Linking in English

Linking in English

When we say a sentence in English, we join or "link" words to each other. Because of this linking, the words in a sentence do not always sound the same as when we say them individually. Linking is very important in English. If you recognize and use linking, two things will happen:

1. you will understand other people more easily

2. other people will understand you more easily

There are basically two types of linking:

• consonant > vowel

We link words ending with a consonant sound to words beginning with a vowel sound

• vowel > vowel

We link words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel sound

In this lesson we look at:

• Understanding Vowels and Consonants

• Linking Consonant to Vowel

• Linking Vowel to Vowel

Understanding Vowels & Consonants for Linking

To understand linking, it is important to know the difference between vowel sounds and consonant sounds. Here is a table of English vowels and consonants:

vowels a e i o u

consonants b c d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v w x y z

The table shows the letters that are vowels and consonants. But the important thing in linking is the sound, not the letter. Often the letter and the sound are the same, but not always.

For example, the word "pay" ends with:

• the consonant letter "y"

• the vowel sound "a"

Here are some more examples:

though know

ends with the letter h w

ends with the sound o o



uniform honest

begins with the letter u h

begins with the sound y o



Linking Consonant to Vowel

When a word ends in a consonant sound, we often move the consonant sound to the beginning of the next word if it starts with a vowel sound.

For example, in the phrase "turn off":

We write it like this: turn off

We say it like this: tur noff

Remember that it's the sound that matters. In the next example, "have" ends with:

• the letter "e" (vowel)

• the sound "v" (consonant)

So we link "have" to the next word "a" which begins with a vowel sound:

We write it like this: Can I have a bit of egg?

We say it like this: Ca-nI-ha-va-bi-to-fegg?



Linking Vowel to Vowel

When one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound, we link the words with a sort of W or Y sound.

If our lips are round at the end of the first word, we insert a W sound:

oo




o

We write it like this: too often who is so I do all

We say it like this: tooWoften whoWis soWI doWall





If our lips are wide at the end of the first word, we insert a Y sound:

oo




--

We write it like this: Kay is I am the end she asked

We say it like this: KayYis IYam theYend sheYasked







To really understand linking you might like to try a pronunciation program like Pronunciation Power which comes on CD-rom and is available for all levels.



English Phonetic Spelling

When speaking on the telephone, it is sometimes useful to spell a word using English Phonetic Spelling. To spell "Club", for example, you would say: "C for Charlie, L for Lima, U for Uniform, B for Bravo."

It is very easy to learn English Phonetic Spelling. Start by spelling your name, then your company or address. Soon, you will know the whole alphabet. It also helps to remember that there are several groups of words that go together:

• Dances: Foxtrot, Tango

• Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet

• Men's first names: Charlie, Mike, Oscar, Victor

• Cities: Lima, Quebec

A Alpha

B Bravo

C Charlie

D Delta

E Echo

F Foxtrot

G Golf

H Hotel

I India

J Juliet

K Kilo

L Lima

M Mike

N November

O Oscar

P Papa

Q Quebec

R Romeo

S Sierra

T Tango

U Uniform

V Victor

W Whisky

X X-ray

Y Yankee

Z Zulu



According to the International Phonetic Association, the above list is sometimes wrongly called the "International Phonetic Alphabet".