American Spoken English

SOUND CHANGES
Phonological principles of fast natural speech
1 Sounds Consonants Vowels
Voiced d 9 j b v z zh th m n ng -I i lee m a ~ 0 u ar a
Unvoiced t k ch p f s sh th 1- r-
There are 8 pairs of consonants. Each pair is basically the
same sound but one of the pair has the voiced vibration and
the other does not. Say ssssss like a hissing snake or cat. just
the passing flow of air going out. Then make the voice buzz
like a bee flying near your ear • zzz~zzzz. sssssss - zzzzzzz.
Learn these 8 pairs well. ..voiced often become unvoiced.
Voiced (with vibration) d g j b v z zh th ~
Unvoiced (no vibration) t k ch v f s sh th
---..-..
Vowel Changes
2 All other vowels often become a because bik~z
3 All other vowels sometimes become I blk~z bak~z
4 a often disappears, is not said b' kaz
5 Say consonants with a vowel or add a weak a five fai va left Ie fata
6 Make vowels longer before voiced sounds. See 1.
back bag bmk b::e-g half have hmf h::e-v neat need I t ni-d
7 re = ra = ar 100 hand red· handrad - handard
Deletions - not saying a sound
8 Breath stops when a sound is not said. Then the next sound is stronger.
-'-- sit down SIt daun = sl'daun one more wan mo-ar = wa'mo-ar
9 2 same sounds = 1 stronger some more sam mo-ar = sa'mo-ar
10 Don't say the first of un)voiced pairs d t, 9 k, j ch, b p, v f See 1.
Please sit down pliz Sit daun = pli'sl'daun s, fdt AI
11 The first of 2 stop sounds often is not said. t d 9 k j ch b p bef~~e h
jet black je'blmk good boy gu-'bol blank check bl..ng'chek
12 s/z + sh = 'sh this shoe thiS shu = thl'shu Does she daz shi = da'shi
t, d, th deletions
13 tid + b = 'b Good-by, get better! gu-dbai getbctar;::: gu-'bai ge'betar
14 t + ch = 'ch that chair thee'cher bad check bm'chek
15 tid + j = 'j broad jump br~'jamp great joy gre'joi
16 tid + I = 'I jet lag je'lce-g red light re-'Iait
17 t/d/v In + m ='m let me le'm' give me gl'ml government govar'man t
18 tid + n, n + tid = n and he didn't get nervous at midnight
n i dl'n ge'narvas a' ml'nait
19 tid + P = 'p wet paint we'pent lead pipe le-'paip bedpan be-'pce-n
20 ts = 's It's wet sweat, not sweet syrup! I'sue'suet na'sui'sarap
21 tid + th = 'th But they did that, didn't they? ba'the dl'thee'd,'ne
22 tid + z = 'z words war'z 8 zeros e'ziroz bad zipper be-'zipar
23 vowel + tid + weak vowel wide open wai-'opn straight out stre'out
Put it on pu'I'an little water 11'0 wa'ar Eat it or not! i','ar nat
24 -t, -d = -' All right, I would! ~rai' aiuu' Too bad! tu bee-'·Try ittrai I'
25 -st = -s' just wait jas'wer must read mas'ri-d last week lees'wik
26 ,+ d = 0'1 u' wildfire waio'fai-ar old man o-u'mliH1 See 48
27 , + th ::::: -ul I -uth Will this wlulls I wluth,s tell them teulam I teutharn

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 28 n + th = n- when they've done that huenev dan;:et '

29 sjz + th = 5-, z- What's that hua'saet Does this dazis

30 thjd + sjz = 'sj'z months mans words war'z both sides bo'sai'z

31 sh + th = shs I wish they'd finish that. aWlshse-t fmlshs;:et

Other deletions

32 -ing = ing, ih, 10, an doing duing - dUlO, duan something samthan

33 ~- he, him, his, her, here Did he leave his book here for her to see?)1­
have, has eev eez dJdi
# livlz bukir f'ar t'si ­
34 w~ - ~ or hu, often ~ What's white? hua's huait = ua'suait

35 have ('ve), ,of - a + consonants, av + vowels ~up of coffee kapakJfi

one of each wanavich could've gone/eaten kudago-njkudavitn

36 Word fragments but, by b', than, and, in -n, do d', to t', the th'.{orf'

you ya yl y', don't don - do, aren't orn - cr, them am • m .......

But do you get them to the hotel by noon for lunch, and if you

b' d' y' gc'am t'th' hoteo b' nun f'lanch n 'fYI
don't need the cup and saucer that aren't bigger than yours? -p and
don~' th' kap'm SJ5ar tha'ar bl-garn yurzss ·pn==-pm
37 -n't -·n - don't won't shouldn't didn't can't
don do won wo shun shu dl'n di k;en' k.e

38 Don't say first sounds enough anaf· naf because b'kJz, 'kaz

Did you get it? dlja gctlt • j'gc'lt - gC'lt

Sounds change other sounds

39 Voiced sounds become unvoiced before unvoiced sounds. See 1.

has to move his car h;sz tu muv hlz kar ::: haes t'muf hiS kar

40 Final voiced + s::: -z lives Ilvz man's m::enz boy is - boy's boiz

Sentence final -z ::: -zss .. sees the boys siz th' boizss -V= \Iff

41 t + Y = ch Didn't you last year? dl'nchu I<eschiar not yet nachct

42 d + y == j Did you dlju red, yellow and white re-jelo n huoit

43 s + y ::: sh kiss you this year klshu thlshiar nice yogurt naishogart
44 z + y ::::: zh Is your IZ yur ::: Izhar Who's young huz yang:::: huzhang
45 tjd + sh = ch What should huachud Did she dlchi
46 I, n + sh ::: Ichl nch Will she wlulchi, wlushi when should hucnchud
R· L Changes
47 I + vowel::: ul + vowel Bite end of the tongue, say a soft u and move
the tongue to make the following vowel. love ulav blue bulu
48 I + no vowel:::: 0 ju milk mluk school skuo That's all the's:>o
49 I .. oju + vowel == oju + I + vowel all over:>o lovar tell her tcuharjtcular
50 r + vowel:::: ur + vowel First say u. Tongue back into mouth does
not move while lips smile changing to next vowel.
write - right urait three thuri prepare purapae-ar brown buraun
51 thar thuar third Thursday thuar·d thuar-zdl
52 ar + vowel == arur + vowel girls're in America garurozarunn amcunk~

;:n55~:e~ p;:par ~ ~pa::ntwn'li

53 k, p, t before strong vowels .. stop air then let it out fast. -ngh -thh.

54 The tip of the tongue stays back in the center of the mouth .. not
high, not low. not in front. Practice speaking with a sharp point of
a pencil put straight back into the mouth 2 cm.
55 Voice Projection Throw the vibration of sounds out through the
center of the forehead, up above out between the eyes:

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