SCAN0089 (3)

286 Introduction to the Pronunciation of English

11.04 Phonetic Variations at Word or Morpheme Boundaries

We have seen (Chapter 5) that our basie linguistic units (the phonemes) are derived by a process of abstraction from connected speech. If the phoneme /t/ is given a convenient, generalized label—a fortis voiceless alveolar plosive—it is nevertheless true that the actual phonetic realization of this consonant depends on the naturę of the context, e.g. /t/ is aspirated when associated with accent (except after /s/), and dental, rather than alveolar, when adjacent to /0/ or /8/. Phonetically, we are dealing with a sound and articulatory continuum rather than with discrete units: features of sound segment A may be found in a following segment B, and features of B in A (cf. ‘transitions’ of consonants, §8.04). If, therefore, the utterance is analysed in terms of a seąuence of phonemes, account must be taken of the phonetic continuity and merging of ąualities by describing the mutual influence which contiguous elements exert upon each other; in other words, tendencies towards ‘assimilation’ have to be noted. The tendencies outlined below are valid for colloąuial English RP but may not be characteristic of other languages.

Variations of articulation may be of an allophonic kind, either within a word or at word boundaries; or, at word and morpheme boundaries, they may be of such an extent that a change of phoneme is involved, as between the pronunciation of a word in isolation and that which it may have in context. The fact that the'phonemic pattern of a word is subject to variation emphasizes the potential naturę of phonemic oppositions. The meaning of a word derives as much from the situation and context in which it occurs as from its precise phonemic shape, the high redundancy of English tolerating considerable con-fusion at the phonemic level. The mutual influence of contiguous phonemes in English may function predominantly in a regressive or anticipatory direction, i.e. features of one phoneme are anticipated in the articulation of the preceding phoneme; or it isprogressive, i.e. one phoneme markedly influences the following phoneme; and, sometimes, a fusion or coalescence of phonemes may take place.

11.05 Allophonic Variations

Since the realization of any phoneme differs according to the con-text in which it occurs, it is necessary to give examples only of those variants which exhibit striking changes of phonetic features. The same types of allophonic variation, involving a change of place of articulation, voicing, lip position, or position of the soft palate, may be found within the word and also at word boundaries:—

(1)    Place of mouth articulation (a) within word:—

/t/—post-alveolar in try (influence of [a]) den tal in eighth (influence of [0])

/k/¹—advanced (pre-velar) in key (influence of [i:])

/n/—dental in tenth (influence of [0])

/m/ or /n/—labio-dental in nymph, infant (influence of [f])

/a/—retracted in result (influence of [f|)

/u:/—centralized in musie (influence of [j])

(b) at word boundaries:—

/t/—dental in not that (influence of [8])

/n/ or /m/—labio-dental ten forks, come for me (influence of [f])

/s/—retracted in this road (influence of [j] )

(2)    Voice—usually devoicing of continuants following a fortis consonant.

(a)    within word:—

/r/—devoiced in ery, /l/—in plight; /w/—in quite /j/—in queue

/m, n, p/ are slightly devoiced in such words as smoke, snów, mutton, open (when pronounced /'aupm/), bacon (when /'belki]/)

(b)    at word boundaries (such variations being restricted to cases where a seąuence of words forms a close-knit entity—a phrasal word or rhythmic group):—

/1/—in at last [3'tlaist]; /r/—in at rest [a'trest]; /w/²—in at once [a'twAns]; /j/—in thank you ['0aepkju]

Notę also the devoicing of word finał lenis fricative or plosive consonants before silence, and the fricatives when followed by a fortis consonant, and of word initial lenis fricative or plosive consonants when preceded by silence, e.g. in What can you give? ([v]); Can you breathe? ([8]); It's his ([z]); Near the bridge ([d.3]); they’ve ([v]) come', with ([8]) some; He’s ([z]) seen if, George ([d^]) can; ([v]) very good (W] );([§]) there; ([z]) zinc does ([z])

(3)    Lip position—under the influence of adjacent vowels or semi-vowels. (a) within word:—

	lip-spread	lip-rounded
/p/	pea, heap	pool, hoop, upward
N	tea, beat	two, boot, twice, outward
M	keep, speak	cool, spook, quite, baekward
/ml	mean, seem	moon, loom, somewhat

^ŁNote the combinative change OE [c, j] > [tj, d3] before a front vowel, involving a considerable phonetic shift in the naturę of the phoneme.

²Notę also the devoicing of /w/ < /o/ in to followed by a vowel, e.g. see to it ['si: tw It].