Phonetics

5. Weak Forms

    5.1 Introduction

There are a number of well-known English words (just about 40) that can be pronounced in two different ways called strong forms and weak forms.

eg: I [wəz] `there vs. Yes, I [`wɒz]

These words belong to a category called grammatical words or function words (auxiliaries, modals, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, pronouns...) as opposed to lexical words or content words (verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs and question words).

Function words are frequently pronounced in their weak forms but only the strong form is acceptable in certain contexts.



   5.2 Contexts

1- In the end of a sentence for auxiliaries, modals, and prepositions.

e.g. I’m `fond of [əv] `chips vs. It is `chips that I’m `fond of [ɒv].

e.g. Can [kən] I help you? Yes, you `can [kæn].

2-When two function words are contrasted (and thus emphasized).

e.g. The letter is `from [frɒm] him not `to [tu:] him.

3-When a function word is given stress for emphasis.

e.g. You `must [mʌst] decide now.

NB: Weak form words beginning with ‘h’ (he, her, his, have) are pronounced with [h] in the beginning of a sentence. But, ‘h’ is dropped elsewhere in the sentence.

e.g. Her `car was `damaged [hə `ka: wəz `dæmɪdʒd].

I said her car was damaged [I `sed ǝ `ka: wǝz `dæmɪdʒd].

Strong form of `her’ >  I said `her car not yours! [I sed `hɜ: `ka: nɒt `jɔ:z].

e.g. He has done it! [hi əz `dʌn ɪt] – I know he has. [aɪ `nəʊ ɪ `hæz].

·        In weak forms, the general rule is the weakening of the realisation of the phoneme in question.

1- Difference of vowel sound, i.e,. any vowel becomes a schwa.    V    →     [ǝ]

e.g. /bʌt/ → [bǝt] ; /hæv/ → [hǝv] ; /f ɔ:/ → [fə] .

2- Difference of vowel length, i.e. long vowel becomes short vowel   VV → V

e.g. / hi: /→ [hi] - /ju:/ → [ju]

3- Absence of sound   ‘h’.‘h’.  /h/ → [Ø]

1-    v →[ǝ]

1-‘The’ /i: /, [ðǝ], e.g. shut the door [ʃʌt ðə `dↄ:]. Before vowels, eg.the end [ði `end]

2-‘A’ /eɪ/, [ǝ], e.g. read a book [`ri:d ǝ bʊk]. Before vowels, eg. an apple [ǝn `æpļ] 

3-‘And’ /æ/, [ǝnd], eg.  come and see [`kʌm ǝn (d) `si:] or [ņ] after t, d, s, z, ʃ  e.g. fish and chips [`fɪʃ ņ `tʃɪps [yes and no] [`jes ņ `nǝʊ] girls and boys [`gɜ:z ņ `bↄɪz]

4-‘But’ /ʌ/,   [bǝt], e.g. it’s good but expensive [ɪts `gʊd bǝt ɪks`pensɪv]

5-‘That’ /æ/, [ðǝt] (vs. demonstrative [`ðæt], e.g. That’s the thing that annoys me. [`ðæts ðǝ `Ɵɪŋ ðǝt ǝ`nↄɪz mi].

6-‘Than’ /e/, [ðǝn] e.g. Better than ever [`betǝ ðǝn `evǝ]

7-‘your’ /ↄ:/, [jǝ], e.g. Take your time [`teɪk jǝ `taɪm]

NB before vowels ‘r’ is realized, e.g. on your own [`ɒn jǝr `ǝʊn]

8-‘Them’/e/, [ðǝm], e.g. Leave them here [`li:vðǝm `hɪǝ]

9-‘Some’ /ʌ/, [sǝm], e.g. Have some more [`hævsǝm `mↄ:]

10-‘There’ /eǝ/,[ðə] , e.g. There should be a rule  [ðǝ `ʃʊd bi  ǝ `ru:l]

NB: before vowels: there is [ðǝr ɪz]

11-‘Can’ /æ/, could /ʊ/ → [ǝ] e.g.  They can wait [’ðeɪ kǝn `weɪt] You could have done it [ju kǝd ǝv `dʌn it].

