PART 1: Simplification

TRANSCRIPTION

Assimilation

 on paper ɒm peɪpə
 on principle ɒm pɾɪnspəl
 in print ɪm pɾɪnt
 in prison ɪm prɪzn
 on behalf ɒm bɪhɑːf
 on balance ɒm bæləns
 in between ɪm bɪtwɪːn
 in Bristol ɪm brɪstl
 on Monday ɒm mʌndeɪ
 on my behalf ɒm maɪ bɪhɑːf
 in March ɪm mɑːtʃ
 in medicine ɪm medsɪn
 on course ɒŋ kɜːs
 on guard ɒŋ gɑːd
 on grass ɒŋ grɑːs
 in keeping ɪŋ kɪːpɪŋ
 in Gloucester ɪŋ glɒstə
 in goal ɪŋ gəʊl
 unpleasant ʌmpleznt
 input ɪmpʊt
 unbalanced ʌmbælənst
 unmade ʌmmeɪd
 unkind ʌŋkaɪnd
 ungrateful ʌŋgreɪtfʊl
 inbuilt ɪmbɪlt
 inmate ɪmmeɪt
 incorrect ɪŋkərekt 
 ingratitude ɪmgrætɪtjʊd
 one pound wʌm pəʊnd
 fine mess faɪm mes
 gun boat gʌm bəʊt
 hen party hem pɑːtɪ
 ten pin bowling tem pɪm bəʊlɪŋ
 one go wʌŋ gəʊ
 fine grain faɪŋ greɪn
 gun carrier gʌŋ kərɪə
 hen coop heŋ kʊːp
 seven cases sevəŋ keɪsɪz
 bad penny bæb penɪ
 red kite reg kaɪt
 good boy gʊp bɒɪ
 red meat reb mɪːt
 bad girl bæg gɜːl
 good gracious gʊg greɪʃəs
 this chair ðɪʃ tʃeə
 this job ðɪʃ dʒɒb
 this year ðɪʃ dʒɪə
 these chairs ðɪʒ tʃeəz
 these jobs ðɪʒ dʒɒbz
 these years ðɪʒ dʒɪəz
 She loved you ʃɪ lʌv dʒʊ
 I’ve sorted your car out aɪv sɔːtɪdʒɔ kɑːr aʊt
 we’ll miss you wɪːl mɪsdʒ jʊ
 cross your arms krɒstʃ ɔr ɑːmz
 it wakes you up ɪt weɪks tʒʊ ʌp
 he likes your sister hɪ laɪks tʃɔː sɪstə
 we’ll lose you wɪːl lʊːz dʒʊ
 use your head jʊːs tʃɔː hed
 cocoa warms you up kəʊkəʊ wɔːmz dʒʊ ʌp
 he sees your problem hɪ sɪːʃ tʃɔː prɒblm
 as you know æz dʒʊː nəʊ
 This is your life dɪs ɪz dʒɔː laɪf
 as you like it æz dʒʊː laɪk ɪt
 does your wife know dʌ dʒɔː waɪf nəʊ
 it does you good ɪt dʌz dʒʊ gʊd
 where’s your money weəz dʒɔː mʌnɪ
 he has you in mind hɪ hæz dʒʊː ɪn maɪnd
 what was your job wɒt wəz dʒɔː dʒɒb
 it won’t hurt you ɪt wəʊnt hɜː tʃʊ
 I hate your guts! aɪ heɪ dʒɔː gʌts

