Theoretical phonetics. Study guide for second year students. Борискина О.О - 67 стр.

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clearly articulated in certain contexts. In some cases, the spelling system of English is
sensitive to this phenomenon, representing deletion in the contracted forms of
auxiliary verbs plus not (e.g., isn’t). In other cases, however, deletion occurs without
any acknowledgement in the spelling system. Even many native speakers may be
unaware of where deletion occurs. The process is pervasive.
The following are some of the most typical environment for deletion:
• Loss of /t/ when /nt/ is between two vowels or before a syllabic /ļ/:
       /t/ win(t)er, Toron(t)o, en(t)er, man(t)le
• Loss of /t/ or /d/ when they occur second in a sequence or cluster of three
consonants:           /t/ res(t)less, lis(t)less, exac(t)ly    /d/           win(d)mill,
kin(d)ness, han(d)s
• Deletion of word-final /t/ or /d/ in clusters of two at a word boundary when the
following word begins with a consonant1:

Deletion
Eas(t) side
Blin(d) man
Wil(d) boar
However, when the following word begins with a vowel, there is no deletion.
Instead, resyllabification occurs.


No deletion
(resyllabification)
Eas/t_end
Blin/d_eye
Wil/d_ass
• Loss of an unstressed medial vowel (also referred to as syncope), where the
unstressed vowel /ə/ or /i/ optionally drops out in some multisyllabic words
following the strongly stressed syllable2:
Choc(o)late, ev(e)ry, ev(e)ning, cam(e)ra, myst(e)ry, hist(o)ry, veg(e)table,
comp(a)rable, lab(o)ratory, int(e)resting, mis(e)rable, gen(e)rally, asp(i)rin,
diff(e)rent, fav(o)rite, rest(au)rant, bev(e)rage, fam(i)ly, reas(o)nable, em(e)rald
In rapid or informal native-speaker speech, deletion occasionally occurs in two-syllable
words such as the following, which are reduced to one syllable:
c(o)rrect, p(a)rade, p(o)lice, s(u)ppose, g(a)rage
 Related to this type of deletion is loss of an unstressed initial vowel or syllable in
highly informal speech, a process known as aphesis:
'cause, 'bout, 'round

1
  There are two exeptions to this rule. First, when the second word begins with /w, h, y, r/, no
deletion occurs: East hill, blind youth, wild ride. Second, some consonant clusters with final
/t/ or /d/ never simplify: /nt, lt, rt, rd/: plant food, felt pen, shortstop, bird feeder.
2
  If the last syllable is stressed, syncope does not occur. Compare the verbs separate
/΄sepə�reit/ with the adjective separate /΄seprət/.