Levelling or Smothing
Levelling or Smothing
It's a phonological process produced in rapid coloquial speech and due to economy of effort. This process takes place at word boundary, mopheme boundary or within the same syllable when front and back diphthons are followed by a schwa /ə/(1). These diphthongs are levelled because the second vocallic element (/ɪ/ or /ʊ/) is elided(2) and to compensate the loss the first vocallic element is lengthened(3). 2 syllables are reduced to only one. This is a form of reduction or compression.
(1)[faɪə]
▼
(2)[faɪə] [faə]
▼
(3)[fɑ:ə]
These are the 5 cases in which this process can take place:
/aɪ/+ /ə/ = [ɑ:ə]
/eɪ/+ /ə/ = [e:ə]
/ɔɪ/+ /ə/ = [ɔ:ə]
/əʊ/+ /ə/ = [ɜ:ə]
/aʊ/+ /ə/ = [ɑ:ə]
Let's see the cases one by one
[ɑ:ə] ( /aɪ/+ /ə/)
whitin the same syllable
layer [lɑ:ə]
fire [fɑ:ə]
diet [dɑ:ə]
wire [lɑ:ə]
society [səsɑ:əti]
tyre [tɑ:ə]
shire [ɑ:ə]
at morpheme boundary
buyer [bɑ:ə]
drier [drɑ:ə]
liar [lɑ:ə]
higher [hɑ:ə]
at word boundary
buy another [bɑ: ənʌθə]
dry again [drɑ: əgen]
high and low [hɑ: ən ləʊ]
[e:ə]
whitin the same syllable
mayor [me:ə]
layer [le:ə]
at morpheme boundary
greyer [gre:ə]
conveyor [kənve:ə]
payer [pe:ə]
player [ple:ə]
prayer [pre:ə]
at word boundary
whitin the same syllable
flour/flower [flɑ:ə]
sour [sɑ:ə]
shower [dɑ:ə]
tower [tɑ:ə]
at morpheme boundary
nowadays [nɑ:ədeɪz]
at word boundary
now and then [nɑ: ən ðen]
how about [hɑ: əbaʊt]
(1)[faɪə]
▼
(2)[fa
▼
(3)[fɑ:ə]
These are the 5 cases in which this process can take place:
/aɪ/+ /ə/ = [ɑ:ə]
/eɪ/+ /ə/ = [e:ə]
/ɔɪ/+ /ə/ = [ɔ:ə]
/əʊ/+ /ə/ = [ɜ:ə]
/aʊ/+ /ə/ = [ɑ:ə]
[ɑ:ə] ( /aɪ/+ /ə/)
whitin the same syllable
layer [lɑ:ə]
fire [fɑ:ə]
diet [dɑ:ə]
wire [lɑ:ə]
society [səsɑ:əti]
tyre [tɑ:ə]
shire [ɑ:ə]
at morpheme boundary
buyer [bɑ:ə]
drier [drɑ:ə]
liar [lɑ:ə]
higher [hɑ:ə]
at word boundary
buy another [bɑ: ənʌθə]
dry again [drɑ: əgen]
high and low [hɑ: ən ləʊ]
[e:ə]
whitin the same syllable
mayor [me:ə]
layer [le:ə]
at morpheme boundary
greyer [gre:ə]
conveyor [kənve:ə]
payer [pe:ə]
player [ple:ə]
prayer [pre:ə]
at word boundary
may arrive [me:ə raɪv]
they are [ðe:ə]
way around [we: əraʊnd}
[ɔ:ə]
whitin the same syllable
royal [rɔ:əl]
loyal [lɔ:əl]
lawyer [lɔ:ə]
within the same syllable
employer [ɪmplɔ:ə]
enjoyable [ɪndʒɔ:əbl]
joyous [dʒɔ:əs]
at word boundary
boy and girl [bɔ: ən gɜ:l]
employ a person [ɪmplɔ: ə pɜ:sn]
destroy another [dɪstrɔ: ənʌθə]
enjoy a good time [ɪndʒɔ: ə gʊd taɪm]
[ɜ:ə]
whithin the same syllable
Noah [nɜ:ə]
at morpheme boundary
grower [grɜ:ə]
lower [lɜ:ə]
rower [rɜ:ə]
at word boundary
[ɑ:ə] ( /aʊ/+ /ə/)they are [ðe:ə]
way around [we: əraʊnd}
[ɔ:ə]
whitin the same syllable
royal [rɔ:əl]
loyal [lɔ:əl]
lawyer [lɔ:ə]
within the same syllable
employer [ɪmplɔ:ə]
enjoyable [ɪndʒɔ:əbl]
joyous [dʒɔ:əs]
at word boundary
boy and girl [bɔ: ən gɜ:l]
employ a person [ɪmplɔ: ə pɜ:sn]
destroy another [dɪstrɔ: ənʌθə]
enjoy a good time [ɪndʒɔ: ə gʊd taɪm]
[ɜ:ə]
whithin the same syllable
Noah [nɜ:ə]
at morpheme boundary
mower [mɜ:ə]
slower [slɜ:ə]grower [grɜ:ə]
lower [lɜ:ə]
rower [rɜ:ə]
know about [nɜ: əaʊt]
borrow another [bɒrɜ: ənʌθə]
go away [gɜ: əweɪ]whitin the same syllable
flour/flower [flɑ:ə]
sour [sɑ:ə]
shower [dɑ:ə]
tower [tɑ:ə]
at morpheme boundary
nowadays [nɑ:ədeɪz]
at word boundary
now and then [nɑ: ən ðen]
how about [hɑ: əbaʊt]
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