1、Contractions 缩读美语节奏分明，轻重分明，这说到底就是该重读的时候重读，该弱读的时候弱读，千万不能把时间平均分配个句子中的每一个词。美语中不仅会把该弱读的词弱读，甚至有时候会省略某些音，使说话和朗读更加自然流畅，这种现象称作缩读。不过要提出一点，缩读和吞音决不能等同。有的人在说英语的时候随意会吞掉一些音不发出来，导致别人根本不知道他在说什么。缩读是英美人习惯的发音方式，字有一套规则约束，决不能任意而为，所以丝毫不会影响理解也不会引起误解。注意：缩读往往被受过教育的美国人视作不规范的英语，所以正式场合不能用缩读。但是在日常生活中，这些缩读又在大量应用，所以我们不得不有所了解。以下列出
2、的是常用缩读，希望大家细心体会其中的演变过程，会有助于全面理解英语发音的特点。美语缩读的具体情况请参看下表。Standard标准形式Contraction 缩读形式Examples 例句 Note 补充说明and n You n me. I want some creamn sugar.are re Theyre gone.ya What ya doing here?are you如果 are you 后面没有其他词语的时候不能缩读 How are you 成 How ya?because cause I dont eat chocolate cause I have bad teeth.co
3、uld have coulda You coulda finished iit if he had hurried upshould have shoulka could not have couldna He couldna done that to meshould not have shouldnawould not have wouldnacan cn I cn always make it.Cant 不能缩读come cm Cm on! 如果 come 处于句尾，则不能缩读didja How didja make it?did you如果 did you 后面是以 e 或 a 开头的
4、单词，则缩读成dj ?，并直接与后面的元音连读。Did you ask her?=dj ask her?do you dya How dya feel now? Howdya like the movie?does she dushi Dushi like music?dont know dunno I dunno what to say now. 如果 dont know 后面没有其他词，则一般不缩读。for fer Heres a letter fer you.give me gimme Gimme that bottle!going to gonna I am gonna give hi
5、m a surprise.gonna 的用法是：be gonna do sth.got to gotta I gotta see him right now. gotta do sth.good-bye gbye Ill talk to ya tomorrow. Gbye!good night gnighthad better better He better watch his mouth.have to hafta I hafta hurry to office right now.has to hastahad to haddahe eI Who ise? 如果 he 处于句首，则不用缩
6、读。he/she has heas He as a house at the beach.her er This is er husband.him imIm Tell im the story.his isIs Whats is favorite food? his 处于句首，则不用缩读how does howshauz Hows he like the present？in front of in fronna He church is in fronna of the drugstore.Kind of kinda Its kinda tough.-ing -in In Where ya
7、 goin? What ya doin now?is that izat Izat your wife?leave me leeme Leeme alone!let me lemme Lemme have a look at it!old ol Its an ol table.or r Do you like ice creamr candy?of a o Its kinda tough.out of outta Get outta here! 注意这里的 t 浊化，发音为 ouddaprobably probly Hell probly come for dinner.some sm Wan
8、t sm food?sure sher Sher, I want some bread. 还有惯用表达法 For sure!发成 For sher!them m/ em I hatem.to ta You better go to the doctor. 注意此时 t 应浊化，发成 da.want to wanna I wanna go outside to get some fresh air.wanna 的用法是： wanna do sth.what wud Wud if we went outside for a walk?what are you wachya/wacha wachya
9、/wacha doin now wachya/wacha 不用在词尾what did you wudidya wudiya wudja Wudidya learn today?what do you wuddya Wuddya do for a living?what does whats Whats he do for a living?what is the whats a Whats a matter?you ya y Catch ya later. Would ya like something to drink?Did yever meet him before? y用在元音之前，例
10、如 yever 发成Weak Forms 弱读在英语中，与句重音相对应的出现的是非重读音节，它们一起构成了句子的高低起伏，强弱交替的节奏模式，形成具有表意功能的连贯句子。这些非重读音节体现在单个单词中就是常说的某些单音节的弱读或非重读（unstressed syllable） 。英语是节奏感很强的语言，要掌握好英语节奏，首先要熟悉强读式(strong forms)和弱读式 (weak forms)，它对语言连贯、流畅性起着重要的作用。一、强读和弱读强读和弱读实际就是重读和弱读，一句话中至少有一个重要的音节要重读，其他音节相应弱读。重读音节从音高和音强上应该 big, strong, impor
