VOA名师答疑2024--Reduction and Assimilation

Reduction and Assimilation

　　Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question about reduced syllables² and assimilation.

　　Question:

　　Hello,

　　I would like you to explain to me in detail, if that is possible...

　　In spoken English, why do native speakers change or omit these letters, for example:

　　I want to go. (I wanna go)

　　Handbag (hambag)

　　A and B (A n B)

　　What's the rule behind this?

　　Thanks,

　　Adam

　　Answer:

　　Thanks, Adam, for your question.

　　You have found that people do not always say words the same way all the time. They sometimes change sounds to make them easier to say.

　　One example is syllable¹ dropping, which we discussed in an earlier Ask a Teacher. Assimilation and reduction are other ways sounds can change when people are speaking quickly.

　　Two different sounds can start to sound the same when they are said quickly. This is called "assimilation."

　　This is what is happening in the word "handbag."

　　The /n/ sound is a nasal sound, which is made by air moving through our nose. The sound/b/ is produced by pressing the lips together. So, the /n/ sound is affected³ by the /b/ sound in "bag." The sound becomes /m/, a combination of a nasal sound and the labial⁴ sound.

　　The /d/ sound is then dropped.

　　/Handbag/

　　/Hambag/

　　Sometimes it is not just one sound within a word that is reduced, but a whole word, like in the examples of "wanna" or "A n' B."

　　Function words, like "to" and "and" are often reduced in everyday speech. This helps us to pay more attention to the more important words that carry meaning.

　　Most unstressed syllables and function words become shorter, softer and less clear. The vowel⁵ sound in "to," /oo/, gets reduced to another vowel sound "schwa," /ə/.

　　"Want to" becomes "wanta," /ə/. The two /t/ sounds drop off in fast speech. So, "want ta" becomes "wanna."

　　In "A and B," the "and" gets reduced to /ən/. So, phrases like "A and B" or "cream and sugar" become "A ‘n B" and "cream ‘n sugar."

　　Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Adam.

　　Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at [email protected].

　　And that's Ask a Teacher.

　　Words in This Story

　　syllable – n. a unit of spoken language that consists of one or more vowel sounds alone or with one or more consonant⁶ sounds preceding or following

　　assimilation – n. a sound changes in which some sounds (typically consonants⁷ or vowels) change to become more similar to other nearby sounds

　　labial –adj. involving one or both lips

　　phrase – n. a word or group of words forming a syntactic constituent⁸ with a single grammatical function

　　cream – n. a thick white liquid taken from milk used in cooking, baking and coffee

1 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

2 syllables   

n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a word with two syllables 双音节单词
• 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓，它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 labial   

adj.唇的；唇音的；n.唇音，风琴管

参考例句：

• Why to eat mango to you can cause labial allergy?吃芒果为什么会引发嘴唇过敏？
• I feel my labial color fantastic!我感觉自己的唇色棒极了！

5 vowel   

n.元音；元音字母

参考例句：

• A long vowel is a long sound as in the word"shoe ".长元音即如“shoe” 一词中的长音。
• The vowel in words like 'my' and 'thigh' is not very difficult.单词my和thigh中的元音并不难发。

6 consonant   

n.辅音；adj.[音]符合的

参考例句：

• The quality of this suit isn't quite consonant with its price.这套衣服的质量和价钱不相称。
• These are common consonant clusters at the beginning of words.这些单词的开头有相同辅音组合。

7 consonants   

n.辅音，子音( consonant的名词复数 )；辅音字母

参考例句：

• Consonants are frequently assimilated to neighboring consonants. 辅音往往被其邻近的辅音同化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 constituent   

n.选民；成分，组分；adj.组成的，构成的

参考例句：

• Sugar is the main constituent of candy.食糖是糖果的主要成分。
• Fibre is a natural constituent of a healthy diet.纤维是健康饮食的天然组成部分。