In this video we are going to have a look at one specific feature of connected speech in English: consonant-vowel linking across a word boundary. This is also called catenation.

Update: I am really sorry; I know there is a typo right at the start of the word ‘apple’ (the ‘le’ is the wrong way round in the video). I apologise! I did not mean to confuse you.

Catenation occurs when the first word ends in a consonant sound and the word following starts with a vowel sound. If that is the case, we join the two together and link the words. Often, this makes it sound like one word only. Or it could also sound like the consonant has now moved to the second word. In both cases, the words sound very different compared to when they are said in isolation.

We are going to have a look at several examples (many can be found within phrasal verbs) and we are also going to see how catenation usually occurs alongside other features of connected speech, such as elision, h-dropping, weak forms etc.

For this reason, decoding a stream of spoken speech can often be challenging for learners of English. Words blending together with sound changes can make it hard to decode what is being said.

My tip:

• Become aware of the various features of connected speech (check out all my videos)
• Improve your own pronunciation through repetition of examples (this will help you build muscle memory)
• Add subtitles when watching TV in English (so spelling & pronunciation become ONE in your head).

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