(Video Transcript)
Learn American English with TV: Modern Family
Whenever your significant other begins a conversation like this:
“You know, honey?”
You know, it’s going to be bad!
So, what do you think she says next? Well, you’re going to find out in this in-depth conversation analysis of the American TV show Modern Family.
In this video, you’re going to learn how to perfect your American accent and speak smooth and natural English. I’m going to discuss reductions, linking, intonation, the Rule of Three, vowels, consonants, basically all areas of American English pronunciation and vocabulary. To do this, I’m going to use a scene from the American TV show Modern Family and analyze a short conversation between some of the characters. Then you’ll have the chance to imitate each sentence of the conversation.
In case you’re not familiar with the American TV show Modern Family, I’ll give you a brief introduction to the show and the characters that you’ll see in this scene.
This show was very popular in the United States, and it was filmed in a way that’s called breaking the fourth wall. It means that the characters look directly into the camera and engage with the viewers, as if we’re all in on the joke. This adds to the comedy of the show and gives the characters a chance to show their quote unquote real reactions, even though of course all of those looks are scripted. So you’ll see the characters look directly at the camera, as if they’re communicating with you, the viewer.
This scene is of a husband and a wife, Phil and Claire, and their daughter Alex. They’ve just boarded a plane and they’re on their way home from a trip. Claire, the wife, is drinking a glass of wine, and she turns to the husband and says, “You know, honey?” and that’s where our analysis begins.
I’m going to discuss a lot of information here, so prepare yourself to learn. Get a pen and paper, take notes, and rewatch this video as many times as you need so that you understand all of the topics I’m going to cover.
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Also - did you know I have a free Guidebook to the Sounds of American English? My guidebook is a must-have tool if you want to improve your English pronunciation. It teaches you every sound of American English with pictures, audio recordings, IPA symbols, and more - and you can get it for free! The link to the guidebook is in the description below.
Alright, now back to the analysis. First I’ll play the entire scene so you can get a feel for the tone of the conversation. Then I’ll play each sentence and complete my conversation analysis.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence One
Here’s sentence number one.
“You know, honey?”
She starts with “you know, honey?” which is a way of initiating a conversation. She uses a tone of voice that’s not too aggressive because she doesn’t want to catch her husband off guard with what she’s about to tell him. She also calls her husband “honey”, which is a term of endearment. It’s typically used with people that you care deeply about, like a spouse or a child, but you may also hear the word “honey” being used in situations in which the person is not being sincere. Maybe they’re trying to mock or belittle someone, so they call them “honey”. But that’s not what she’s doing here; she uses “honey” in a loving tone.
The pink brackets show you the thought groups. I hear two distinct thought groups: you know, and then honey. And you can tell this is two thought groups because of her intonation and pausing. She starts with relatively higher intonation on the first word you, then goes down on honey, then she pauses slightly between know and honey. Then her intonation scoops down and ends upward on the word honey. This type of intonation pattern is a subtle way of indicating to her husband that she’s about to ask him a question that’s important, and she wants him to be receptive to it.
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear You KNOW, HON-ey?
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again.
She uses a slightly reduced OO vowel in you - it’s not a schwa, but it’s not a full OO either. It’s more like a quick OO, without the full lip rounding.
Now let’s discuss the linking in detail. She links that reduced OO with the /n/ in know. There isn't an exact rule for this type of vowel to consonant link. She simply smoothes out the transition as best as possible with forward momentum of her voice.
There is no link between know and honey words. In fact, you can hear a distinct glottal stop at the end of know, where her vocal cords come together to stop the airflow at the end of the OH /oʊ/ vowel.
Now you know the links, let’s listen to it again in slow motion.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Two
Now let’s move onto Sentence two. I’ll play it for you now.
I hear this as two thought groups, noted by the pink brackets. Thought group one is “if anything were ever to happen to me” and thought group two is “I would want you to get remarried.” She doesn’t have a very long pause between these two thought groups, but I still hear them as two separate thoughts.
She uses a relatively flat intonation pattern throughout this sentence, but upon close examination, you can hear a few bumps in her pitch. She starts at a relatively lower pitch (maybe around level 2 out of 5) on the word If, then she stays on that same pitch on the first syllable of anything, an. Then she has a slight bump up in pitch on the remainder of the word anything, ything. Next, her intonation goes slightly down on the next three words, were ever to, and here her intonation remains relatively flat.
Then, she has a small rise in pitch on the first syllable of happen, ha, then down slightly again on the remainder of happen, ppen, and she continues to go slightly downward on the next two words, to me. That’s the end of thought group number one.
She starts thought group number two with about that same pitch on the next words I would, with a slight rise on want, then down again on you to, then a slight rise on get.
Finally, her intonation goes back down slightly on the first syllable of remarried, re, then a slight rise on the stressed syllable marr, and she remains nearly at the same pitch on the remainder of remarried.
In terms of stress, I hear If AN-ything were EV-er to HAPP-en to me, I would WANT you to get reMARRied.
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again.
She uses a few good reductions here as well as some T sound variations. These are noted in the orange and green colors. She consistently reduces the word to, which is a very common reduction in American English. She says the word “to” three times, and she reduces the OO vowel to the schwa, uh, in all three pronunciations. She also uses a flap for the T in this to and this two, but for this one she maintained the true T pronunciation. Let’s listen again.
The rules of the flap state that when T or D are between vowels and the second vowel is unstressed, the T or D may become the flap, and that’s what has happened here. This T is between the ER vowel in ever and the UH vowel in to, so it becomes the flap. This T is between the OO vowel in you and the uh vowel in to, so it also becomes the flap. This T, however, is between the N consonant and the UH vowel, so it doesn’t follow the rules of the flap, and she chooses to pronounce it as the true T.
