Original scientific paper

ASSIMILATION AND ELISION IN ENGLISH AND SLOVENE

Rastislav Šuštaršič ; Facultv of Arts, Dept. of English and American Studies. Ljubljana Slovenia

Abstract

Assimilation and elision, two importa ni features of connected speech, are compared in English (RP) and in (standard and non-standard) Slove ne. Non-stcindard pronunciation (the dicilect of Ljubljana) has been ineluded for Slovene in order to establish a parallel behveen the casual style of in for ma! RP and the casual style of Slovene non- standard pronunciation. which varies from dialect to dialect. While there are no important differences betvveen ihe standard and non- standard Slovene pronunciations with regard to (voice and place) assimilalion, inclusion of non-standard (informal) pronunciation seems essential for the purpose of contrasting Ihe process of (vowel and consonant) elision in the two languages. The present contrastive sludy has shown certain parallels behveen the two languages in the investigated area, as well as a number of differences: the latter can to a large extent be attributed to the existing differences in the sound systems of English and Slovene. Most notably. convergence can be observed in regressive place-ofarticulation assimilation (e.g. assimilalion of alveolar consonctnts) and elision of consonant s (in consonantal c/us te rs). while the main differences occur in voice assimilation of obstruents and elision \veakening of vowels. The main aim of the studv is to point out the necessity of a contrastive approach both in view of understanding certain general tendencies, characteristic of connected speech across dijferent languages, as vvell as in \>iew of enabling non-native students' comprehension and acquisition of the processes of elision and assimilation in English by establishing links mlh their mother tongue.

Keywords

assimilation (phonetics); elision; English language; Slovene language

Hrčak ID:

174188

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/174188

Publication date:

1.3.1999.

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