ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with what happens to sounds when words are connected into larger units. There are, some remarkable differences between the pronunciation of a word in isolation and of the same word in connected speech, but the changes which take place are mostly quite regular and predictable. Gillian Brown reports that the kind of changes are typical not only of standard English, but also of quite formal situations in which the speaker is being reasonably 'careful'. She presents a wealth of examples from television newsreaders, political discussions, and speeches. In summary, insertion takes place in connected speech in order to facilitate the process of articulation for the speaker, and not as a way of providing 'extra' information for the listener. Rhythm in speech, like rhythm in music, is based on the idea of a strong beat or accent which recurs at regular intervals of time.