But, you need to know that native speakers can and will violate the rules of the flap when it comes to the word to. She could have very easily decided to use the flap here, and pronounced this as “happen duh”, “happen duh me”. That’s common, even though it violates the so-called flap rules. I’ll try to point it out when I hear a character use this rule violation in this conversation.
Let’s listen to the reductions again.
Now let’s discuss the linking in detail. She links every word together as much as she possibly can within both thought groups. This is a long section, so be prepared to learn a lot of information.
If anything
She links this phrase with continuous airflow by extending the /f/ in if so that it seamlessly begins the beginning of the next word, anything.
anything were
There's not a formal rule about linking /ŋ/ and /w/. She smoothes out this connection, however, by making the link very gentle. Sometimes, non-native speakers pronounce a final NG /ŋ/ with a hard release, so that either a /k/ or a /g/ occur at the end. But this is not how /ŋ/ is pronounced. Instead, the back of the tongue remains in contact with the soft palate at the end of /ŋ/, and when it releases for the next sound, the release is gentle.
were ever
Although the word were ends with the ER vowel, this is considered a consonant-vowel link. To pronounce this link, she extends the /ɚ/ sound, "errrr", and allows the R sound to extend into the beginning of the next word, ever, so that it sounds like "rever". She maintains vocal cord vibration throughout this link; there are no breaks in voicing.
ever to
Here we have another final ER vowel in the word ever, but in this case the final ER /ɚ/ does in fact function as a vowel in this linking example. As I mentioned earlier, this T in to becomes a flap, so she links this phrase together like “ever duh”.
to happen
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ə/ and /h/. She simply smoothes out the transition as best as possible.
happen to
There isn't an exact rule about linking /n/ and /t/. She simply smoothes out the transition as best as possible.
to me
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ə/ and /m/. She simply smoothes out the transition as best as possible with forward momentum of her voice and continuous vocal cord vibration.
This is the end of thought group one. So between the words me and I, there isn’t a link. Instead, she pauses very briefly.
I would
There isn't an exact rule about linking /aɪ/ and /w/. She simply smoothes out the transition as best as possible with forward momentum of her voice and continuous vocal cord vibration.
would want
She uses a very quickly released /d/ at the end of would, and then quickly links to the /w/ in want.
want you
There are a few ways that the phrase want you could be linked together, but she chooses to pronounce the final /t/ in want as a glottal stop /ʔ/. This follows the rules of the glottal stop T, which is when a final T links up with a consonant, that final T is often pronounced as a glottal stop T or an unreleased T. She uses a glottal stop T, which is made with the vocal cords only, not the tongue.
you to
As I mentioned earlier, she links this phrase together using a flap in the word to, so this sounds like “you-duh”.
to get
There isn't a formal rule about linking /ə/ and /g/. Instead, she smoothes out the transition as best as possible with forward momentum of her voice.
get remarried
Here’s the glottal stop T again. She pronounces the final /t/ in get as a glottal stop /ʔ/, since that final /t/ links up with a consonant, /ɹ/.
Now you know all of the links she uses. Let’s listen to it again, but this time I’ll play it in slow motion.
Now let’s briefly discuss a few important vowel and consonant pronunciations. The word anything begins with the EH as in red vowel, anything, anything. Don’t let the spelling fool you! It’s spelled with the letter A, just like the word “any”, but it’s pronounced like EH, just like the sound in the word red.
The word would contains the short UH sound, like in the word put, and the L is silent. This would sounds just like the word wood, as in the material that trees are made of. Would, wood. They’re pronounced the same. Be sure you don’t round your lips too much on this vowel; otherwise, you’ll end up pronouncing the OO as in boot vowel, which sounds like “wooed”.
The word want contains the AH as in father vowel, but you’ll see that it comes before a nasal N consonant. This means the AH vowel is nasalized - there’s going to be some nasal air release during the vowel - and that changes the resonance of the AH vowel. Listen to the nasalized AH in want versus the non-nasalized AH in water. Want. Water. Want. Water. You should be able to hear a clear difference between those vowels - one is nasalized, Want. The other isn’t, water.
Then we have the AIR R-colored vowel in the word remarried. Mair, mair, mar. Make sure you get both parts of this R-colored vowel - the EH vowel plus the R sound.
Let’s listen to this section one more time.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Three
Now onto Sentence number three. Let’s listen to it now:
This section has two speakers. First the husband says just one word, okay, then the wife says her line: Mmm. was a little fast.
The husband’s response is just one word, so it’s one thought group. The wife splits up her response into two thought groups.
The intonation pattern that the husband uses is very typical of someone who is in agreement with the previous statement. He starts out at mid-level on the first syllable, o, then has a slight bump up in pitch on the last syllable, kay, and ends with a slightly downward intonation pattern.
Then the wife says mmmmm, and she uses a downward glide on this word. This is a typical way of indicating to your speaking partner that you don't agree with what they just said, and you're about to tell them why. Her next sentence is, was a little fast. This sentence is not grammatically correct as it's missing the subject, that, but this type of omission can happen in fast, conversational English. The word “that” is implied, even though she didn't actually say it.
Her intonation begins mid-high on the first two words, was a, then she jumps up a bit on the next word little. Then she steps down slightly on the final word fast, and she ends with flat intonation.
Her intonation pattern is very typical of someone who is trying to point out to her speaking partner that she doesn't agree with or doesn't like what he just said.
