Linking sounds in English language

Linking sounds

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A consonant sound at the end of a word is linked smoothly to a vowel sound at the beginning of the next:

When a word ending with a consonant sound is followed by a word beginning with another consonant sound there is no break between them, although the first consonant sound may change its pronunciation a little to make it easier to move to the next consonant sound:

Notice also that when a word ending with one of the consonants /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, is followed by a word beginning with a different one of these (or /m/ or /n/), no air is released at the end of the first consonant and there is a smooth change to the second:

When a word ending with a consonant sound is followed by a word beginning with the same consonant sound, one lengthened consonant sound is made:

A vowel sound at the end of a word is linked to a vowel sound at the beginning of the next by an inserted /w/ or /j/ ( 'y') sound:

The choice of either /w/ or /j/ depends on the vowel sound that ends the first word. If the vowel is produced with the highest part of the tongue close to the front of the mouth (/i:/, /ei/, /ai/, /oi/) then the linking sound will be /j/. If the vowel is produced with the highest part of the tongue close to the back of the mouth (/u:/, /au/, /uə/) then the linking sound will be /w/.

Words ending with the letters -r or -re have a final vowel sound: e.g. car /ka:/, more /mo:/, fir /f3:/, pure /pjʊə/. When a word like this is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, a /r/ sound is inserted: