The ability to speak English smoothly depends on linking, connecting sounds of the final sound of one word to the initial sound of the next. The amount of linking that occurs is not entirely predictable, however occurs in the following environments:
a) linking [w]: the sound [w] links words ending in [u:] or [u], e.g. who, you, how, go when the next word begins with a vowel:
Who is? [hu`wis]
You are [ju`wa:]
Go away [gəu`wai]
b) linking [j]: the sound [j] links words ending in [i:] or [i], e.g. she, he, I, me, my, say, they when the next word begins with a vowel:
I agree [aijə`gri:]
He is here [hijis`hiər]
The way out [ði weijaut]
c) linking [r]: the sound [r] links words ending and beginning with vowels, e.g.:
far away [fa: a`wei] à in connected speech [fa:ra`wei]
vanilla ice cream [və`niləraiskri:m]
the idea of it [ði ai`diərəv it]
d) loss of [h] in linking: the sound [h] in rapid spoken English often disappears in the weak forms of: he, him, his, her, has, hand, have
| strong stress | weak stress | |
| he him his her has had have | [hi:] [him] [hiz] [hε:] [hæz] [hæd] [hæv] | [hi] or [i] [im] [iz] [ə] [əz] [əd] [əv] |
e) joining [s] and [z] sounds: when two different, but similar sounds occur in close concession, the second one is more strongly, e.g.
Yes, `Zena.
This parcel contains `six mice.