One thing to note: Her vocal quality sounds a bit rough to my ears, almost as if she was ill or was experiencing some amount of vocal cord inflammation (maybe laryngitis) when this episode was taped. Her pronunciation is also a bit imprecise and/or "sloppy" at times, which I think is related to the fact that her character is drinking a glass of wine in this scene.
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear o-KAY. MMMMM. Was a LI-ttle FAST.
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again:
The words “was a” are reduced, and I almost don’t even hear the word “a”. It’s possible she completely omitted the word “a” from her speech because it was so reduced. That’s not super common to do, but this is a very informal and casual conversation between a husband and wife, so it’s possible that’s what she did here.
Let’s listen for that reduction again.
Now let’s discuss the linking in detail.
was a
As I mentioned earlier, when you listen to this sentence closely, it almost seems like she doesn't pronounce the word a in this phrase. So it's possible that the word “a” is not there at all; that she instead says ”was little” instead of “was a little”. However, I hear a very (very) fast “a” in this phrase, so I'm going to transcribe this as “was a”. To link the final /z/ in was to the schwa /ə/ (the reduced pronunciation of a), she simply connects the two words like they are one word, "wuzzuh". Allow your vocal cords to continue to vibrate, and allow the final /z/ to move over to the beginning of the next word /ə/.
a little
Again, I'm transcribing this as if she pronounces “a” in this phrase; however, some of you may listen to this and think she doesn't pronounce “a” here. That's okay - sometimes two people will hear the same thing differently :) To link /ə/ to the /l/ in little, she simply keeps her vocal cords vibrating and pronounces this phrase like it's one word, "uhlittle" without any breaks in vocal cord vibration.
little fast
The word little ends with a dark L, and she links it up with /f/ in fast. With this type of Consonant to consonant link, I'm almost positive that her tongue tip stays down as she links little and fast, and that she does not use a light L to link this phrase. Instead, her tongue tip is down, and she uses forward momentum of airflow to smooth out the transition as best as possible.
Now you know all the links, let’s listen to the linking in slow motion.
Now just a few more specific vowels and consonants that I want to comment on. First, the word okay contains two diphthongs, the OH and AY diphthongs. Even though the first syllable, OH, is unstressed, I hear the full diphthongs in both syllables, but he pronounces them quickly.
We’ve already talked about the dark L in little - but it’s also important to mention the short IH as in bit vowel in the first syllable, IH, IH, IH. Be careful not to use the tense EE vowel here, which would sound like “leedle”. Relax the muscles of the face so you can get the right IH sound. The T’s in little also turn into the flap here, which sounds like a fast D consonant. Her pronunciation is a little sloppy and imprecise - again, she’s drinking wine in this scene - but it’s still a flap.
And lastly, the vowel in the word fast is the AA as in apple vowel. AA, AA. Make sure you pull the lips back and tense the back of your tongue and throat just a little bit to get the right sound.
Let’s listen to this part again.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Four
Now let’s move onto Sentence number four. Let’s listen to it now.
We have both the husband and the wife speaking in this section, and we’ll start with the husband’s line. He says his part as one long thought group, noted by the pink brackets. Then she responds with one word as one thought group.
The husband begins his intonation at mid-level on the first word, oh, then rises on the second word no, which is a typical intonation pattern for the phrase "oh no" when it's used to express concern over an issue or problem.
Then he stammers a bit as he says the next few words I just, I just, with lower intonation on I, then slightly higher on the first just (which he doesn't fully pronounce - he drops the ST). Then his intonation remains relatively flat on the next few words, I just wanna make you. His intonation jumps up higher on the first syllable of happy, happ, then down again on the final syllable y.
The wife then says a reduced form of okay, just 'kay, and her intonation rises as she says it. Her vocal quality is also very soft here, and the soft vocal quality combined with the upward intonation expresses her agreement with the husband in a non-confrontational manner: "Okay, I believe you."
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear Oh NO, I ju-, I just wanna make you HAPP-y. 'Kay.
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again.
He uses the informal contraction “wanna” for the phrase “want to” - that’s very common to do in spoken English - and you’ll hear the schwa in the second syllable, wan-uh, even though both syllables are spelled with the letter A.
Now let’s discuss the linking in detail. He uses as many links as he possibly can during his sentence.
Oh no
There's no exact rule about linking /oʊ/ to /n/, but he links them together as smoothly as possible with forward momentum of his voice.
no I
He uses the vowel-vowel link /w/ to connect the /oʊ/ and /aɪ/ vowels, so this phrase sounds more like "nohwai". The rule here is whenever you link the back vowels /u/ and /oʊ/ to another vowel, you insert the /w/ glide between the vowels to connect them, and the vocal cords stay on. This makes sense when you think about the lip placement of the back vowels and the /w/ consonant: the lips are rounded into a circle for both. Since the lips are already in the /w/ placement when you say the back vowels /u/ and /oʊ/, it's very natural to just use a /w/ to link those vowels.
I ju-
here isn't an exact rule about linking /aɪ/ and /ʤ/; instead, he smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of his voice.
ju- I
No link occurs here. He breaks his voice between these words.
I just
There isn't an exact rule about linking /aɪ/ and /ʤ/. Instead, he smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of his voice.
just wanna
Here he applies the Rule of Three to the phrase just wanna, and he drops the final /t/ in just. This results in /s/ linking with /w/. There isn't an exact rule about linking /s/ and /w/; instead, he smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of his voice.
wanna make
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ə/ and /m/. Instead, he smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of his voice.
make you
Here he applies the rules of consonant-vowel linking as they relate to linking with stop consonants. He resyllabifies the phrase make you by moving the final /k/ in make over to the next word you. This link sounds more like "may-kyou".
you happy
There isn't an exact rule about linking /u/ and /h/. Instead, he smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of his voice.
