This week, we’re back on one of my favourite pronunciation topics: connected speech. Working with advanced level learners, I find that studying connected speech is often key to really unlocking those super high-level listening skills, and learning to produce its features really gives my learners the feeling that they are moving towards truly fluent speech, and often changes the way the sounds feel in their mouths. I find it interesting that working on connected speech often really improves on difficulties my learners have had with other sounds made in isolation too.
And this week we’re back with the idea of intrusive sounds – we spoke about this last season (episode 32 – ‘Be afraid, be very afraid’) with intrusive /j/, so please do go back to that one for a refresh if you want to. In that episode, we saw how /j/ creeps in to link vowel sounds between words in faster speech, in particular, with /j/, that link is from words ending in the long vowel /i:/ or words ending in the short vowel /ɪ/, including the diphthongs /ɒɪ/, /aɪ/ and /eɪ/, and words beginning with another vowel. And I’ll remind you that that use of the phrase ‘creep in’ was very intentional: this is not a conscious decision, but one which happens naturally as the mouth transitions seamlessly from one sound to the next.
In the case of /w/, the intrusion happens where a word ends in a ‘rounded lips’ vowel sound, so /ʊ/, /u:/ or the diphthongs /əʊ/ and /aʊ/, and the next begins in any vowel sound. There may be a ‘w’ in the spelling, but there doesn’t have to be. For example think about, “two or three”, where that ‘w’ from ‘two’ is pronounced when linking with “or”, but also “go outside”, where there is no ‘w’ in the written form. A common place where we see this is with the word ‘to’, which tends to take it’s full form and link with /w/ in connected speech, rather than using its weak form. So, I’d probably say “I’m going to a party” not “I’m going to a party”: it’s just easier that way.
So, we’re not practising any individual words today, because we need more than one word to see this feature of connected speech coming through. Instead, we’ll start with some common chunks of language which contain this intrusive /w/, so the sorts of groups of words you might say on a daily basis in one context or another. As you listen and repeat, try to notice whether you naturally also insert this /w/, or if you would probably pause slightly between the words and sounds. As with all features of connected speech, all speakers are inconsistent here, but if you notice yourself pausing a lot, really try working on giving your mouth permission to make that link with /w/, because more frequent pausing may affect the perceived fluency of your speech.
Common chunks with /w/
- do I…?
- go out
- how are you?
- I wanted to ask
- no I…
- now and then
- so I’ll…
- two or three
- who are…?
- you and I
…And let’s look at some example sentences with those chunks – things I might say on a daily basis.
- Ok, so do I just click on this link?
- I’ll go out later, can I get you anything?
- Hello, how are you?
- I wanted to ask if you got my email.
- No I haven’t read it yet.
- Try to revise the vocabulary every now and then.
- So I’ll send you that link later.
- Can you make two or three sentences with the word?
- Who are you talking to?
- You and I should practise this another day.
And finally let’s practise with a couple of rhymes and songs. Now, we’re already seen this intrusive /w/ this season (and in the past) with that wonderful Carolyn Wells limerick “A canner exceedingly canny”. In the line “One morning remarked to his granny”, where we drop that ‘h’ in ‘his’, we hear this intrusion. Did you notice it at the time? Let’s try that limerick again, and see how you do!
“A canner exceedingly canny,
One morning remarked to his granny
A canner can can anything that he can
But a canner can’t can a can, can he?
And finally a song which you probably know, “If you’re happy and you know it”.
The /w/ comes through in every line of this one, and you can add as many lines as you like, so it’s a great one to practice! There’s an intrusive /j/ in every line, too! (happy and).
We’ll just do the first couple of lines:
If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.