Elision

Degree of stability.

Degree of completeness.

Assimilation is called complete when two adjoining sound become alike or merge into one (cupboard). Assimilation is incomplete, when the likeness of the adjoining sounds is partial as the assimilated sound retains its major articulatory features (sweet).

We distinguish obligatory (historical) and non-obligatory (characteristic of fluent or careless speech) assimilation. Non-obligatory assimilation should be avoided by public speakers.

Non-obligatory assimilation.

Accidental or positional assimilations at word boundaries are made by English people in rapid colloquial speech. The alveolar consonants in word final position often assimilate to the place of articulation of the following word initial consonant: before p, b, m the consonant t changes into p, d changes into b, n changes into m. These cases need not be necessarily imitated by foreign learners of English.

Elision means the dropping of a sound or sounds, either within a word or at a junction of words in rapid colloquial speech. Formal speech tends to retain the full form under the influence of spelling.

1. A group of consonants may be reduced by an elision. We find an elision of “t” and “d” between two other consonants: friends – [frenz], [frendz] is also possible.
2. Pronouns with the initial h and the auxiliaries “have, has, had” lose h when they are unstressed within an utterance. [h] is pronounced in those words when they are initial in an utterance or when they are stressed.
3. Clusters of two identical consonants: a double consonant at a word junction must not be reduced by elision (what time). The two consonants should be run together smoothly without a break.
4. The elision of a consonant of a boundary cluster is regarded as a vulgarism (wonna, gonna, lemme, gimme).

In the following words the form reduced by elision is used in all kinds of speech:

Handbag, sandwich, handsome, grandchildren, grandparents, grandmother, landscape, landlord, grandfather, grandson, father and mother, brother and sister, here and there, bread and butter (in all these cases we observe the elision of [d]).

Notes:

1. The reduction of some consonant clusters was established long ago. The initial w (write), k (know), g (gnaw) may be dropped.
2. The final b is dropped in the cluster [mb]: climb.
3. We say [ofn] in rapid colloquial speech and ['oftən] in careful, precise speech.
4. The plosives [t] and [d] in the clusters [-st, -ft, -nd, ld, zd, etc.] in final position when followed by a word with an initial consonant are often reduced in rapid speech [la:s taim].

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