Scribd
Upload
18 views12 pages

Week 9

Unstressed and function words like articles, pronouns, prepositions are reduced in connected speech. They have weaker stress, shorter duration, and vowel sounds like schwa. Examples show words like "for", "them", and "at" being reduced from [fɔr] to [fər], [ðɛm] to [əm], and [æt] to [ət]. Reduced forms help speech sound smoother by linking words together.

Uploaded by

yukikoelfa8
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
18 views12 pages

Week 9

Unstressed and function words like articles, pronouns, prepositions are reduced in connected speech. They have weaker stress, shorter duration, and vowel sounds like schwa. Examples show words like "for", "them", and "at" being reduced from [fɔr] to [fər], [ðɛm] to [əm], and [æt] to [ət]. Reduced forms help speech sound smoother by linking words together.

Uploaded by

yukikoelfa8
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 12

UNSTRESSED AND REDUCED WORDS

Unstressed words = function words = short, short, short = less clear.

Function words = articles, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, particles, and helping verbs.

Those words are generally unstressed = faster, lower in volume, flatter in pitch.

Stressed VS Unstressed

If [ɪf] stressed, [ɪf] unstressed


on [ɑn] stressed, [ɑn] unstressed

https://rachelsenglish.com/american-english-pronunciation-book-audio/#10-1
EXAMPLES OF FUNCTION WORDS

pronouns — I, we, she, me, us, myself, herself, my, your, our, mine, theirs

prepositions — on, in, at, below, to, through, from, till, since, by

conjunctions — and, but, or, for, while

auxiliary verbs — am, are, can, will, has, have, did, do, could, should, would, might

particles — no, not, as

determiners — the, a, an, some, this, that, these, those


Going further than unstressed: words are reduced.

Something reduces: a sound will change or be dropped.

Example:
for [fɔɹ] — how the word is pronounced by itself; fully pronounced
for [fәɹ] — how the word is pronounced in a sentence, reduced

them [ðɛm] — how the word is pronounced by itself; fully pronounced


them [әm] — how the word is pronounced in a sentence, reduced

‘For’: the vowel becomes the schwa [ә]


– I’m here for a business trip.
‘Them’: the vowel changes to the schwa [ә], and the TH sound [ð] is dropped
– Give them your money.
ARE, OR, FOR, YOUR

ARE fully pronounced: [ɑɹ]; reduced [әɹ]

Example:
What are you doing?
The cookies are good.
The kids are there.
The kids were there

https://rachelsenglish.com/pronounce-word/
FOR fully pronounced: [fɔɹ]; reduced: [fәɹ]

Example:
I got it for you.
It’s for tonight.
Let’s eat out, just for fun.

https://rachelsenglish.com/english-pronunciation-reduction-word-for/

ARE, OR, FOR, YOUR


are, are you there? [әɹ jә ðɛəәɹ]
or, small or large? [smɔl әɹ lɑɹʤ]
for, for school [fәɹ skul]
your, your paper [jәɹ ˈpeɪ pәɹ]
AT, THAT

AT fully pronounced: [æt]; reduced: [әt]


THAT fully pronounced: [ðæt]; reduced: [ðәt]

Example:
That [ðәt]
that it (Flap T to link!) [ðә‿dɪt]
We thought that it would work. [wi θɔt| ðә‿dɪt| wʊd wɜɹk]

at [әt]
We’re at the movies. [wɪә‿ɹәt| ðә ˈmu viz]
I’ll be at school
Dropping the H, THEM

This applies to function words that begin with H that are pronouns (him, her, his, he),
function words that begin with H that are helping verbs (have, has, had), and the word them.

The words them and him will sound the same in reduction, both reducing to [əm]:

I made him a card. [aɪˈmeɪd‿әm әˈkɑɹd]

I made them a card. [aɪˈmeɪd‿әm әˈkɑɹd]


Notice that many of vowels reduce to the schwa [ә] sound

Other examples:
“Give her” [ˈgɪv әɹ].

if it ends with a T, it will make a Flap T:


got her [ˈgɑ‿dәɹ]
met them [ˈmɛ‿dәm]
Practice these:
OF
I’ll tell her we’re leaving; tell ‘er sort of [sɔɹd‿әv]
Was he there? sort of [sɔɹd‿ә]
What have you done? kind of [kaɪnd‿әv]
kind of [kaɪnd‿ә]
THEM
gave them [geɪv‿әm] CAN
need them [nid‿әm] I can
I can do it
we can stay
they can have it
DO and DOES

Do: do you [dә jә],


Do you want to go? [dә jә ˈwʌn ә goʊ]
Does: does she [dәz ʃi], Does she know? [dәz ʃi noʊ]

Helping verb does/do is reduced:


Why does he do that?
How do you feel?

THE
The [ði], the other [ði‿ˈjʌʒ әɹ], the earth [ði‿jɜɹθ]
The [ðә], the best [ðә‿bεst], the worst [ðә‿wɜɹst]
BECAUSE

Because – I missed the train because I overslept


https://rachelsenglish.com/pronounce-word-3/

because, because I’m [bɪˈkәz‿aɪm], because I’m tired, I don’t go to school

Other Reductions:
as, as I [әz‿aɪ], as I thought.
was, was he [wәz‿i], Was he there?
was, was good [wәz gʊd], It was good.

You might also like