Now you know all the links that occur; let’s listen to it in slow motion.
Lastly, let’s go over one more vowel pronunciation - the AH as in father vowel in the word wanna. You’ll notice that this vowel comes before the N consonant in the same syllable. That means the AH vowel will be nasalized. Wanna, wanna. The soft palate lowers a little early during the AH vowel in preparation for the nasal consonant that’s coming next, so the AH vowel ends up having nasal resonance.
Let’s listen to this section one more time.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Five
Now onto Sentence number five. Let’s listen to it now.
The wife says this sentence as one thought group, and the intonation pattern she uses in this sentence is typical of someone who isn't anticipating that her husband will have a response. She asks this question with what I would describe as light or gentle intonation; not too aggressive or questioning.
She begins with a pitch that's at mid-level on the word “any” and the first syllable of idea, i. Then she drops down in pitch on the remainder of the word idea, dea, then bounces back up again slightly on the next word of.
Her pitch then goes back down slightly on the word who, then rises slightly again on the next two words, you would. Then she uses typical Yes/No question intonation on the final word, marry, where she starts low and then ends with upward intonation.
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear AN-y i-DE-a of WHO you would MARR-y?
Let’s listen to the stress and intonation again.
She uses one quick reduction here, using the schwa vowel in the word of, which is very common to do, since the word of is a function word.
And in terms of linking, she uses as much linking as possible in this sentence, but she pauses slightly between the final two words “would” and “marry” for emphasis.
Let’s discuss the linking in greater detail:
Any idea
She uses the vowel-vowel link /j/ to connect /i/ and /aɪ/. This type of link applies to the front vowels /i, aɪ, ɔɪ, eɪ/. When linking those front vowels to another vowel, you insert the glide /j/ between the vowels and keep the voice vibrating as you connect the vowels together. Using the /j/ consonant here makes sense if you think about the tongue placement of the front vowels. When you say /i/, for example, the tongue is pretty much in the same placement of the /j/ consonant (high, arched towards the palate). So as you transition from a front vowel to another vowel, it's very natural to use a /j/ consonant in the transition.
idea of
The word idea ends in a schwa /ə/, and the word of begins with a schwa /ə/. So in the phrase idea of, she pronounces just one schwa /ə/ as she links them together, which makes the phrase idea of sound like one word, "ideof".
of who
No link occurs here. She stops her voicing between the final /v/ in of and the initial /h/ in who.
who you
While there's no formal rule about linking /u/ and /j/, this link is relatively easy to produce since both /u/ and /j/ share voicing, and the /j/ consonant is surrounded by two /u/ vowels. This means the lips round for the first /u/ in who, then remain rounded as you pronounce /j/ and /u/ in you. This is what she does in this phrase, and she links /u/ and /j/ with continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of her voice.
you would
There's not a formal rule about linking /u/ and /w/, this link is another one that is relatively easy to pronounce because /u/ and /w/ share voicing and lip placement. She links this phrase together by keeping her lips rounded during the link, and smoothes out the transition with continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of her voice.
would marry
No link occurs here. She stops her vocal cord vibration and inserts a pause between these two words.
Now you know all the links that occur, let’s listen to this sentence again in slow motion.
Now let’s discuss a few important vowels and consonants. The word any contains the EH as in red vowel, even though it’s spelled with the letter A. It’s EH-nee. And here it’s nasalized because it comes before the N consonant in the same syllable: EHNN-ee. Can you hear that nasal resonance?
The word would contains a strange spelling, ou, and this is pronounced using the UH as in put vowel. It sounds just like the word wood, as in the material that trees are made of. And remember, the L is silent here.
And we have the AIR R-colored vowel again in the word marry, AIR, AIR, make sure you’re getting both parts of the R colored vowel in your pronunciation - the EH vowel and the R consonant.
Let’s listen to this sentence one more time.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Six
Now let’s move onto Sentence number six. Let’s listen to it now.
This is a fairly long section to analyze all at once, but he says it as one thought group, so it’s best to analyze it in that way.
He uses a lot of good examples of typical intonation patterns in these sentences. He begins at a pitch that's at mid-level on the first syllable of the first word, Vicky. Then his pitch dips down on the final syllable, y, then back up again on the first syllable of Conroy, then back down again on the final syllable, roy. He bounces back up slightly on the first syllable of probably, pro, then down on the middle syllable bab, then ends this sentence with slightly upward intonation on the final syllable, ly. This upward intonation indicates that he has more to say (and he certainly does!).
The next three sentences are said in quick succession. His pitch dips back down a bit on the first word she, then goes back up on the content words works and office. The function words “in” and “my” are lower in pitch.
The next sentence begins with lower intonation on she's, then up on the word very. This is done for emphasis - he wants to highlight that Vicky is not just organized but very organized. Then his pitch drops on the first syllable of organized, or, then back up again on the remaining syllables, ganize.
In the final sentence, his intonation drops on the first word the, then his pitch pops up on kids, dips down on love, and then ends with upward intonation on the final word her. Ending with upward intonation on her also indicates that he has more to say about all of the ways in which Vicky is great, and if he had had more time here to talk about Vicky, I'm sure his character would have added even more reasons why he chose her.
Let’s listen to the intonation again.
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear him stress VICK-y CON-roy, PRO-bably. She WORKS in my OFF-ice. She's VERY-y OR-ganized. The KIDS love her.
Let’s listen to the stress again.
