The Strategies that I Use to Improve My English Pronunciation and Accent (Part 2)

 Check Part 1 Here: The Strategies that I Use to Improve My English Pronunciation and Accent (Part 1 )

Part 2  Learn some Phonological Rules or Put Simply,  Sound Rules

Remember our Rule: One Step at a time so that you don't get overwhelmed!

Here is a sample video of this topic:

For this part, let me give you an overview of the rules that we are going to learn. We are going to practice the following phonological processes: assimilation, dissimilation, insertion, deletion, and metathesis.

Remember: One Step at a Time.

For our first step: 

Let's do assimilation first or put simply: Imitation of the nearest or adjacent sounds 

It also has many kinds.

Let's start first with progressive assimilation or preservative assimilation. 

It occurs when the preceding sound affects the sound next to it.

Example: 

Laver (1994, p.383 as cited in Dawood and Atawneh, 2015) provided an example of progressive assimilation of "is" and "has" in the following sentences:

What is the time? - /wɑːt ɪz ðə taɪm/ -> /wɑːt s ðə taɪm/

The shop is open.  - /ðə ʃɑːp ɪz ˈoʊ.pən/ -> /ðə ʃɑːp s ˈoʊ.pən/

Jack has been here. /dʒæk hæz bɪn hɪr/ -> /dʒæk s bɪn hɪr/

What has he done? /wɑːt hæz hiːdʌn/ -> /wɑːt s hiːdʌn/

Dawood and Atawneh also provided examples of progressive assimilation on words such as the example in  CelceMurcia et al, 1996, p.160.

They explained that in the "s" plural ending of the word bags, the voiced consonant "g" influenced the "s" ending sound making it a voiced sound "z."

Getting confused? That's because you have to learn first which sounds are voiced and voiceless.

Here is a tip: 

When you produce the voiced sound, your vocal cords vibrate. For example, when you say "b," you can feel the vibration on your throat. Right?

That's the opposite of the voiceless sound. When you produced the voiceless sound, your vocal cords do not vibrate. 

Here is another tip: All vowel sounds are voiced. 

Only the following sounds are voiceless: /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /sh orʃ/, /ch or tʃ/, and /th or θ/

The rest are voiced: /b/, /d/, /g/, /j/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ng/, /r/, /sz or dʒ/, /th or ð/, /v/, /w/, /y/ and /z/. 

For example:

1. In cats, the s- plural ending or inflection is voiceless since "t" is voiceless, so it is /kæts/

2. In boys, the s- plural ending or inflection is voiced since "y" is voiced, so it is /bɔɪz/

Reference: 

Dawood, H.S.A. and Atawneh, A. (2015).Assimilation of Consonants in English and Assimilation of the Definite Article in Arabic. American Research Journal of English and Literature. Retrieved from https://www.arjonline.org/papers/arjel/v1-i4/3.pdf.