11、tant loudly,非重读音节（弱读）就应该是 weak or small or quiet。强读和弱读通过一定形式在句子中体现，英语中有接近五十多个单音节词有两种读音形式：弱读形式和强读形式。在连贯的语言中弱读形式的使用比强读形式更多，更重要。重读或强读形式其实是单个单词发音的基本形式，即音标中的读音形式，而弱读形式从音质上和强读形式比较起来短而轻；在前面学习中，我们知道短元音/和/i/常出现在非重读音节中，因此多数弱读形式体现也以/或/i/体现。二、弱读形式从上一单元可以知道，在英语句子中，实词一般要重读虚词弱读，其中有弱读形式的单音节词根据不同类别可以分为以下几种：冠词、人称代词、b
12、e 动词、助动词、情态动词、单音节介词、单音节、连词以及其他特殊词。其弱读形式见表从表 8-1 中，我们对五十多个单音节词的弱读形式进行归纳，得出三个规律：1) 弱读形式以/ /为主,大部分的弱读形式都和 /有关，极少部分与/i/和/u/有关,如 a /, some /sm/; who /hu,u/ my /mi/。2） 如果单词是发长音，其弱读形式一般变成相应短音，如：be /bi/been /bin/her /h/等。3） 在语流很快时或者可以缩略的单词中，常常只出现辅音，如 will/l/is /z,s/am /m/等。弱读形式单词Weak forms and Examplea / a
13、book, in a minute, an /n,n/ an hour, in an hour,Article 冠词the /辅音前 ,/i/元音前 the book, the appleam /m/m/ What am I to do? is /z,s/ Hes at home.are /,/r/元音前 What are you doing?be /bi/ Dont be late.been /bin/ Youve been a long time.was /wz/ He was a rich man.Be 动词were /w/ What were you doing?have /hv,v,
14、v/ Have you been to Shanghai?助动词has /hz,z,z,s/ The bus has gone.had /hd,d,d/ The room had been reserved.do /du,d,d/ What do you want?does /dz,z,s/ How does it work? will /l/ Ill do it. would /wd,d,d / What would you like?should /d,d / What should I say? could /kd,kd / I wish I could do something for
15、 you.must /mst/ He must go now.can /kn,kn/ What can I do to make up you? 情态动词shall /l,l/ I shall wait for you.that /t,t/ This is the best that I can do.as /z/ as long as, do as I do but /bt/ Its old but useful.and /nd,nd,n,n / you and me, a cat and a dogthan /n,n/ Its more than I want.短小连词such /st/
16、I never heard of such thing.at /t/ at six, at schoolof /v,v,/ a lot of money, one of the bookoff /f/ take off to /t,u/ Do you want to go? Id love to.for /f/ Is this for you? for a long time短小介词from /frm/ She just come back from Italy.he /hi,i/ What did he say? He told me a story.人称代词him /im/ I write
17、 him a letter.his /iz/she /i/ What did she say? Shes fine her /h,/ I gave her the book.me /mi/ You make me happy.us /s/ They told us to go.you /ju/ Whatre you doing? How do you do?your /j/,/jr/(元音前 ) them /m/,/m/,/m/ If I saw them,Ill tell them that.we /wi/ Wed like a drink. who /hu/, /u/ Who are yo
18、u?my /mi/ Do you know my brother?some /sm/ Would like some drink?not /nt,n/ I havent finish it. there /,/r/(元音前 ) There is a book.or / two or threeso /s/ Thank you so much.其他词many /mni/ How many?有了这三个规律,对这些单音节词的弱读形式可以运用正确读音,连贯句子;但同时还需注意几个问题:1） he, her,his, have,has, had 不带/h/的弱读形式不用在句首；2） has,does,i
19、s 弱读形式/s/用在清辅音的后面,/z/放在浊辅音或元音的后面,如: its: /its/;3） the 在元音前和在辅音前的读音不一样；4） there are your,只有在后面有元音时才有/r/,在下一单元连读要涉及；5） 有些弱读形式较常用,有些不常用,只有在较快的口语中使用 ,如: my /mi/ or / so /s/ such /st/。6） 尽管以上助动词、情态动词、介词有弱读形式，但当他们位于句末时不用弱读形式，例如：-Are you a student？ -Yes I am What are you working for？What are you fighting for？Where are you from？7）对于中元音/发音特点要牢固掌握，即轻而弱，自然而放松。
