SCAN0088 (3)

284 Introduction to the Pronunciation of English

11.02 Neutralization of Weak Forms

We have seen already (§10.04 (2)) that a number of form words may have different pronunciations according to whether they are accented (or said in isolation) or, morę typically, are unaccented. Such is the reduction and obscuration of the unaccented forms that words which are phonetically and phonemically separate when said in isolation may be neutralized under weak accent. Such neutralization causes no con-fusion because of the high ratę of redundancy of meaningful cues in English; it is only rarely that the context will allow a variety of inter-pretation for any one cue supplied by an unaccented word form. The examples of neutralization which follow might occur in rapid, familiar RP:—

/a/ = unaccented are, a (and, less commonly, her, or, of)

The 'plays are _spoor He 'plays a _spoor ,man She 'wants a _xdog

She 'wants her _xdog (less rapidly, with reduced /3i/ for her) 'One or 'two o/them are ,coming (or /o:/ for or, /av/ for of) 'Two 'books are jnine

'Two 'books o/\mine (or, less rapidly, /av/ for of)

/av/ = unaccented have (aux.), of 'Some of, one,.. .

'Some have ,won,...

The 'boys o/'Eton _vfish The 'boys have 'eaten _Nfish

(The last two utterances being identical, the meaning is elear only from the larger context.)

/ar/ = unaccented are, or

'Ten or ,under (less rapidly, /o:r/ for or)

'Ten are,under

/5a/ = unaccented the, there

There 'seems a _vchance The 'seams are _xcrookcd

/s/ = unaccented is, has, does

'What’s (’s = does or is) he Jike?

'What’s ('s = has) he Jost?

/z/ = unaccented is, has, does

'Where’s (’s = has, less commonly does) he _Nput it?

'Where’s (’s = is) he _sgoing?

/az/ = unaccented as, has

'How 'much has he _sdone?

As 'much as he ,can

/on/ = unaccented and, an 'On and ,off 'On an ,off-,chance

/n/ = unaccented and, not

'Didn’t he ,do it? /'didni:/

He 'did and he „didn’t /hi 'did n i: „didnt/

/d/ = unaccented had, would

Fd ęd = had, would) 'put it „here

11.03 Variation of the Word’s Accentual Pattern

The accentual (rhythmic) pattern of a word generally remains con-stant whatever the environment, retaining its rhythmic identity in the total rhythmic grouping of the longer utterance (§§10.03, 10.04). Although a word may lose, in connected speech, the nuclear pitch change which it has in isolation, the relation of primary and secondary accents is not changed, e.g.:—

be'hind; ,get be'hind me; be'hind the 'book.case

'wind.screen; 'wind,screcn ,wiper; the 'wind,screen was "smashed;

he .bought a 'new 'wind.screen 'yesterday; I ,saw him 'yesterday; 'yesterday 'morning 'post .office; 'post .office ,clerk; 'near the 'post .office

But it happens that when a word (simple or compound) pattern consists in isolation of a primary accent preceded by a secondary accent, e.g. _# ^    ^ . , , . ^ , etc., the primary accent

may be thrown back to the syllable carrying secondary stress in isolation, if, in connected speech, a strong accent follows closely, e.g.:—

'thir'teen, but 'thir.teen 'shillings 'West'minster, but 'West.minster 'Abbey 'fulFgrown, but a 'full.grown 'man 'after'noon, but 'after.noon 'tea

It will be noted, too, that, when a strongly accented syllable closely precedes, the potential pitch-prominent secondary accent may be reduced to one of ąuality, ąuantity, or rhythm, without pitch-prominence, e.g.:—

‘eight ,thir'teen; 'near ,West'minster; ‘not .fulFgrown; 'Friday ,after'noon

Moreover, when the primary accent is shifted back, in the case of a strong accent following, the secondary accent which falls on the syllable having primary accent in isolation freąuently has no pitch-prominence, and may, if the ąuality of the syllable permits, receive no accentual prominence of any kind, e.g. 'West.minster 'Abbey or 'Westminster 'Abbey.