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Linking, Assimilation and Elision
Description
Class Description:
This lesson introduces students to key aspects of connected speech, helping them understand and produce natural, fluent English. Students will explore linking, assimilation, and elision to improve listening comprehension and spoken clarity. Through guided drills, listening tasks, and communicative practice, learners will practice hearing and producing connected speech in everyday contexts.
Lesson Aim:
Enable students to recognize and produce common connected-speech patterns, improving intelligibility and fluency in spoken English.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
• Identify linking, assimilation, and elision in spoken English.
• Produce sentences with natural linking between words.
• Apply assimilation patterns (e.g., /n/ → /m/ before /p, b/).
• Use elision where sounds are dropped for ease (e.g., /t/ in next day).
• Read, record, and perform short connected-speech passages with improved naturalness.
Materials:
• Audio recordings of natural speech (podcasts, dialogues, or teacher recordings)
• Handouts with connected-speech transcriptions (careful vs casual)
• Cards or slides for guided practice (example sentences, minimal-pair-style contrasts)
• Recording device or smartphone for students to practice and submit
• Whiteboard or screen for explanations and timelines
Class Activities:
1. Lead-in / Warm-up
• Play two short versions of the same phrase: careful speech vs casual, connected speech (e.g., "He has to go" vs "He hafta go").
• Students listen and note differences.
• Quick discussion: "Which version sounds more natural in conversation?"
2. Explanation / Mini-Lesson
Key concepts:
• Linking: Joining final consonant of one word to the initial vowel or consonant of the next.
• Example: go on → /gəʊwɒn/
• Assimilation: A sound becomes more like a neighboring sound.
• Example: green park → /griːm pɑːk/ (n → m before p)
• Elision: Deletion of sounds to make speech easier or faster.
• Example: next day → /neks deɪ/ (t dropped)
• Use IPA and simple orthography to illustrate changes.
• Discuss why these occur: speed, ease, natural rhythm.
3. Listening Discrimination
• Play short dialogues or sentences at natural speed.
• Students mark where linking, assimilation, or elision occurs.
• Compare with transcripts showing careful and casual speech.
• Discuss differences and clarify pronunciation patterns.
4. Controlled Practice
Choral and Individual Drills:
• Students repeat sentences modeled by the teacher, first exaggerating patterns, then producing them naturally.
• Examples:
• Linking: turn off the light → /tɜːrn ɒf ðə laɪt/
• Assimilation: good boy → /ɡʊb bɔɪ/
• Elision: next please → /neks pliːz/
Pair Work:
• Students take short dialogues and read them aloud, marking linked and reduced forms.
• Partners provide feedback on clarity and naturalness.
5. Production / Communicative Practice
• Students create short role-plays (ordering at a café, giving directions, telling a story).
• Focus on incorporating linking, assimilation, and elision naturally.
• Teacher circulates, noting patterns, giving micro-feedback on pronunciation, rhythm, and fluency.
6. Awareness-Building Exercise
• Students highlight connected-speech patterns in a short paragraph transcript.
• Practice reading the paragraph aloud, first slowly, then at a natural pace.
• Encourage self-monitoring: "Which sounds change when I speak naturally?"
7. Reflection / Feedback
• Teacher models 1-2 exemplary readings from students, highlighting strengths and one or two areas for improvement.
• Discuss challenges and strategies for continued practice.
Homework / Continued Practice:
• Record a 60-90 second dialogue, monologue, or reading passage focusing on linking, assimilation, and elision.
• Listen to a short clip of natural speech (podcast, news, or dialogue), note connected-speech features, and write a paragraph describing 2-3 examples and their effects on intelligibility.
• Optional: Repeat sentences daily for 5-10 minutes focusing on smooth, natural speech.
Teacher Notes / Differentiation:
• Lower-level learners: Focus on linking and simple elisions; use visual aids and slow speech.
• Higher-level learners: Introduce assimilation in clusters, weak forms, and more challenging reductions; encourage IPA transcription and self-correction.
• Encourage recognition before production: students must hear patterns accurately to produce them naturally.
Assessment / Success Criteria:
• Students accurately produce at least 6-8 sentences with linking, assimilation, or elision.
• Demonstrate understanding by identifying patterns in new audio examples.
