Segmental Features of Speech

Segmental Features of Speech

The speech sounds are often strung together to form words, phrases and sentences in connected / rapid speech.

The 3 most dominant features of speech are:

A.  Assimilation

B.  Elision

C.  Linking

A.  Assimilation

It is a regular process in connected speech in which a particular sound changes to match a preceding or following phoneme.

2 types of assimilation

(a)  Progressive Assimilation

(b)  Regressive Assimilation

In progressive assimilation, a speech sound changes to match the preceding phoneme.  In regressive assimilation, a speech sound changes to match the following phoneme.

(a)  Progressive assimilation

      Voicing assimilation is always progressive assimilation.

      It involves the word forms ended in voiceless and voiced

      phonemes:

    

Whether the plural noun morpheme or the singular verb morpheme is realised as the voiceless [s] or the voiced [z] according to the speech sound (phoneme) that comes before it.

Whether ‘ed’ verb form is realised as the voiceless [t] or the voiced [d] depends on the speech sound (phoneme) that comes before it.

(i)   ‘s’  -----  [s / z]

(ii)  ‘ed’  -----  [t / d]

(iii)  ‘es’  -----  [Iz] or [əz  ]

(iv)  ‘t + ed’  -----  [tId]

      ‘d + ed’  -----  [dId]

       ‘g + ed’  -----  [gId]