Elision

o grandpa græmpə
o grandmother græmmʌðə
o grandma græmmə
o windbag wɪmbæg
o windmill wɪmmɪl
o handset hænset
o landscape lænskeɪp
o bandstand bænstænd
o friendship frenʃɪp
o bend them ben ðem
o wild beasts waɪl bɪːsts
o old men əʊl men
o child protection tʃaɪl prətekʃn
o goldfish gəʊlfɪʃ
o fold them fəʊl ðəm
o grand house grænd haʊs
o wild horse waɪld hɔːs
o old hand əʊld hænd
o hand rail hæn reɪl / hænd reɪl
o hand luggage hæn lʌgɪdʒ / hænd lʌgɪdʒ
o Grand Rapids græn ræpɪdz / grænd ræpɪdz
o landlocked lænlɒkt / lændlɒkt
o old rope əʊl rəʊp / əʊld rəʊp
o old lady əʊl leɪdɪ / əʊld leɪdɪ
o wild west waɪl west / waɪld west
o wild lily waɪl lɪli / waɪld lɪli
o old year əʊldʒ jɪə
o friendship frenʃɪp
o blindness blaɪnnes
o childless tʃaɪlles
o worldly wɜːdlɪ
o handful hænfʊl
o child’s play tʃaɪlz pleɪ
o I warned them aɪ wɔːn ðem
o and called them ən kɔːl ðem
o and told them off ən təʊl ðem ɒf
o lost cause lɔːs kɔːs
o left foot lef fʊːt 
o vast spaces væs speɪsɪz
o apt remarks æpt rɪmɑːks
o Act Three æk θrɜː
o just now dʒəst naʊ
o best thing bes θɪŋ
o guest house gest haʊs
o left hand left hænd
o last rites lɑːs raɪts  / lɑːst raɪts
o soft landing sɒf lændɪŋ / sɒft lændɪŋ
o left wing lef wɪŋ / left wɪŋ
o gift wrap gɪf ræp / gɪft ræp
o guest list ges lɪst / gest lɪst
o wrist watch wrɪs wɔːtʃ / wrɪst wɔːtʃ
o cost unit kɒs jʊnɪt / kɒstʃ jʊnɪt
o lost youth lɒs jʊːθ / lɒstʃ jʊːθ
o West Yorkshire wes jɔːkʃɪə / westʃ jɔːkʃɪə 
o rafts ræfs
o ghostly gəʊslɪ
o listless lɪsles
o softness sɒfnes
o gift’s value gɪfz væljʊ
o I left my friends aɪ lef maɪ frendz
o crossed the street crɔːs ðə striːt
o and passed the shops ən pɑːs ðə ʃɒps
o but then lost my way bət ðen lɒs maɪ weɪ
o costs kəʊsts
o feasts fiːsts
o most surprising məʊs səpraɪzɪŋ
o lost soul lɒs səʊl

Epenthesis

gangster gæŋstə / gæŋkstə

hamster hæmstə / hæmpstə
monster mɒnstə / mɒntstə
Transcribe these words with and without appropriate epenthetic consonants:
Warmth wɔːmtθ / wɔːmðθ
tenth tentθ / tenðθ
millionths mɪlɪənθs / mɪlɪəmθs
length lentθs / lengθs
strength strentθ / strengθ
Consider also the sequence of / n / + / s /; transcribe these words with and without
epenthetic / t /:
dense dents / dens
chance tʃɑːnts / tʃɑːns
prince prints / prɪns
once wʌnts / wʌns
patience peɪʃənts / peɪʃəns
Liaison
 near nɪə
 near enough nɪər ɪnɑːf
 there ðeə 
 there on the floor ðeər ɒn ðə flɔː
 floor flɔː
 next floor up neks flɔːr ʌp
 stir stɜː
 stir in stɜːr ɪn
 ever evə
 ever after evər ɑːftə
 more mɔː 
 more examples mɔːr ɪgzɑːmplz
 media mɪdɪə
 media operation mɪdɪər ɒpəreɪʃn
 law lɔː 
 law in Scotland lɔːr ɪn skɒtlənd
 milieu miːljɜː
 milieu in society miːljɜːr ɪn səsaɪətɪ
 Laura lɔːrə
 Laura Ashley lɔːrər æʃlɪ
 stay steɪ
 stay out steɪj aʊt
 high haɪ
 high over haɪj əʊvə
 toy tɔɪ
 toy animals tɔɪj ænɪməlz
 the end ðɪj end
 new njʊː
 new information njʊː wɪnfəmeiʃən
 no nəʊ
 no idea nəʊ waɪdɪə
 how haʊ
 how about hau wəbaʊt
 to end tʊ wend

Part 2: Rhythm

Prepositions

 Flying to tə San Fransisco

 from frəm Birmingham
 staying at ət the ‘Old Castle’
 for fə two weeks
 Flying to tʊ LA
 from frəm Manchester
 staying at ət the ‘Old Lodge’
 for fər a few days
 What does his plan consist of ɒv
 A week of əv sun in the south of əv Spain, then climb to the top of əv the Rock of əv
Gibraltar then a month of əv hiking along the coast of əv North Africa.
 a cup of kʌp ə / kʌp əv coffee at 11 o’ə clock.
 a cup of kʌp ə / kʌp əv tea at 4 o’ə  clock.
 a pint of pɪntə /pɪnt əv  beer at 8 o’ ə clock.
 a packet of pækɪtə /pækɪt əv crisps at the end of end ə / end əv the day.
Transcribe:
 single to ˈtə Liverpool please
 The 8.25 for fə Manchester will be leaving from frəm Platform 1
 Change at ət Crewe for fər all stations to tʊ Liverpool Lime Street
 We apologize that there’ll be a delay of ə ten minutes.

