The ministry of higher and secondary special education of the republic of uzbekistan

Reduction 
 
 
In English, vowels in unstressed syllables are usually reduced. 
Reduction is a historical process of weakening, shortening or disappearance of vowel 
sounds in unstressed positions. This phonetic phenomenon, as well as assimilation, is 
closely connected with the general development of the language system. Reduction 
reflects the process of lexical and grammatical changes. 
Reduction may be of the following types: 
1) qualitative
, which is divided into reduction Type A and Type B. 
Type A (when the vowels
i, e, y 
are in an unstressed position). Subjecting to this type 
of reduction these vowels are pronounced [
ɪ
] 
'
busy 
[
'
b
ɪ
z
ɪ
]
 
 
de
'
cay
[d
ɪ
'
ke
ɪ
]
 
di
'
vide 
[d
ɪ
'
va
ɪ
d] 
 
 
 
Type B (when the vowels
a, o, u 
are in an unstressed position). Subjecting to this type 
of reduction these vowels are pronounced [
ə
] 
 
 
 
po
'
lite
[p
ə
'
la
ɪ
t]
 
'
lyrical
[
'
l
ɪ
r
ɪ
k
ə
l ]
 
2)
 
quantitative.
It is shortening of the length of a long vowel sound. 
 
me
[ mi˙] 
he 
[hi˙] 
3)
 
complete.
It is the disappearance of a vowel sound. It occurs when an unstressed vowel 
occupies the position after the stressed one and it is between a noiseless sound and a 
sonorant one.
'
cotton
[
'
k

tn] 
 

'
lesson 
[
'
lesn]
 
In this case the sonorant forms a syllable. 
Besides the mentioned above types of reduction, there are special cases of reduction 
which include all the vowels. They are: 
1)
the vowel 
a
if it precedes the combinations “-ate”, “-ade” is subjected to the reduction 
Type A in adjectives and nouns and is not reduced in verbs.
 

'
regulate
[
'
regjule
ɪ
t]
 
 
'
climate 
[
'
kla
ɪ
m
ɪ
t]
 
2)
the vowel
e
is subjected to the reduction Type B before “-nt”, “-nce”, “-n”, “-m”. 
'
silence 
[
'
sa
ɪ
l
ə
ns]
'
student
[
'
stju:d
ə
nt]
 
'
solemn 
[
'
s

l
ə
m]
 
'
sullen 
[
'
s

l
ə
n]
 

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41 
3)
the vowel
 
o
 
in the first type of syllable is not reduced at the end of the word 
po
'
tato
[p
ə
'
te
ɪ
t
ə
u]
 
 
'
photo 
[
'
f
ə
ut
ə
u]