He uses just a couple of reductions here. First, he doesn’t really pronounce the word “the” in the final sentence. Maybe - it might be there a little bit - maybe just the beginning of the TH sound, but it’s hard to tell. Then he uses a very common reduction of the pronoun her. He drops the initial H and just pronounces this as “er”.
Next, let’s discuss the linking that he uses. Since this is one long thought group, this next part is going to be long and detailed. So take notes, and rewatch this part of the video if you need to.
Vicky Conroy
There's not an exact rule about linking /i/ to /k/, but he links them together as smoothly as possible with forward momentum of his voice.
Conroy probably
There is no link between these words. He stops his voicing and inserts a quick glottal stop between Conroy and probably.
probably she
There is no link between these words. He stops his voicing briefly between probably and she, though I don't hear a glottal stop here like in the phrase above.
she works
There isn't an exact rule about linking /i/ and /w/, but this link is relatively easy to produce due to the shared voicing between /i/ and /w/. He smoothes out the connection as best as possible, keeping his vocal cords on as he transitions between the words.
works in
He uses the consonant-vowel linking rule of Divide and Resyllabify: He splits the last two consonants /ks/ in works, and moves /s/ over to the beginning of the next word, in. This sounds like, "work-sin".
in my
There isn't an exact rule about linking /n/ and /m/, but he smoothes out the connection as best as possible by keeping his vocal cords vibrating and using forward momentum of his voice.
my office
Here is an example of the vowel-vowel linking rule for front vowels. When a syllable or word ends in any of the front vowels /i, ɔɪ, eɪ, aɪ/ and you link it to a vowel, you insert the /j/ glide consonant between the sounds. The word my ends in /aɪ/, and office begins with /ɑ/. So he uses a quick /j/ to connect these two words, using continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of his voice.
office she's
He links the words office and she's by smoothing out the transition between the final /s/ of office and the initial /ʃ/ of she's as best as possible, using forward momentum of his voice. These two sounds share the same voicing (both are voiceless) and the same manner of air release (both are fricatives), so this should make the /s/ and /ʃ/ link a little easier to complete.
she's very
Here we have a consonant-consonant link that shares voicing: both the final /z/ in she's and the initial /v/ in very are voiced. This should help the link to be a little easier to complete. When he completes this link, he hesitates just slightly between /z/ and /v/, but I still hear them linked together via forward momentum of his voice.
very organized
Here we have another front vowel-vowel link. He uses the /j/ glide consonant to link the final /i/ in very to the initial /ɔɹ/ in organized, and he smoothes out the link with continuous vocal cord vibration.
organized the
Here he applies a couple of linking rules. First, he uses the Rule of Three to drop the final /d/ in organized, resulting in that word sounding like "organize". Then, he almost doesn't fully pronounce the word the; it's there, but it's extremely subtle. I perceive that his tongue went to the right spot to make the reduced /ð/ in the, but instead of turning on his vocal cords and actually pronouncing the, it sounds like he simply pauses, briefly, and this pause is the word the.
the kids
There isn't a link here, since he doesn't fully pronounce the word the.
kids love
There isn't an exact rule about linking /z/ and /l/, but they both share voicing, so that should make this link a little easier to complete. He smoothes out the transition as best as possible, using continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of his voice.
love her
He uses the reduced pronunciation of her, /ɚ/, which turns this phrase into a consonant-vowel link. To complete this link, he simply moves the final /v/ of love over to the beginning of the next word /ɚ/, which sounds like, "luh-ver".
Now you know all of the links, let’s listen to this again in slow motion.
Now just a few comments on some important vowels and consonants. The vowel in the first syllable of the name Vicky is the short IH as in bit vowel. Be careful not to use the tense EE vowel here - that would sound like “Veeky”. Relax the muscles of the face and tongue to help you get the right vowel sound.
Then we have a few AH as in father vowels - Conroy, probably, and office - and notice how they are all spelled with the letter O. That’s common for this vowel sound - it’s common for the AH as in father vowel sound to be spelled with the letter O. In Conroy, the AH vowel is nasalized because it comes before the N consonant in the same syllable, but in probably and office it isn’t nasalized. So you should hear a distinct difference between the AH vowel in Conroy and the AH vowels in probably and office.
The word probably then contains a schwa vowel in the second syllable, uh, uh, uh. It’s spelled with the letter A, but don’t let the spelling fool you! It’s not probAYblee - it’s probuh, probuh, probuhblee.
The word works is spelled with the letters OR, but this is pronounced as ER, not OR. It’s not “woorrks”, but “werks”. Pretend there is no vowel here in the pronunciation; it’s just the R sound.
Let’s listen to this section one more time.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Seven
Now let’s move onto sentence number seven. I’ll play it now.
We have two speakers here; the daughter and the father. First, the daughter asks a question in one thought group, and she uses a kind of sing-songy, bouncy intonation pattern in her question. She begins at mid-level on the first word are, then her pitch drops on the next word, you. Then her pitch goes back up again on guys, then down again on the next word, talking.
Her pitch bounces right back up again on the next word 'bout (and notice how she drops the initial /ə/ in "about" and instead pronounces this as the informal 'bout). Then using typical Yes/No intonation, her pitch drops on the first syllable of Vicky, Vick, then rises sharply on the final syllable, y, to indicate she is asking a yes/no question.
The second speaker is the father, and he responds with one word, yeah, using downward intonation.
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear are YOU guysTAK-ing 'bout VICK-y? YEAH.
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again.
I don’t hear any true reductions here, except for the informal ‘bout for the word about, which can happen in informal, casual, fast speech. Pronouncing about as ‘bout isn’t very common, but native speakers may do this in casual conversations.
