Connected Speech

Question 1

What’s the difference between a sentence and an utterance in spoken language? Why does this matter in clinical practice?

Answer 1

Sentence: grammatical, exists in written language, defined by syntax/punctuation.

Utterance: stretch of spoken language, defined by pauses, breath, intonation, can be grammatically incomplete.

Clinical relevance: clients produce utterances, not sentences; therapy should focus on natural speech.

Question 2

If a client says “Yeah… tomorrow maybe,” is this a sentence or an utterance? Explain.

Answer 2

Utterance; it’s grammatically incomplete and relies on pauses and intonation rather than formal syntax.

Question 3

How does citation form differ from connected speech, and why is it important?

Answer 3

Citation form: careful speech in isolation, all sounds fully articulated.

Connected speech: how people talk naturally, includes reductions and changes.

Importance: transcription, teaching phonemes, dictionaries.

Question 4

A client says “handbag” as “hambag.” Which process is occurring and why?

Answer 4

Assimilation. The ‘n’ sound changes to ‘m’ to match the ‘b’ sound that follows. Co-articulation is the overlapping movement; assimilation is when that change is audible.

Question 5

Give an example of elision and explain why it occurs.

Answer 5

Saying “next please” as “neks please.” The ‘t’ disappears to make speech faster and easier.

Elision is when a sound (usually a vowel or consonant) disappears in speech to make words flow faster. Basically, it’s the opposite of epenthesis (where a sound is inserted).

Question 6

A client says “something” as “sumpthing.” Which process is this and why?

Answer 6

Epenthesis. An extra sound is added to make articulation easier.

Question 7

A child says “ask” as “aks.” How would you know if this metathesis is normal or requires intervention?

Answer 7

It’s normal if the child is young, it happens with long/complex words, and occurs occasionally. It’s a problem if the child is older, it happens often, affects many words, and reduces intelligibility.

Question 8

Explain vowel reduction using the word “photograph.”

Answer 8

In unstressed syllables, vowels are shortened or weakened to a simple “uh” sound, making speech faster and easier.

Question 9

How can you tell which words in a sentence are stressed? What is the difference between content and function words?

Answer 9

Content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) are usually stressed. Function words (articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliaries) are usually unstressed unless emphasis is needed.

Question 10

Give an example where a function word is stressed and explain why.

Answer 10

“I said TO her, not ABOUT her.” The word “TO” is stressed for contrast.

Question 11

Define a tone group and explain its purpose.

Answer 11

A tone group is a stretch of speech with one main pitch movement; it organizes speech into meaningful chunks like clauses or ideas, replacing punctuation.

Question 12

What terminal contour is used for a yes/no question? Give an example.

Answer 12

Rising terminal. Example: “You’re coming?” The pitch rises at the end to signal a question.

Question 13

Explain open internal juncture using “ice cream” vs “I scream.”

Answer 13

“Open internal juncture” refers to a subtle pause or separation between sounds in connected speech, often at word boundaries, that changes meaning, contrasting with “close juncture” where sounds blend continuously, like in “ice cream” (close) versus “I scream” (open with a slight pause).

Question 14

What is closed internal juncture?

Answer 14

Close juncture means sounds blend smoothly without pauses, creating single units like words or parts of words

The classic example distinguishing between closed and open juncture is the difference between the word “nitrate” and the phrase “night rate”:

“Nitrate” is pronounced with a closed juncture, meaning the /t/ and /r/ sounds transition smoothly and immediately into one another, as a single unit.

“Night rate” is pronounced with an open internal juncture (a slight, often unperceived, pause or break) between the words “night” and “rate”, which signals two distinct words or ideas.

Question 15

Describe external juncture. How does it affect meaning and how is it signaled in speech?

Answer 15

• It’s the boundary between two separate words in speech
• It helps listeners figure out meaning and where one word ends and another begins

How it’s signaled in speech
* Pauses or slight breaks — sometimes a tiny stop signals a word boundary.
* Example: “I scream” → you might hear a very small break between “I” and “scream.”
* Pitch/intonation changes — the pitch can rise slightly at the end of a word or phrase.
* Lengthening of the final sound in a word — the last vowel/consonant may be slightly longer at a word boundary.
* Linking or elision — sometimes words are linked smoothly, sometimes sounds are dropped; external juncture still signals where the words separate