Theoretical Phonetics of the English Language

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 (колеблется) 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