[THE APPRENTICE]

Dear teachers and members:


In american English (AmE), in some multisyllable words the /h/ phoneme is silent or elided when it is isolated or in a conversation, but I am not quite sure if this also happens in british English (BrE) too. The following is my exposition about it.

1º) IN ISOLATED WORDS:

Vehicule /ˈviɪkəl/; 2) Durham /ˈdɜrəm/; 3) Pelham /ˈpɛləm/; 4) Fordham /ˈfɔrəm/

2º) IN COVERSATION:

a) I worked hard /aɪ wɜrkthɑrd/; tends to elide the /h/, sounding as: /aɪ ˈwɜrktɑrd/

b) He boke his arm / hiˈbroʊkhɪzɑrm / tends to elide the /h/ sounding as: / hiˈbroʊkɪzɑrm /

3º) I also found that the object pronouns HIM HER , YOU, US and THEM are reduced to Schwa in coversation when they are not at the end of a sentence, eliding the /h/ phoneme in most of the times, for examples:

d) Tell him to come / ˈtɛlhəmtəˌkʌm / tends to elide the /h/ sounding as: / ˈtɛləmtəˌkʌm /

e) I told you to give her the book / aɪˈtəʊldʒjətəˌɡɪvhərðəˈbʊk / tends to elide the /h/ sounding as: / aɪˈtəʊldʒjətəˌɡɪvərðəˈbʊk /

4°) When HAVE is preceded by the modal verbs WOULD, COULD, SHOULD, MUST and MIGHT, HAVE it is reduced to Schwa eliding the /h/ phoneme and the /d/ phoneme of the preceding modal verb becomes flap or tap /d/. As mentioned above, this happens if HAVE is not at the end of a sentence, for examples:

a) Anything would have been better / ˈɛnɪˌθɪŋˈwʊrəvbɪnˌbɛtər/

b) He could have done much more / hiˈkʊrəvˌdʌnmʌtʃˈmɔr/

c) It should have been you /ɪtˈʃʊrəvbɪnˈju/

d) it must have been love / ɪtˈmʌsəvbɪnˌlʌv / sometimes / ɪtˈmʌstəvbɪnˌlʌv /

e) I might have been an architec / aɪˈmaɪrəvbɪnənˈɑrkɪˌtɛkt/


QUESTIONS :

1) I have noticed that the word that precedes him, her, them, us. you and have it is always stressed, does this have to do anything with it?

f) I know her brother / aɪˌnəʊhərˈbrʌðər / tends to elide the /h/ sounding as: / aɪˌnəʊərˈbrʌðər /

2) Does this occur when the word that precedes him, her, his or have ends with a vowel sound?, as in:

g) I know her brother / aɪ ˌnəʊ hər ˈbrʌðər /

3) Do the modal verbs change into Schwa in the aforementioned sentences?, as would does in the phonetic transcription:

Anything would have been better / ˈɛnɪˌθɪŋ wəd həv bɪn ˈbɛtər/

4) Do I put the primary and secondary stress properly in the phonetic transcriptions I made?

5) Must the phonetic transcription of the sentence '' I told you to give her the book '' be put into two thought groups?, as follows:

/ aɪˈtəʊldʒju/ / təˌɡɪvərðəˈbʊk /

6) I think when the /v phoneme in have is before a consonant it is not supposed to be transcribed it, it seems to me that it loses its sound, doesn't it?

7) Does the possesive adjective HIS, HER YOUR and THEIR takes the Schwa sound in conversation as well as elides the /h/ phoneme?

i) Is this his house? / ɪzˈðɪshəzˌhaʊs? / tends to elide the /h/ sounding as: / ɪzˈðɪsəzˌhaʊs? /

OBSEVATIONS :


Pronunciation note in the word VEHICLE.

Because the primary stress in vehicle is on the first syllable, the /h/ on the second syllable tends to desapear /ˈviːɪkəl/. A pronunciation with the primary stress on the second syllable and a fully pronounced /h/ is usually considered nonstandard / vɪˈhɪkjʊlər/. In the adjective vehicular, where the primary stress is normal on the second syllable, the /h/ is always pronounced.


I will deeply appreciate your opinion and assistance in this matter


Yours truly.