Changes in Consonant Quality
Changes in the Standard
1. Voicing and devoicing
Inital lenis [b, d, g] – partally devoiced.
Final lenis [b, d, g] – voiceless.
[t] in the intervocalic positon is voiced.
[‘betə] – [‘bedə]
2. Loss of [h]
In rapid speech the inital [h] is lost in form
words and tends to die out from the
language.
[i wɒnts ɜ tə kʌm]
No loss of [h] in stressed syllables!
3. Inital “hw”
Wh-words are pronounced with an inital
breath-like sound [ʍ] instead of [w].
what – [ʍɒt], why – [ʍaı]
4. Loss of fnal [ŋ]
[ın] instead of [ıŋ] at the ending of a word.
waitn’ – [‘weıtn]
5. Spread of “dark” [ł]
This tendency is infuenced by the American
pronunciaton.
[bɪ’li:v] – [bɪ’łi:v]
Sometmes [l] becomes vocalized.
[‘mɪok]
6. Glotal stop
It can appear only in two cases:
as a realizaton of syllable-fnal [t]:
[dəpɑːʔmn̩t]
in certain consonant clusters (“glotal reinforcements”).
Among younger speakers, it can also be heard fnally before
vowels or in absolute fnal positon:
[pɪk ɪʔ ʌp], [ɡɛʔ]
7. Palatalized fnal [k’]
It is ofen heard in such words as
[wi:k’], [kwık’]
8. Linking and intrusive [r]
Linking “r” – an orthographic “r” pronounced
word-fnally before a vowel.
summer͜ actvites
Intrusive “r” – the sound “r” inserted before a
following vowel even though there is no “r” in
spelling.
I saw-r-a fil today
9. Combinatve changes
[tj, dj, sj] → [ʧ, ʤ, ʃ]
[‘æktjʋəl] → [‘ækʧʋəl]
In the clusters of two stops, where the loss of plosion is
usually observed, each sound is pronounced with audible
release.
[‘æk-tıv]
[j] is lost following [l, s, z, n].
[nu:z]
10. Elision, reducton, assimilaton
This tendency is refected in the pronunciaton of
the young generaton.
have to [‘həfə],
perhaps you [pə’hæpʃu:],
can [kn], etc.