British Connected Speech Playbook (RP/General British) — Coach Edition

A long-form, double‑checked reference you can train with every day. Focus: modern RP/General British (non‑rhotic). Optional processes are marked as such; don’t force them in careful speech.

How to use this playbook

• Train in layers: first clarity (dictionary form), then speed (connected speech), then style (intonation).
• Not all rules fire at once. Choose what fits the speed, formality, and clarity you need.
• Square brackets [ ] = what it can sound like in fast speech; slashes / / = dictionary form.

Quick IPA key (mini)

• Vowels: i iː ɪ e æ ɑː ɒ ɔː ʊ uː ʌ ɜː ə eɪ aɪ ɔɪ aʊ əʊ ɪə eə ʊə
• Consonants: p b t d k g f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ tʃ dʒ m n ŋ l r (linking only) j w h
• Stress mark: ˈ (primary). Syllabic consonant: n̩ l̩ m̩.

This guide uses General British values (e.g., bath /bɑːθ/, goat /gəʊt/).

A. Weak Forms & Vowel Reduction (the powerhouse)

High‑frequency function words shrink when unstressed. Learn these first; they drive natural rhythm.

1) Articles & determiners

• a /eɪ/ → [ə] (usual)
  • a book → [ə bʊk]
• an /æn/ → [ən]
  • an apple → [ən ˈæpəl]
• the strong /ðiː/; weak [ðə] before consonant; [ði] before vowel
  • the cat → [ðə kæt]; the apple → [ði ˈæpəl]
• some strong /sʌm/; weak [səm]/[səm] ~ [sm̩]
  • some people → [səm ˈpiːpl̩]

2) Pronouns & possessives (weak when unstressed)

• him → [ɪm]; her → [ə] ~ [əː] (h‑dropping; §D3)
  • tell him → [ˈtel ɪm]; give her it → [ˈɡɪv ər ɪt]
• them → [ðəm]
  • take them → [ˈteɪk ðəm]
• us → [əs]
  • help us → [ˈhelp əs]
• your strong /jɔː/; weak [jə] (esp. before vowels)
  • your idea → [jə raɪˈdɪə]

3) Prepositions

• to → [tə] (before consonant); [tʊ]/[tu] when stressed; [t̬ə] never in GB
  • want to go → [ˈwɒnə gəʊ]
• of → [əv] ~ [ə]
  • a lot of → [ə ˈlɒt ə]
• for strong /fɔː/; weak [fə]
  • thanks for coming → [ˈθæŋks fə ˈkʌmɪŋ]
• from strong /frɒm/; weak [frəm]
• at strong /æt/; weak [ət]
• than → [ðən] when unstressed

4) Auxiliaries & modals

• have/has/had (aux): [əv]/[əz]/[əd]; often contracted: I’ve, he’s, we’d
  • I have seen → [aɪv siːn]
• can → [kən] (weak); can’t always strong /kɑːnt/
• do/does/did weak as auxiliaries: [də]/[dəz]/[dɪd]
• would → [wʊd] ~ [wəd] (→ ’d)
• should/could/must weak when unstressed; must often [məs] before consonant
• been often [bɪn] in GB when auxiliary (I’ve been), strong /biːn/ for emphasis

Coach tip: Reduce function words, not content words. Clarity beats speed.

B. Linking & Resyllabification

Final consonant joins a following vowel; many accents add glides between vowels.

1) Consonant→vowel linking (universal)

• pick it up /pɪk ɪt ʌp/ → [ˈpɪkɪt ʌp]
• turn it off → [ˈtɜːnɪt ɒf]
• read it again → [ˈriːdɪt əˈɡen]

2) Linking /r/ (non‑rhotic GB)

• Word‑final r pronounced only if next word starts with vowel
  • far away → [fɑːr əˈweɪ]; far land → [fɑː lænd]

3) Intrusive /r/ (optional, common)

• Between two vowels, speakers may insert /r/ even with no r in spelling
  • the idea of it → [ði aɪˈdɪər əv ɪt]
  • I saw it → [aɪ sɔːr ɪt]

4) Intrusive /j/ and /w/ (very common)

• High‑front → /j/: I agree → [aɪj əˈgriː]; see it → [siːj ɪt]
• High‑back → /w/: do it → [duː wɪt]; go out → [gəʊ waʊt]

Register note: Intrusive glides are widespread in GB; avoid over‑doing them in careful reading.

C. Assimilation (neighbours influence each other)

Changes are strongest across word boundaries at speed; they are optional.

