Stress and vowel reduction in English#Weak and strong forms of words

Schwachtonform (English weak form) and Starktonform (English strong form) are terms of phonology.

The so-called "stress -timed " languages ​​( " Akzentzählende languages ​​" ), such as the German, Dutch, Danish and English, there are regular for Klitisierung, that is a phonetic weakening, with a weakly stressed or unstressed word the previous word ( enclisis ) or to the subsequent word inspired ( Proklise ).

Thus, in the phrase " you come from? " [ Kɔmsd̥u ] in German, also in a sophisticated vernacular, the auslautende [t ] of " come " and the word-initial [ d] of "you" merged into a voiceless alveolar plosive. In addition, the syllable "du" is weakened quantitatively, but the original quality of the vowel ( "u" ) is maintained. In normal everyday language, the attenuation goes so far that the vowel is weakened to a schwa or omitted entirely ( kommste? [ Kɔmstə ] come '? ). There is thus both a quantitative and qualitative weakening. An example is the following phonological phrase: " Samma Mamma sommakomm " on font size Default German: "Hey Mom, it is time to come ". Similarly, the completely usual colloquial phrase " Sommamagehn? " = " Shall we go again?".

German dialects

All the more so as the German language are the high German dialects " more perfect " akzentzählende languages. Klitisierung nachtoniger function words is why there the rule:

• Bavarian: wiss mà (we know), give màs ( give me it ), scho Habs (I have it already )
• Kölsch: isch Hannet schonn (I have it already )
• Palatine: habbschunn ish (I have it already ) kummo, hää (come forth once ), GeBBS number ( give it to me )
• Missingsch: what ' this? ( what 's this?), wiss ma? ( do you want again? )

Small sound and Starktonformen in English

Among the languages ​​with the most pronounced system of Schwachtonformen and Starktonformen heard English. The appropriate use of Schwachtonformen is characteristic of a natural-sounding English. Rule violations often reveal the English-speaking foreigners.

Pronounced Schwachtonformen, ie word forms that are attenuated in both quantitative and qualitative, are in the English language does not mark a distinctive vernacular, but in contrast to the Germans also a typical feature of the neat vernacular. Thus, the strong forms of function words ( articles, prepositions, pronouns and auxiliary verbs) are used in the English language only emphatic or rhythmic reasons.

In the British Received Pronunciation following words have the following Stark and Schwachtonformen:

• Phonology