Now let’s discuss the linking in detail.
Are you
There isn't an exact rule about linking the R-colored vowel /ɑɹ/ to /j/, but she links them together as smoothly as possible with continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of her voice. Both of these sounds are voiced, so that should help to make this link a little easier to complete.
you guys
There isn't an exact rule about linking /u/ and /g/, but she links them together as smoothly as possible with continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of her voice. Both of these sounds are voiced, so that should help to make this link a little easier to complete.
guys talking
Here is a good example of the type of voicing assimilation that can occur when linking consonants of different voicing. The final /z/ in guys is a voiced consonant, and the initial /t/ in talking is a voiceless consonant. When linking two consonants, what typically happens is the second consonant will influence the first one in some way to make the first one more similar to the second one. This influence can be found in the tongue placement of the first consonant (it might shift to be closer to the tongue placement of the second consonant) or the voicing may change. Here, we hear the effects of a change in voicing: The final /z/ loses most (if not all) of its voicing in this link in order to sound more similar to the voiceless /t/. This is common in American English linking.
talking 'bout
There isn’t a formal rule about linking NG and B, but she does this as smoothly as possible using forward momentum of her voice. Make sure not to pronounce a hard G or K at the end of talking; keep the transition smooth.
'bout Vicky
Here she uses a glottal stop T /ʔ/ to link 'bout with Vicky. This is also a very common type of linking pattern in American English. When a word or syllable ends in /t/ and links to another consonant, it is very likely that /t/ will be pronounced as either a glottal stop /ʔ/ (just the vocal cords produce the sound) or an unreleased T (the vocal cords plus the tongue tip moves up to the alveolar ridge to produce the sound, the tongue tip remains in contact at the end of the sound).
Now you know all of the links that occur. Let’s listen to the linking in slow motion.
Lastly, let’s discuss a few important vowels and consonants. The word talking has the AH as in father vowel in the first syllable, and the L is silent. So this syllable is tak, not “talk”. The second syllable is transcribed as the short IH as in bit vowel plus the NG consonant, but there the IH vowel is nasalized because it comes before a nasal consonant in the same syllable. When the IH vowel comes before the NG consonant, it’s pronounced closer to the tense EE vowel. So this syllable sounds more like “eeng”.
Then the word ‘bout has the OW diphthong. Make sure you’re getting both parts of the diphthong here - OW - it has lots of lip and jaw movement.
And we have the name Vicky again, using the short IH as in bit vowel.
Let’s listen to this section again.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Eight
Now let’s move onto Sentence number eight. I’ll play it now.
She uses two thought groups here, separated by a distinct pause between the first thought group, Mom, and the second thought group, she’s awesome.
She uses a combination of pitch glides and pitch steps in her intonation pattern. She begins at mid-level, then glides her pitch down on the first word Mom. Then she pops up her pitch on the next word, she's, and then goes back down in a stepwise fashion to the next word, awesome, where she uses a lower pitch on the first syllable awe. Then she goes even lower in her pitch at the beginning of the final syllable some, but then glides her pitch up slightly as she ends this sentence with upward intonation.
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear MOM, she’s AWE-some.
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again.
I don’t hear any reductions in this section, so let’s move onto the linking.
Mom she's
There is no link here. She pauses between Mom and she's.
she's awesome
There is no link here as well. Instead, she stops her voicing after the word she's by using a quick glottal stop /ʔ/, which results in a very quick pause between the two words she's and awesome. This helps the word awesome to stand out a little bit.
It's also important to note what happens to the voicing of the final /z/ in she's. You may hear that the speaker doesn't fully voice the final /z/ - maybe there's a little bit of voicing at the beginning of /z/, but towards the end of the word, the /z/ has become fully devoiced. This is correct, and this is common with final voiced consonants. Oftentimes, the voicing drops out at the end of the sound, and especially when linking a final voiced consonant to a voiceless consonant. Here the speaker doesn't link she's with the next word, but she still drops the voicing from /z/ at the end of the sound, and that is typical of native speakers.
Now you know about the linking, let’s listen to it again in slow motion.
Finally, just a few more comments on the AH vowel that occurs in the words Mom and awesome. Notice how different the spelling is here - Mom is spelled with the letter O and awesome is spelled with the letters A W E, but they are pronounced with the same vowel, AH. But there’s one difference: the AH in Mom is nasalized because it comes before the M consonant, while the AH in awesome is not nasalized. It’s just the pure AH vowel.
Let’s listen to this sentence one more time.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Nine
Now let’s move onto the next sentence, Sentence number nine. I’ll play it now.
I hear him say this sentence as one thought group. He uses very typical intonation in this sentence. He begins at a mid-high pitch level (maybe a 3.5 out of 5) on the first word just, then drops down in pitch on the next two words, so you. His pitch pops back up on know, then down again on if, and back up again on both syllables of something.
Next, his intonation drops back down again on the next two function words, were to, and then he pops back up in pitch on the stressed syllable of happen, happ. The final syllable of happen, en, is lower in pitch, as are the next two words to me, and the pronoun I. He ends with a slightly upward intonation pattern on the final word would, but it's hard to hear it clearly because his wife interrupts him.
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear JUST so you KNOW, if SOME-thing were to HAPP-en to me, I, I would -
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again.