1) Nasal place assimilation

• n → m before /p, b, m/
  • ten boys → [tem bɔɪz]
  • in Paris → [ɪm ˈpærɪs]
  • green park → [ɡriːm pɑːk]
• n → ŋ before /k, g/
  • ten cakes → [teŋ keɪks]
  • an example → base [ən ɪɡˈzɑːmpl̩] → [əŋ ɪɡˈzɑːmpl̩]

2) Alveolar stop assimilation (t, d)

• t → p before /p/: that person → [ðap pɜːsn̩]
• d → b before /b/: good boy → [ɡʊb bɔɪ]
• t → k before /k/: that case → [ðæk keɪs]
• d → g before /g/: good girl → [ɡʊg gɜːl]

3) Sibilant assimilation (s, z → ʃ, ʒ)

• s → ʃ before /ʃ/: this shop → [ðɪʃ ʃɒp]
• z → ʒ before /ʃ/: was she? → [wɒʒ ʃiː]

4) Voicing accommodation of /s ~ z/ (surface effect)

• /z/ can devoice before a voiceless consonant
  • is Paul → [ɪs pɔːl] (under‑voiced z)
  • always skiving → [ˈɔːlweɪs ˈskaɪvɪŋ]
• /s/ can voice in rare casual cases before voiced sounds
  • this bag sometimes → [ðɪz bæg] (speaker‑dependent)

Treat voicing shifts as phonetic (surface) not a new dictionary phoneme.

D. Elision (sounds drop)

Use with care; clarity first.

1) /t, d/ deletion in clusters (between consonants)

• next day → [neks deɪ]
• left bank → [lef bæŋk]
• just now → [dʒʌs naʊ]
• handbag → [ˈhæmbæɡ] (ndb → mb)

2) Schwa elision in common words

• every /ˈevri/ from /ˈevəri/; family /ˈfæmli/; camera /ˈkæmrə/
• chocolate /ˈtʃɒklət ~ ˈtʃɒklɪt/

3) h‑dropping in weak pronouns (contextual, not in careful speech)

• tell him → [ˈtel ɪm]
• give her it → [ˈɡɪv ər ɪt]

4) Cluster simplification with fricatives

• months → [mʌns]
• fifths → [fɪfs]

5) of /əv/ → [ə] before consonants

• lots of people → [lɒts ə ˈpiːpl̩]

E. Yod Coalescence (t/d + j → ʧ/ʤ)

Very characteristic of GB in casual speech. – did you → [ˈdɪdʒuː] – would you → [wʊdʒuː] – don’t you → [ˈdəʊntʃuː] – can’t you → [ˈkɑːntʃuː] – won’t you → [ˈwəʊntʃuː]

Keep careful forms for very formal speech (newsreading); coalescence is fine in everyday GB.

F. Glottalisation & T‑realisation (GB patterns)

• Word‑final /t/ often glottal [ʔ] before a consonant or pause
  • not now → [nɒʔ naʊ]; quite tall → [kwaɪʔ tɔːl]
• Medial /t/ may glottalise in stressed syllables before consonants
  • football → [ˈfʊʔbɔːl], mountain → [ˈmaʊnʔn̩]
• Important: In GB, flapping [ɾ] is American; avoid using [ɾ] for water (GB prefers [ˈwɔːtə] or [ˈwɔːʔə])

G. Syllabic Consonants (n̩, l̩, m̩)

Schwa drops; n, l, m carry the syllable. – button → [ˈbʌʔn̩] – little → [ˈlɪtl̩ ~ ˈlɪʔl̩] – rhythm → [ˈrɪðm̩] – apple → [ˈæpl̩]

Tip: hold the consonant a beat longer instead of adding a fresh vowel.

H. Plural/3rd‑person ‑s endings (voicing rules)

• After voiceless: /s/ — cats [kæts], walks [wɔːks]
• After voiced: /z/ — dogs [dɒgz], lives [lɪvz]
• After sibilants: /ɪz/ — buses [ˈbʌsɪz], washes [ˈwɒʃɪz]

In connected speech, /z/ may under‑voice before a voiceless sound: is Pete → [ɪs piːt].

I. Diphthong/Triphthong Smoothing (optional)

Older RP/GB often smooths triphthongs and some diphthong+schwa sequences. – fire /faɪə/ → [fɑː ~ faə] – power /paʊə/ → [paː ~ paʊə] – player /ˈpleɪə/ → [ˈpleə ~ pleː]

Keep smoothing subtle; over‑smoothing sounds old‑fashioned.

J. Lexical Sets & Vowel Contrasts that affect linking

• HAPPY vowel is tense [i] in modern GB: happy [ˈhæpi] (not [ˈhæpɪ])
• LETTER is schwa [ə]: teacher [ˈtiːtʃə], better [ˈbetə]
• NURSE is [ɜː] non‑rhotic: word [wɜːd]

These choices influence glide insertion (see‿it → [siːj ɪt], do‿it → [duː wɪt]).

K. Minimal‑pair & sentence drills (ready‑to‑use)

Use a metronome at 60→84 bpm. Speak on the beat. Record, compare, then add speed.

