Contraction
We can see elision clearly in contracted forms (e.g., I’ll, she’s, he’d). Vowels or consonants, or both, can be elided in contraction. Contractions are a necessary ingredient for rhythm and clarity since by reducing them, we can emphasize content words. If we do not use a contraction when expected, we are signaling something different. For example, the following two sentences convey different meaning:
He’s finished his homework.
He has finished his homework.
“He’s finished his homework” states a fact, but “He has finished his homework” signals something like a surprise or an emphasis. So we should use a contracted form when expected.
Pronunciation of contracted words
Contracted words sound different from what we expect, so we need to know how they sound. These are common contractions and their sounds:
I'm rhymes with dime.
you're sounds the same as your/yore.
he's and she’s (is, has) rhyme with bees.
it's (is, has) sounds the same as its.
we're rhymes with beer.
they're sounds the same as their/there.
I've rhymes with five
you've rhymes with move
here's (is, has) sounds the same as hears
there's (is, has) sounds the same as theirs
who’s sounds the same as whose
why’re (why are) sounds the same as wire
why’d (why did, why had) sounds the same as wide
how've you (how have you) sounds like "how view "
we've sounds the same as weave
they've rhymes with dave
I'd (had, would) sounds the same as eyed
you'd (had, would) rhymes with renewed
he'd (had, would) sounds the same as heed
she'd rhymes with he'd
we'd sounds the same as weed
they'd rhymes with paid
I'll sounds the same as aisle/isle
you'll sounds the same as yule
he'll sounds the same as heel/heal
she'll rhymes with he'll
we'll sounds the same as wheel
might have sounds like might of
Negative contractions
Contractions allow us to de-emphasize expected use of function words so that we can emphasize important words. Clearly, negation words are important as they change meaning entirely. So contractions with negative words are pronounced clearly, while affirmative contractions are reduced. That is, while affirmative contractions are said quickly, quietly, at a low pitch with a schwa vowel sound, the negative contractions are stressed with clearly articulated vowel sounds. For example, compare the following sounds:
She’s happy vs She isn’t happy
He’ll do it vs He won’t do it
We’re going vs We aren’t going
She’ll go vs She won’t go
She would talk vs She wouldn’t talk
We can go vs We can’t go
She could hear you vs She couldn’t hear you
You should eat that vs You shouldn’t eat that
You should’ve done that vs You shouldn't have done that (/sʊdənəv/).
You would have told him vs You wouldn't have told him (/wʊdənəv/)
I’ve had a drink vs I haven't had a drink
Inferring elided sounds
As we can see, many of the contracted forms sound the same: e.g., she’s, he’d. We can infer which is said through our knowledge of the grammar structure of the sentence.
She’s coming. (she is)
She’s gone. (she has)
He'd go if he could. (he would)
She said he'd gone. (he had)
How'd he do it? (how did, how would)
How’d he done it? (how had)
This inference method to find an omitted sound does not work in certain situations, like “won't’’ and “want to,” or “can” and “can’t,” since in these similar sounding pairs, the verb root form is used for both. “Won’t” is a contraction of “will not.” “Won’t’” and “want” are pronounced differently due to their vowel sounds. “Won’t” is pronounced /woʊnt/, but “want” is pronounced /wɑnt/. So, “won’t” has a longer vowel than “want.”
CAN vs CAN’T
The /t/ in the ‘nt’ cluster can be elided (cf., see the elision in consonant clusters in the following section). When ‘t’ is dropped, “can” and “can’t” can sound the same. There are enough differences, though, to tell whether the speaker said “can” or “can’t.” First, "can" in its normal use is a weak form, so its vowel is reduced to a schwa. By contrast, “can’t” is a full strong sound, so its vowel is long and clearly articulated. In other words, “can” is /kən/, but “can’t” is /kæn/. Secondly, there is no break between “can” and the following verb, but there is a break with “can’t” since /t/ is held. Listen to these paired examples:
I can (/kən/) do that vs I can’t (/kæn/) do that.
She says he can (/kən/) come vs She says he can’t (/kæn/) come.
But, if “can” is used for emphasis, it retains the full vowel sound. So the “can” with emphasis can sound the same as “can’t.”
I’ll appreciate it if you CAN (/kæn/) help vs I can’t (/kæn/) help you.
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