Conjunctions
 fruit and n breakfast cereals
 muesli and n cornflakes
 eggs and əm bacon
 toast and əm marmalade
 tea and ən coffee
 bread and cheese bred n tʃiːs
 soup and bread sʊːp əm bred
 omelette and chips ɒmelet ən tʃɪpz
 roast pork and gravy rəʊst pɔːk ən grævɪ
 cake and cream leɪk ən kriːm
 brown bread or ɔː white
 tea or ɔː coffee
 with or ɔː without
The weather will be
 wet but bət mild
 warm at first, but bət cold later
 You should be all right, but bət take an umbrella just in case

 They were as əz snug as əz a bug in a rug

 as əz warm as əz toast
 as əz dry as əz possible
 Take as z much as z you like

 They said that ðət it would be wet

 Now that ðət it’s stopped

That ðæt man said that ðət all that ðæt rain that ðət fell yesterday was enough to fill
that ðæt reservoir that ðət we saw.

 More rain than ðən ever

 Rather go abroad than ðən stay here
Determiners
Transcribe the following:
 The weather ðə weðə
 The umbrella ðɪ ʌmbrelə
 The rain ðə reɪn
 The ice ðɪ aɪs
 The morning ðə mɔːnɪŋ
 The afternoon ðɪ ɑːftənʊːn
 The night ðə naɪt
 The evening ðɪ iːvnɪŋ
 The hotel ðə həʊtel
 The hour ðɪ ɑːʊə
 The usual ðə jʊːʒʊəl
 The unusual ðɪ ʌnjʊːʒʊəl
 a coffee ə kɔfiː
 an ice-cream ən aɪs kriːm
 a banana ə bənɑːnə
 an apple ən æpl
 a hostel ə hɒstəl
 an inn ən ɪn
 a useful thing ə jʊːsfəl θɪŋ
 an ugly scene ən ʌglɪ siːn
 Some sugar sʌm / səm ʃʊgə
 Some money sʌm / səm mʌnɪ
 Some change sʌm / səm tʃeɪndʒ
 Some time sʌm / səm taɪm
 What are you going to do with all these euros? ðiːʒ jʊərəʊsd
 this cheque? ðɪʃ tʃek
 those shorts? ðəʊʃ ʃɔːts

 Hey, that’s my sun cream, my ˈmaɪ towel, my ˈmaɪ place. Now, let me think. I’ve
got my maɪ wallet, my maɪ passport, my maɪ ticket and my maɪ insurance.
 Part 3: Whole texts
 We have now covered all the processes of simplification and the effects
of rhythm that affect the pronunciation of phrases in English, and you
should now be able to transcribe whole texts in a typical colloquial
style.
 First of all, you could try to transcribe the story of Goldilocks in a typical,
careful reading style, as if reading the story to a child. Guidance is given for
each line.
1 Once upon a time epenthesis between /n/ and /s/. Weak form of a
2 there was a little girl there: existential (weak) or locative (strongl)? was is weak
3 called Goldilocks. look for a case of elision
4 One day both words are stressed
5 she went for a walk in the woods Why is /t/ not elided? Notice /r/ liaison. What
else happens to for?
6 all by herself. her is unstressed, so loses /h/
7 And as she walked down one path And: weak? What happens to the <s> of as ?
One case of elision, another
of assimilation
8 she saw a nice house. NB Intrusive /r/
9 Since she was full of curiosity What happens to final /s/ of since? Was and of are
weak
10 she walked close by Do you notice another case of elision?
11 and noticed that the door And yet another case of elision? Is that weak or strong?
12 was a little ajar. Only one stress in this line
13 She knocked but there was no And yet another case of elision? Four weak words
in this line
reply
14 She called and there was still no Is the <ed> of called elided?
reply
15 And because she was so curious What happens to /n/ of and, /z/ of because? Is so
weak or strong?
16 she decided to peep inside. Why is the final /d/ of decided not elided?
17 There she saw a table There: weak or strong? Intrusive /r/?
18 and on the table Is on stressed on this occasion?
19 there were three bowls of There: weak or strong? Were is weak
porridge –
20 a big one, a middle-sized one, Note the compound word stress; and a case of
elision?
and a little one....
21 Again because she was so The /n/ of again does not assimilate because of the
pause; but there is a
curious case of assimilation elsewhere
22 she actually took a spoonful Note the pronunciation of actually
from the big one
23 but it was too hot But:

