloquial).
  

Every phoneme shows wide variety of variations in connected speech. We can distinguish between the main types: idiolectal (individual characteristics of sound intelligibility). You can even pick up information about a speaker's emotional state, such as whether they are attached or obsessed, etc. You can easily identify the language of certain people), diafonics (where they live, where they come from, social It provides information about status. This variation is due to historical trends operating in certain locations. In some parts of the UK there is no distinction between short and long vowels.
Phonetics plays a very important role in improving communication. All alphabets and words must sound correct. Otherwise, the content and our communication will become dull and mediocre.
References:
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2. Карневская, Е.Б. Практическая фонетика английского языка: Учеб. / Е.Б. Карневская, Л.Д. Раковская, Е.А. Мисуно, З.В. Кузьмицкая. 3-е изд., перераб. – Мн.: Ураджай, 1999. – 319 с.
3. O’Connor, J.D. Better English Pronunciation. 25th ed. – London: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2002. – 150 p.
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5. Аудиокурс «Sounds English». – Longman Group, 1999.