# The Music of American English Pronunciation > [!summary] The Music of English > > - Word stress > - Rhythm > - Reduced words > - Connected speech > - Sentence focus > - Intonation ## Disappearing Syllables - Unstressed words become weaker, softer, shorter, lower, less clear - Some syllables are disappearing! ## Predicting Stress - Two-syllable nouns - stress the first - Two-syllable verbs - stress the second - Compound nouns - stress the first part - Stress before the suffix ## Thought Groups and Rhythm - Divide a sentence into thought groups, there may be more than one way to do it - Content Words = words that carry a lot of meaning, are usually stressed - Small grammar words are less stressed ## Reduced Words [[reduced-words-handout.pdf]] - Prepositions - of -> o - at -> /æt/ -> /ət/ - for -> /fɔr/ -> /fər/ - from /frɑm/ -> /frəm/ - to -> /tuw/ -> /tə/ - Articles - a -> /ey/ -> /ə/ - an -> /æn/ -> /ən/ - Pronouns can lose the first the consonant - you /yuw/ /yə/ - he /hiy/ /iy/ - him /hɪm/ /ɪm/ - her /hər/ /ər/ - them /ðɛm/ /əm/ - our /awr/ /ɑr/ - your /yʊr/ /yər/ - Conjunctions - and -> an - or /ɔr/ /ər/ ## Contractions - Can is unstressed and sounds like /kən/, instead of at the end. ## Linking - same consonant + consonant = one consonant - /{ieao}y/ + vowel = /{ieao}/ + y + vowel - /{uoa}w/ + vowel = /{uoa}/ + w + vowel - consonant + vowel - Assimilation = first consonant becomes similar to the second one - did you, don't you, is you, miss you - in Montana ## Linked Expressions - going to \[verb\] = gonna - want to = wanna - wants to = wantsta - have to = hafta - has to = hasta - could have, should have, would have = coulda, shoulda, woulda - kind of, sort of, a lot of, lots of = kinda, sorta, alota, lotsa ## Sentence Focus - Last content word (except for time expression) - New information - Word we want to emphasize - Contrasting words ## Intonation - Intonation is connected to sound sentence focus - Statements and normal requests: goes down at the end - Some requests goes up - End of the sentence: goes down, otherwise the speaker has something else to say - Questions - Yes/No questions go down - WH questions go down - Or questions go up and down - Tag questions - Go up = really don't - Go down = knew the answer