Linking words: connected Speech

Linking Consonant to Vowel

When a word ends in a consonant sound, we often move the consonant sound to the beginning of the next word if it starts with a vowel sound.

For example, in the phrase "turn off":

We write it like this:	turn	off
We say it like this:	tur	noff

Remember that it's the sound that matters. In the next example, "have" ends with:

• the letter "e" (vowel)
• the sound "v" (consonant)

So we link "have" to the next word "a" which begins with a vowel sound:

We write it like this:	Can I have a bit of egg?
We say it like this:	Ca-nI-ha-va-bi-to-fegg?

Linking Vowel to Vowel

When one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound, we link the words with a sort of W or Y sound.

If our lips are round at the end of the first word, we insert a W sound:

oo | o	We write it like this: too often who is so I do all We say it like this: tooWoften whoWis soWI doWall

If our lips are wide at the end of the first word, we insert a Y sound:

	oo | --	We write it like this: Kay is I am the end she asked We say it like this: KayYis IYam theYend sheYasked
Connected Speech
What is connected speech? When we speak naturally we do not pronounce a word, stop, then say the next word in the sentence. Fluent speech flows with a rhythm and the words bump into each other. To make speech flow smoothly the way we pronounce the end and beginning of some words can change depending on the sounds at the beginning and end of those words. These changes are described as features of connected speech.
Sounds link Linking is a way of joining the pronunciation of two words so that they are easy to say and flow together smoothly. In English there are different ways that this happens. Consonant to vowel linking - when the first word ends with a consonant sound and the second word begins with a vowel sound. See Radio Programme 1 Vowel to vowel linking - when certain vowels come next to each other an extra sound is added to make the link smooth. See Radio Programme 1 Linking 'r' In standard British English (RP) the letter 'r' after a vowel sound at the end of word is often not pronounced. However, when the following word begins with a vowel the /r/ sound is pronounced to make a smooth link. See Radio Programme 2
Sounds disappear When the sounds /t/ or /d/ occur between two consonant sounds, they will often disappear completely from the pronunciation. See Radio Programme 2
Sounds join together When a word ends in a consonant sound and the following word begins with the same consonant sound, we don't pronounce two sounds - both sounds are pronounced together as one. See Radio Programme 2
Sounds change When a word ends in a consonant sound and the following word begins with a consonant sound, depending on the particular sounds, the last sound of the first word or both the last sound and the first sound of the next word can change. See Radio Programme 3

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/features/connected.shtml