He uses a few reductions here. The OH diphthong in the word so is reduced to just the first part, O. This is common, since the word “so” is a function word. The phrase “were to” is reduced as well. He uses the unstressed ER vowel in were and the schwa vowel in to, and he pronounces this T as a flap, which makes this phrase sound like “were-duh”. Then he says the word “to” again and reduces it again, using the schwa vowel. And here we have another use of a secret flap T! Notice how the T in the word “to” is between a consonant and a vowel, not two vowels, but he still pronounces “to” using a flap. This rule violation is common for native speakers, especially to the word “to”, because it’s a very common word, and it’s also a function word, so oftentimes it will be reduced. This makes the flap very natural to use here, and it sounds like “happen-duh”.
Then he reduces the pronoun “I” from the full AI diphthong to a quick A.
Let’s listen to the reductions again.
Now let’s discuss the linking in detail. This is another long thought group, so be prepared for a lot of information.
Just so
He uses the Rule of Three to link just and so, and drops the final /t/ in just. This sounds like the two words, just so, being pronounced as one word, "jusso".
so you
Here he reduces the final /oʊ/ in so to just the first part of the diphthong, /o/. There isn't an exact rule about linking /o/ and /j/, but the voicing matches between these two sounds so the link should be a bit easier to complete. He links so and you by smoothing out the transition as best as possible, using continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of his voice.
you know
Here he uses a very fast /u/ vowel in you, which is technically not a true reduction, but his pronunciation of you certainly is fast! There isn't an exact rule about linking /u/ and /n/, but the voicing matches between these two sounds so the link should be a bit easier to complete. He links you and know by smoothing out the transition as best as possible, using continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of his voice.
know if
He uses the vowel-vowel link /w/ to connect /oʊ/ and /ɪ/, which sounds like "knowif". This type of linking pattern is common when linking the back vowels /oʊ, aʊ, u/ to other vowels. When pronouncing those back vowels, the lips are already rounded in a circle, which is the same shape as the /w/ consonant. So it's very natural that a quick /w/ will be produced as you transition from the back vowel to the next vowel. He also keeps his vocal cords vibrating as he links these words together.
if something
There isn't an exact rule about linking /f/ and /s/, but they share two important features: they're both voiceless sounds and they're both fricatives (i.e., noisy, turbulent air release). This should make the link between them a little easier to complete. He smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of air as he connects the two words.
something were
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ŋ/ and /w/, but again these sounds share voicing, so that should help to make this link a little easier to complete. He smoothes out the transition between /ŋ/ and /w/ as best as possible, using continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of his voice. Focus on making this link as gentle as possible; otherwise, you may end up pronouncing a hard /g/ or /k/ as you release the back of the tongue and transition into /w/.
were to
If you take a look at the /t/ in to, you'll notice that it is between vowels, /ɚ/ and the reduced /ə/, and the word to is unstressed. This is the exact rule of the flap /ɾ/: The /t/ begins an unstressed syllable and is between vowels, so the /t/ typically becomes a flap /ɾ/. That's how he pronounces it in this phrase, and that sounds like "duh".
to happen
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ə/ and /h/. Instead, he simply smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of sound.
happen to
Here is a great example of an exception to the flap /ɾ/ rule listed above. The word to is very common in spoken English, and it's often unstressed and reduced. Because to is so common and so often reduced, it's very common for native speakers to use a flap /ɾ/ for /t/, even when /t/ is between a consonant and a vowel, not two vowels. This is in fact what he does in this link; he pronounces to using a flap and reduces /u/ to /ə/, which sounds like "duh".
to me
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ə/ and /m/, but they are both voiced sounds, so that should make the link a little easier to complete. He smoothes out the transition as best as possible using continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of his voice.
me I
He uses another vowel-vowel link, but this time he uses the glide /j/ to link /i/ and /aɪ/. This type of linking pattern is found when linking the front vowels /i, aɪ, eɪ, ɔɪ/ to other vowels, and it makes sense when you think about the tongue placement. When you pronounce the front vowels /i, aɪ, eɪ, ɔɪ/, the tongue is high in the mouth and tense. This is in nearly the same spot as the /j/ glide consonant, so it's very natural for a quick /j/ to be pronounced as you transition between the sounds. He also completes this link using continuous vocal cord vibration. Note: He uses a reduced pronunciation of I, /a/, in this link.
I I
No link happens here. He stutters a bit and pauses between his repetitions of the word I.
I would
There isn't an exact rule about linking /aɪ/ and /w/, but both of these sounds are voiced, so that should make the link a little easier to complete. He smoothes out the transition as best as possible using continuous vocal cord vibration and forward momentum of his voice.
Now you know all of the links, let’s listen to the linking again in slow motion
Lastly, let’s discuss a few important vowels and consonants. The word something contains the voiceless TH consonant, and I know that one can be tricky to pronounce for many non-native speakers. The most common substitutions I hear for the voiceless TH sound are the S consonant or the F consonant. Make sure the tongue is in a wide shape, and place the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower front teeth. The air exits the mouth in the space where the top teeth make contact with the top surface of the tongue. That sounds like, “Thhh, thhh”.
Then the final syllable, thing, is transcribed with the short IH as in bit vowel, but it doesn't sound like the pure IH vowel because here it comes before the nasal NG consonant and becomes nasalized. When IH comes before NG, it sounds closer to the long “eee” vowel, so this syllable is pronounced like “theeeeng.”
The word happen has the AA as in apple vowel, so be sure to retract the lips and tense the back of the tongue and throat just a little bit as you say this vowel. Happen. Happen. Happen.
Then lastly, the word would has a funny spelling, but it’s pronounced just like wood, as in the material that trees are made of. The L is silent, and the “ou” spelling is pronounced with the UH as in put vowel.
Let’s listen to the entire thought group one more time.