1) Weak‑form wave

• I can do it; I can’t do it. → [aɪ kən ˈduː ɪt | aɪ kɑːnt ˈduː ɪt]
• I have seen it; I had seen it. → [aɪv ˈsiːn ɪt | aɪd ˈsiːn ɪt]
• We were there; we are → [wɜː ðeə | wɪ ˈɑː ðeə]

2) Linking chain

• pick it up and put it away → [ˈpɪkɪt ʌp ən ˈpʊtɪt əˈweɪ]
• go out and see it again → [gəʊ waʊt n siːj ɪt əˈgen]

3) Assimilation sprint

• ten boys buy big burgers → [tem bɔɪz baɪ bɪg ˈbɜːgəz]
• good girl gets cold quickly → [gʊg gɜːl gets kəʊld ˈkwɪkli]
• this shop was shut → [ðɪʃ ʃɒp wəz ʃʌt]

4) Elision polish

• next day, last month, just now → [neks deɪ | lɑːs mʌnθ | dʒʌs naʊ]
• handbag, sandwich, friendship → [ˈhæmbæɡ | ˈsænwɪdʒ | ˈfrenʃɪp]

5) Yod coalescence ladder

• did you / would you / don’t you / can’t you → [ˈdɪdʒuː | wʊdʒuː | ˈdəʊntʃuː | ˈkɑːntʃuː]

L. Intonation & Rhythm (GB melody)

1) Statement fall (default)

• That’s fine. → ↘ on the last content word: fine

2) Yes‑no rise (neutral questions)

• Are you ready? → ↗ on ready

3) Fall‑rise (polite/hedged, very British)

• It’s quite → ↘↗ on quite (suggests “nice, but…”)
• I might → ↘↗ on might

4) Contrastive focus (move the nucleus)

• I wanted the RED one, not the blue one. (bold = nuclear stress)

Coach drill: Speak on a 4‑beat bar; reduce function words to keep a regular stress‑timed rhythm.

M. Register Guide (when to use what)

• Careful/clear: full consonants, minimal elision, limited intrusive glides.
• Casual: weak forms active, linking vigorous, some assimilation, some glottals.
• Very fast: more elision/assimilation; monitor clarity.

Golden rule: If a listener looks confused, pull back to careful speech.

N. Troubleshooting & Quality Control

• If words feel “choppy”, add linking first, not speed.
• If you lose clarity, restore dictionary forms of content words.
• Record A/B takes: one careful, one connected; compare waveforms for even rhythm.
• Use the finger‑on‑throat test for /s/ vs /z/.

O. Extra examples bank (by pattern)

Weak forms in phrases

• a bit of it → [ə ˈbɪt əv ɪt]
• for a minute → [fər ə ˈmɪnɪt]
• at the end of the day → [ət ði ˈend əv ðə deɪ]
• from time to time → [frəm ˈtaɪm tə ˈtaɪm]

Linking & intrusion

• see us in → [ˈsiːj əs ɪn]
• do it again → [ˈduː wɪt əˈgen]
• law and order → [lɔːr ən ˈɔːdə]

Assimilation

• that book → [ðap bʊk]
• good girl → [gʊg gɜːl]
• ten cakes → [teŋ keɪks]
• this year → often [ðɪʃ jɪə] (s→ʃ before /j/)
• was your → [wɒʒ jɔː]

Elision

• exactly → [ɪɡˈzæk(t)li]
• probably → [ˈprɒb(ə)b(ə)li] → common GB [ˈprɒbli]
• family → [ˈfæmli]
• chocolate → [ˈtʃɒklɪt]

Glottalisation

• get back → [ɡeʔ bæk]
• quite good → [kwaɪʔ ɡʊd]

Yod coalescence in questions

• Did you see? → [ˈdɪdʒu ˈsiː]
• Can’t you come? → [ˈkɑːntʃu ˈkʌm]

P. Don’t overgeneralise (things to avoid)

• American flap [ɾ] in GB: avoid wa[ɾ]er.
• Th‑fronting (/θ, ð/ → /f, v/) is regional, not General British. Keep [θ, ð].
• Over‑smoothing all triphthongs; it can sound mannered.
• Deleting consonants in careful contexts (presentations, interviews).

Q. Micro‑workouts (2 minutes each)

1. Weak‑form cascade: read any paragraph, mark all function words, reduce them.
2. Linking rubber‑band: overlink every boundary, then relax to natural.
3. Assimilation spotter: underline places where alveolars meet labials/velars; try the assimilated variant.
4. Glottal control: say not now / not at all / not really with and without [ʔ].
5. Yod ladder: did you → would you → don’t you → can’t you → won’t you, from careful to coalesced.

Final reminder

Connected speech is choice under pressure: choose reductions that keep your message clear at your speaking speed. Master weak forms and linking first; add assimilation and elision as stylistic spice. Record, listen, iterate.