weak or strong?
24 So she took a spoonful from the So:

weak or strong? Spoonful is a compound

middle-sized one See line 20
25 but it was too cold First three words all weak
26 and then she took a spoonful Then is stressed
27 from the little bowl
28 and that was just right That: weak or strong? Just: weak or strong? Any elision?
29 and she took another spoonful
30 before she realized it Before is stressed. Is the <ed> of realized elided?
31 she had eaten it all up. What happens to had ? NB Syllabic /n/
32 She felt quite full Why is /t/ not elided in felt?
33 and decided to sit in one of the How is the pronounced in this line?
easy chairs
34 There was a big chair There: weak or strong?
35 but it was too hard See line 25
36 There was a middle-sized chair See line 20 again
37 but that was too soft That: weak or strong? Why?
38 And then there was a little chair Then is stressed
39 and that felt just right See lines 37 and 32, and then 28
40 But she leaned right back A case of elision? /t/ of right is [?] here
41 and it collapsed How is –ed pronounced here?
42 As she picked herself up See line 7, then 41, then 6
from the floor
43 she noticed the stairs A case of elision?
44 And being a very curious little What happens to and here?
girl
45 she went up Up is not a preposition here; it is stressed
46 and there she found three beds Is there weak or strong? And a case of elision?
47 a big one but it felt too hard
48 a middle-sized one, See line 20 again, if you really need to
49 but it felt too soft
50 and a little one that suited her her: weak or strong?
nicely
51 and because she felt so See line 15. So: weak or strong? Notice how comfortable
is pronounced
comfortable
52 she fell asleep.
53 In the meantime,
54 the three bears returned to their Elision?
home
55 and were surprised to find Another case of elision? What happens to /d/ of find?
56 the front door wide open Is /t/ elided, in front? Is <en> in open pronounced as a
syllabic /n/ ?
57 Father Bear was even more A case of assimilation. Is the <ed> of surprised
elided in this case?
surprised
58 to find that somebody had taken That: weak or strong?
59 a spoonful of his porridge His: is /h/ pronounced here?
60 “Someone’s been eating my How is ‘s pronounced here? Been is weak
porridge”, he called
61 “And someone’s been eating My is strong here; so don’t forget the stress mark

my porridge”, said Mother Bear said does not have a stress mark here, but
assimilation?
62 “And someone’s been eating
my porridge
63 and eaten it all up”, said Baby Assimilation?
Bear
64 “And someone’s been sitting
in my chair”, said Father Bear Assimilation?
65 “And someone’s been sitting
in my chair”, said Mother Bear See line 61
66 “And someone sat on my chair Assimilation?
67 and broke it”, cried Baby Bear Two cases of assimilation
68 “Well, who’s been in our house, How is ‘s pronounced here? Our: weak or full?
69 while we were all out?” they while has a stress here, possibly because it is
followed by a series of weak

asked syllables. NB ‘linking /r/’ What happens in asked?

70 “I’m going to look upstairs”, Is going to pronounced stressed? Note the stress
pattern of upstairs
said Father Bear
71 “Hey, someone’s been lying
on my bed”, he called Assimilation. Is the /h/ of he pronounced?
72 “And someone’s been lying See line 61 again, if you must
on my bed”, said Mother Bear
73 “And someone’s been lying
on my bed
74 and she’s still there, There ?
75 fast asleep”, said Baby Bear
76 His voice woke her up What two things happen to her here?
77 She sat up in bed Assimilation?
78 and frightened by the sight The <ed> of frightened is elided, but what happens as
a resul?
of the bears,
79 she jumped down Another case of elision
80 ran past them The /n/ of ran is kept, but what happens to the /t/ of past ?
81 down the stairs down is a preposition here, but is stressed
82 out of the house, out is stressed
83 back into the woods back is stressed, but into is not
84 and all the way home