Conversation Analysis: Sentence Ten
Now, let’s move onto the final sentence of this analysis, sentence ten. I’ll play it for you now.
She says this as one thought group. Her intonation pattern in this sentence is threatening, and of course that's done on purpose to add to the comedy of this moment in the show. Relatively speaking, her intonation is quite low and flat throughout, but she does have a few relative pops in her pitch. She begins low on the first word oh, then has a slight rise on the next word something's, which she pronounces using the informal pronunciation of /ˈsʌʔ.m̩z̥/, which sounds like, "suht-mz". Then her pitch drops down on the next five words, gonna, happen, to, you, and all, and her pitch drops slightly downward on each subsequent word. Then she ends with a slight upward intonation pattern on the final word right, which conveys a sense of, "I'm not finished here. Something is going to happen to you, and it's going to happen soon."
In terms of stressed syllables, I hear Oh, SOME-thing's gonna HAPP-en to you, all right...
Let’s listen to the intonation and stress again.
She uses the informal contraction “gonna” for the phrase “going to”, and this is very common in spoken English. Gonna for “going to”, wanna for “want to”, kinda for “kind of” - you’ve probably heard these informal contractions before and you’re probably using them, too, which is great. But be careful about the pronunciation of gonna. Even though it’s spelled with the letters O and A, they are pronounced like UH, with the stressed UH in the first syllable and the schwa UH in the second syllable.
She also reduces the word to to the schwa, uh, and pronounces the T as the flap - and notice that she violates the rules of the flap here. The rules state that when T or D come between vowels and the second vowel is unstressed, then the T or D can be pronounced as the flap, but here the T comes between a consonant and a vowel. But, like I mentioned earlier in the analysis, it’s common for native speakers to violate that rule when it comes to the word “to”. This means this phrase sounds like “happen-duh”
Let’s listen to those reductions again.
Now let’s discuss the linking in detail.
Oh something's
There isn't an exact rule about linking /oʊ/ to /s/, but she links them together as smoothly as possible with forward momentum of her voice.
something's gonna
This is a great example of how voicing can change on final voiced consonants, especially a final /z/ consonant. In general, it's common for native speakers to drop some of the final voicing of a final voiced consonant. This is especially true when linking a final voiced consonant to a voiceless sound, but it also happens when linking to a voiced sound as well...or even if you don't link that word to anything else! Here she drops most of the voicing of /z/ in something's, and I hear something like 25% voicing at the beginning of /z/ and then no voicing on the remaining 75%.
It's also important to note her pronunciation of something's. She uses an informal pronunciation that contains a glottal stop /ʔ/ in place of the TH /θ/ and a syllabic /m/: /ˈsʌʔ.m̩z̥/, which sounds like, "suht-mz". It’s not common, but native speakers might use it on occasion.
gonna happen
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ə/ and /h/. Instead, she simply smoothes out the transition as best as possible using forward momentum of sound.
happen to
Again, she violates the rules of the flap and pronounces the word “to” with a flap instead of a true T. The word to is very common in spoken English, and it's often unstressed and reduced. Because to is so common and so often reduced, it's very common for native speakers to use a flap /ɾ/ for /t/, even when /t/ is between a consonant and a vowel, not two vowels. This is in fact what she does in this link; she pronounces to using a flap and reduces /u/ to /ə/, which sounds like "duh".
to you
There isn't an exact rule about linking /ə/ to /j/, but she links them together as smoothly as possible with forward momentum of her voice.
you all
She uses the vowel-vowel link /w/ to connect /u/ and /ɑ/. This type of linking pattern is used when linking the back vowels /oʊ, aʊ, u/ to other vowels. When pronouncing those back vowels, the lips are already rounded in a circle, which is the same shape as the /w/ consonant. So it's very natural that a quick /w/ will be produced as you transition from the back vowel to the next vowel. She also keeps her vocal cords vibrating as he links these words together.
all right
There isn't an exact rule about linking /l/ and /ɹ/, but since both of these sounds are voiced and share the same manner of air release (they are both liquids), this link should be easier to complete. However, /l/ and /ɹ/ are probably the two most challenging sounds to pronounce in American English, so for that reason this link may be super challenging for you! The trick here is to keep the tongue tip down as you pronounce the dark L in all, and I'm almost positive that that's how she pronounces it here. She also uses continuous vocal cord vibration as she transitions from /l/ to /ɹ/, and allows the forward momentum of her voice to smooth out the transition. Be careful not to allow your tongue tip to touch the roof of the mouth as you pronounce /ɹ/; instead, think about this link as though your tongue was merely shaping your voice as it exits your mouth.
Note her very light stop T /ʔ/ at the end of right. It's there, but it's subtle.
Now you know all of the links, let’s listen to the linking again in slow motion.
Now let’s discuss some specific vowels and consonants. We have the AA as in apple vowel in the word happen - AA, AA AA - so be sure to retract the lips and tense the back of the tongue and throat just a little bit to get the right sound.
I already discussed the dark L in the phrase “all right”, but it’s also important to remember that the word “right” contains the AI diphthong. AI, AI, AI. Make sure you feel some movement in the jaw as you say this vowel - it’s two vowels in quick succession.
Let’s listen to this sentence one more time.
Conversation Analysis: Full Scene
You’ve heard the analysis of each sentence; now I’ll play the entire scene from beginning to end.
Thanks so much for sticking with me till the end! I know this video was long, but I hope you enjoyed this in-depth analysis of American English pronunciation. Don’t forget to hit like and subscribe with notifications turned on - that’s a fantastic way of letting me know that you liked this video and want more just like it!