12- Have, has, had, /æ/, [ǝ] e.g. Which one have you seen? [`wɪtʃ `wʌn ǝv ju `si:n]

13- Am /æ/, are /a: /, was /ɒ/, were /ɜ:/   → [ǝ]

e.g. He was here a minute ago [hi wǝz `hɪǝr ǝ `mɪnɪt ǝ`gǝʊ]

What am I doing? [`wɒtǝmaɪ`du:ɪŋ]

They were late [`ðeɪ wǝ `leɪt]

NB: In final position:  æm, a:,wɒz, wɜ:

e.g. They weren’t as young as we were [ðeɪ `wɜ:nt ǝz `jʌŋ ǝz wi `wɜ:]

14- ‘Shall’ /æ/ → [ʃǝl]-[ʃļ ] ;  Should / ʊ/ → [ʃǝd]

e.g. We shall need to hurry [wi ʃ ļ `ni:d tǝ `hʌri]. You should do it [ju ʃǝd `du: ɪt].

15- ‘Must’ /ʌ/, [mǝst], e.g. You must try [ju mǝs `traɪ]

16-‘At’ /æ/, [ǝt], e.g. See you at lunch [`si: ju ǝt `lʌntʃ]

 In final position: What are you looking at? [æt], e.g. [`wɒt ǝ ju `lʊkɪŋ `æt]

17-‘Us’ /ʌ/, [ǝs], e.g. all of us [`ↄ:l ǝv ǝs]

18- ‘From’ /ɒ/, [frǝm]; I think it comes from outside [aɪ `Ɵɪŋk ɪt `kʌmz frǝm aʊt`saɪd]   But in final position it is [frɒm] ; Where do you come from? [’weǝ dǝ ju `kʌm `frɒm]

19-‘Of’ /ɒ/, [ǝv], e.g. Most of all [`mǝʊst ǝv `ↄ:l]. Final position: [`ɒv]

20-‘To’ /u:/ [tǝ]; to go [tǝ `gǝʊ] but: [tu] before vowels, e.g. to Algiers [tu `a:ldʒɪǝz]

21-‘As’ /æ/, [ǝz], e.g. As soon as possible [ǝz `su:n ǝz `pɒsɪbļ]

22-‘For’ /ↄ:/ [fǝ]; It’s quite hard for me [ɪts `kwaɪt `ha:d fǝ mi] ;                                          It’s quite hard for us [ɪts `kwaɪt `ha:d fǝr ǝs].                              

23- do, does /u: /, /ʌ/ → [dǝ], [dǝz], e.g. What do they want? [`wɒt dǝ ðeɪ `wɒnt]

Does it ring a bell to you? [`dǝz ɪt `rɪŋ ǝ `bel tǝ ju].

NB: before vowels [du] e.g., Do all people know? [du ↄ:l `pi:pl  `nǝʊ]

2 -/vv/→ [v]

1-     She, we, he, me, be, the /i: /→ [i], e.g. Who is she? [`hu:  ɪz ʃi]

2-     You, to, do /u:/ → [u], e.g. What do you think? [`wɒt dǝ ju `Ɵɪŋk]

3-/h/→ Ø

a- He, his, him, and her, e.g. What is his name? [`wɒts ɪz `neɪm]

Ask her to come [`a:sk ǝ tǝ `kʌm]

b-Have, has, had e.g. We have finished [wi ǝv `fɪnɪʃd]

NB: Auxiliaries and modals never have weak forms in the negative, e.g. She hasn’t finished [ʃi `hæzņt `fɪnɪʃd] ;  No I can’t [`nǝʊ aɪ `ka:nt] .

You shouldn’t have done that [ju `ʃʊdņt ǝv `dʌn `ðæt].