Thursday, March 14, 2013

Teaching Reductions: Why We "Gotta" and Why We "Hafta"

American English is really two different languages. There's the formal, grammatically correct English that we read and write, and there's the slurred and informal English we speak. 

In conversation, native speakers tend to relax their pronunciation so much that oftentimes phrases end up sounding much differently than how they are written.

For example, consider the phrase "going to," for the future tense, as in "I'm going to buy a new car." More often we pronounce "going to" as "gonna." The relaxed enunciation is easier to produce mechanically and is more efficient. 


Such relaxed pronunciations are called reductions. Reductions can be quite confusing for English language learners to understand. The English they read and the English they hear can seem completely unrelated.

Essentially, reductions occur when phrases of two or more words (or single words of two or more syllables) are slurred when spoken. 


The result is a shortened word or phrase that's more mechanically efficient to create.



Reductions are different, however, from contractions such as don't or can't, because contractions have a standard, accepted written form. In contrast, reductions are markedly informal, vary by dialect, and are used primarily in speech rather than in writing.

As native speakers, we use them in our everyday speech without realizing it. 


Here are some common reductions in American English: 


Going to is pronounced GONNA when it is used to show the future. But it is never reduced when it means going from one place to another. 

We're going to grab a bite to eat. = We're gonna grab a bite to eat.

I'm going to the office tonight. = I'm going to the office tonight.   

Want to and want a are both pronounced WANNA and wants to is pronounced WANSTA. Do you want to can also be reduced to WANNA.


I want to go for a spin. = I wanna go for a spin.

Do you want a piece of cake? = Wanna piece of cake?
He wants to avoid rush hour. = He wansta avoid rush hour.

Have to is pronounced HAFTA and has to is pronounced HASTA.



Sorry, I have to leave now. = Sorry, I hafta leave now.

She has to go to work soon. = She hasta go to work soon.

Have reduces to AV or A in positive and negative phrases.


must have = must'av / must'a
 must not have = mustn'av / mustn'a 
would have = would'av / would'a
would not have = wouldn'av / wouldn'a 
could have = could'av / could'a
 could not have = couldn'av / couldn'a 
should have = should'av / should'a
 should not have = shouldn'av / shouldn'a

You is almost always pronounced YA, you're and your are pronounced YER, and yours is pronounced YERS.


Do you feel under the weather? = Do ya feel under the weather?

You're completely right. = Yer completely right.
Your brother will be fine. = Yer brother will be fine.
Is this book yours? = Is this book yers?

To is pronounced TA after voiceless sounds and DA after voiced sounds.


She wants to invite us to the party. = She wants ta invite us ta the party.

I need to go to bed now. = I need da go da bed now.

And and in both reduce to N.

Karen and Steve are coming to visit. = Karen 'n Steve are coming to visit.
Tim is in Paris this week. = Tom is 'n Paris this week. 

It would: when contracted, it's pronounced iduhd, but this often collapses to ihd


did you =  didja

did you / do you =  d'ya
don't you =  doncha
got you =  gotcha
get you / get your =  getcha
would you =  wouldja
aboutbout
give me = gimme
let melemme
want awanna
what have youwhatcha 
you all = y’all


The above list is by no means exhaustive; there are many more reductions out there!

But how many of these do you say regularly? I'm willing to bet you use all of them. So if ya wanna teach yer students bout how we really speak, ya gotta make sure ta introduce 'em to reductions!

Reductions are an inherent part of our speech, and helping your students practice both comprehending and pronouncing common reductions in American English will not only help them understand what is being said all around them but will likely allow them to come closer to speaking like a native English speaker.

For more on common reductions in English download these helpful worksheets from IElanguages: Common Reduced Forms, Slangman Review

Or check out this video from RachelsEnglish: Reduction and Linking in American English

All the best,
Catherine

Catherine Sigmond 
Project Assistant, English at Large 
MA Candidate, Tufts University, Department of Education  


ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
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