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Liaisons
There are four main points where liaisons happen:
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In American English, words are not pronounced one by one. Usually, the end of one word attaches to the beginning of the next word. This is also true for initials, numbers, and spelling. Part of the glue that connects sentences is an underlying hum or drone that only breaks when you come to a period, and sometimes not even then. You have this underlying hum in your own language and it helps a great deal toward making you sound like a native speaker. Once you have a strong intonation, you need to connect all those stairsteps together so that each sentence sounds like one long word.
The dime.
The dime easier. They tell me the dime easier. They tell me the dime easier to understand. They tell me that I'm easier to understand.
The last two sentences above should be pronounced exactly
the same, no matter how they are written. It is the sound
that is important, not the spelling.
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| Consonant & Vowel |
Words are connected when a words
ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts
with a vowel sound, including the semivowels W, Y and
R. (You can check out the individual sounds as well: Pronunciation).
You also use liaisons in spelling and numbers.
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| Consonant & Consonant |
Words are connected when a
word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts
with a consonant that is in a similar position.
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| Vowel & Vowel |
When a word ending in a vowel
sound is next to one beginning with a vowel sound, they are
connected with a glide between the two vowels.
A glide is either a slight [y] sound or a
slight [w] sound. How do you know which one to use? This will
take care of itself--the position your lips are in will dictate
either [y] or [w].
For example, if a word ends in [o], your lips are going to be in the forward position, so a [w] quite naturally leads into the next vowel sound: [Go(w)away].
After a long [e] sound, you lips will be pulled
back far enough to create a [y] glide or liaison: [I(y)also
need the(y)other one]. Don't force this sound too much, though.
It's not a strong pushing sound.
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| T, D, S or Z + Y |
When the letter or sound of T,
D, S or Z is followed by a word that starts with Y, or its
sound, both sounds are connected. These letters and sounds
connect not only with Y, but they do so as well with the initial
unwritten [y] sound of syllables and words. They
form a combination that changes the pronunciation. T + Y = CH
D + Y = J
S + Y = SH
Z + Y = ZH
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