8/12/2019 Reduced Forms Amer.pronunci

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Reduced forms in common American pronunciation

mostly adapted from <www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8995/relaxed.html>

You won’t understand Americans unless you recognize these informal forms. They will understand you whether

you use these forms or a dictionary’s. Don’t use these in a lecture.

Key to my spellings

A: as in HAT, THAT, MAP

a: the vowel sound in the word THE;the most unstressed and short

vowel sound possible; the sound

that is represented by an upside-

down “e” in a dictionary’s spelling of

pronunciation; a schwa

AH: as in STOP, NOT, ROCK

O: as in BUCK, LOVE, NONE

OH: as in GO, TOE, ROW

U: as in PUT, FOOT, GOOD

OO: as in YOU, WHO, BLUE

IGH: as in WHY, BUY, HIGHD (when it replaces a “T,” as it

does between 2 vowels if the first

is stressed): Only the very tip of the

tongue-tip taps your alveolus– and

for less time than in a real D. Feel

this with your mouth closed.----------------------------------------

Ta = TOIt’s hard Ta remember.

Da = TOTry Da hurry.

Y’ / Ya = YOUY’know / Ya know what I mean?

YUR = YOURYUR money or YUR life

 !"R = OUR !"R #ar is $arked far away.

%a / DI%a = DID YOU%a / DI%a e&er lose your keys?

'O%a = '"!T DID YOU'O%a do o&er the weekend?

'ODaYa/'OT("a='"!T DOYOU'ODaYa / 'OT("a ha&e there?

'OT("a/'ODaYa='"!T !R)YOU'OT("a/'ODaYa drinkin’?

'OT(")R = '"!T I* YOUR'OT(")R name?

%!+ = DO YOU "!+)%!+ a minute?

%!+ = DID YOU "!+)%!+ a ,ood time?

"!-Ta = "!+) TO

I "!-Ta ,o to the bathroom.

!"Da = "!+) OT TO*orry I !"Da ,o now.

U0a = OI0 TOI1m U0a write to you.

'!"0a = '!0T TOI '!"0a sto$ now.

YOO*Ta = U*)D TO2as an au3. &4*he YOO*Ta #ome here often.

*"UDa = *"OU5D "!+)You *"UDa told me he was yourboyfriend

'UDa = 'OU5D "!+)I 'UDa ,one but it was rainin,.

(UDa = (OU5D "!+)You (UDa #ome with us6 we hada #ar.

*"UDa0a 'UDa0a (UDa0a =*"70’T'70’T(OU5D0’T "!+)You *"7 '7 (UDa0a eaten it.

8I"Da = 8I"T "!+)You 8I"Da ,otten si#k.

*"U%a 'U%a (U%a = *"OU5DYOU 'OU5D YOU (OU5D YOU*"U%a 'U%a (U%a redo it?

(a0 = (!0"ow (a0 I hel$ you?

(!0 = (!0’T*orry I (!0 hel$ you.

DO"0 = DO0’TI DO"0 #are what they think.

DU0O" = DO01T 90O'Does she like you? :I DU0O".

(U; = <)(!U*)I did it (U; he told me to.

T*9O" = 5)T1* OT*9O" to the mo&ies

T*O = '"!T1* U?T*O 8ike?

R!"5Y = RO<!<5Y"e’s R!"5Y at work now.

8)5 / 8a)5 = 8!Y I ")5

8)5 / 8a)5 you *ir?

’09YOO = T"!09 YOU’09YOO &ery mu#h

5)8)) = 5)T 8)5)8)) show you somethin,

I8)) = I+) 8)I8)) a few minutes to think ito&er.

-a / -UR = -OR*he did that work -a nothin,.

a = O-That’s enou,h a that.

a5!"Da = ! 5OT O-

I ha&e a5!"Da friends.9I"0a / 9I"0Da = 9I0D O-You look 9I"0a / 9I"0Da off.

*ORDa = *ORT O-It was *ORDa unethi#al to do it.

 !Da / OUD! = OUT O-et !Da / OUD! my #ar

*Oa8 = *O8)T"I0I wish I had *Oa8 Ta do.

Homework: 

 Read each form to an Am erican.

 Ask him/her to guess i t s

d ic t ionary form. Wri te a dash

before any s /he can’t correc t ly

 guess . Put an extra dash before

any s /he can’t guess even af ter

 you then spel l i t . Underline any

s/he c la ims i sn’t American.

8/12/2019 Reduced Forms Amer.pronunci

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OUT-TAKE:

*a8 = *O8)%!+ *a8 more?

Alternative OUT-TAKES from HW ass’t:together with his/her comment; s/he dictates it and you write it. Hand in his/her choice, together with his/her verbatim comment.

Relaxed Pronunciation: Reduced forms in American ronunciation

htt$>//www.,eo#ities.#om/!thens/!#ro$olis/@@A/rela3ed.html

0ame of the $a,e at the abo&e UR5> Rela3ed ronun#iation

I05)* O05I0) R)*)0T*> -orewarnin,> !ll lan,ua,es ha&e s$oken forms whi#h are una##e$table when written but#om$letely a##e$table when s$oken. That1s why I think it is so im$ortant to alert your studentsto the differen#es between the written and s$oken forms. To not do so is a ,reat disser&i#e toyour students as @@B of the time be it in &ideos $resentations or talkin, with nati&e s$eakersthey will hear Rela3ed ronun#iation. Of #ourse I am not en#oura,in, neither you nor yourstudents to use Rela3ed ronun#iation all the time. It1s really u$ to you and of #ourse youshould really be sele#ti&e when it #omes to sound &ery informal. 2The #onte3t will hel$ youdetermine the a$$ro$riate time. !bo&e all be sensible. "a&e fun and enCoy the list

[I (DM) changed the phonetic spelling system and some of the other infoand added a few entries.]