• Improve fluency and intelligibility in short role-plays or readings.
This lesson introduces students to key aspects of connected speech, helping them understand and produce natural, fluent English. Students will explore linking, assimilation, and elision to improve listening comprehension and spoken clarity. Through guided drills, listening tasks, and communicative practice, learners will practice hearing and producing connected speech in everyday contexts.
Lesson Aim:
Enable students to recognize and produce common connected-speech patterns, improving intelligibility and fluency in spoken English.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
• Identify linking, assimilation, and elision in spoken English.
• Produce sentences with natural linking between words.
• Apply assimilation patterns (e.g., /n/ → /m/ before /p, b/).
• Use elision where sounds are dropped for ease (e.g., /t/ in next day).
• Read, record, and perform short connected-speech passages with improved naturalness.
Materials:
• Audio recordings of natural speech (podcasts, dialogues, or teacher recordings)
• Handouts with connected-speech transcriptions (careful vs casual)
• Cards or slides for guided practice (example sentences, minimal-pair-style contrasts)
• Recording device or smartphone for students to practice and submit
• Whiteboard or screen for explanations and timelines
Class Activities:
1. Lead-in / Warm-up
• Play two short versions of the same phrase: careful speech vs casual, connected speech (e.g., "He has to go" vs "He hafta go").
• Students listen and note differences.
• Quick discussion: "Which version sounds more natural in conversation?"
2. Explanation / Mini-Lesson
Key concepts:
• Linking: Joining final consonant of one word to the initial vowel or consonant of the next.
• Example: go on → /gəʊwɒn/
• Assimilation: A sound becomes more like a neighboring sound.
• Example: green park → /griːm pɑːk/ (n → m before p)
• Elision: Deletion of sounds to make speech easier or faster.
• Example: next day → /neks deɪ/ (t dropped)
• Use IPA and simple orthography to illustrate changes.
• Discuss why these occur: speed, ease, natural rhythm.
3. Listening Discrimination
• Play short dialogues or sentences at natural speed.
• Students mark where linking, assimilation, or elision occurs.
• Compare with transcripts showing careful and casual speech.
• Discuss differences and clarify pronunciation patterns.
4. Controlled Practice
Choral and Individual Drills:
• Students repeat sentences modeled by the teacher, first exaggerating patterns, then producing them naturally.
• Examples:
• Linking: turn off the light → /tɜːrn ɒf ðə laɪt/
• Assimilation: good boy → /ɡʊb bɔɪ/
• Elision: next please → /neks pliːz/
Pair Work:
• Students take short dialogues and read them aloud, marking linked and reduced forms.
• Partners provide feedback on clarity and naturalness.
5. Production / Communicative Practice
• Students create short role-plays (ordering at a café, giving directions, telling a story).
• Focus on incorporating linking, assimilation, and elision naturally.
• Teacher circulates, noting patterns, giving micro-feedback on pronunciation, rhythm, and fluency.
6. Awareness-Building Exercise
• Students highlight connected-speech patterns in a short paragraph transcript.
• Practice reading the paragraph aloud, first slowly, then at a natural pace.
• Encourage self-monitoring: "Which sounds change when I speak naturally?"
7. Reflection / Feedback
• Teacher models 1-2 exemplary readings from students, highlighting strengths and one or two areas for improvement.
• Discuss challenges and strategies for continued practice.
Homework / Continued Practice:
• Record a 60-90 second dialogue, monologue, or reading passage focusing on linking, assimilation, and elision.
• Listen to a short clip of natural speech (podcast, news, or dialogue), note connected-speech features, and write a paragraph describing 2-3 examples and their effects on intelligibility.
• Optional: Repeat sentences daily for 5-10 minutes focusing on smooth, natural speech.
Teacher Notes / Differentiation:
• Lower-level learners: Focus on linking and simple elisions; use visual aids and slow speech.
• Higher-level learners: Introduce assimilation in clusters, weak forms, and more challenging reductions; encourage IPA transcription and self-correction.
• Encourage recognition before production: students must hear patterns accurately to produce them naturally.
Assessment / Success Criteria:
• Students accurately produce at least 6-8 sentences with linking, assimilation, or elision.
• Demonstrate understanding by identifying patterns in new audio examples.
• Improve fluency and intelligibility in short role-plays or readings.
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