Relaxed pronunciation
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Relaxed pronunciation (also called condensed pronunciation or word slurs) is a phenomenon that happens when the syllables of common words are slurred together. It is almost always present in normal speech, in all natural languages (not in some constructed languages such as Loglan or Lojban, which are designed so that all words are parsable).
Shortened forms of words and phrases (such as English contractions) can be considered to derive from relaxed pronunciations, but a phrase with a relaxed pronunciation is not the same as a contraction. In English, where contractions are common, they are considered part of the standard language and accordingly used in many contexts (except on very formal speech or in formal/legal writing); however, relaxed pronunciation is nonstandard and may sound uneducated. This is also sometimes reflected in writing: contractions have a standard written form, but relaxed pronunciations may not.
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[edit] English
Here is a list of a few common words said with relaxed pronunciation in English, along with the usual written form:
- alotta = a lot of
- coulda = could have
- didja = did you
- don'tcha = don't you
- dunno = don't know
- fulla = full of
- gimme = give me
- gonna = going to
- gotcha = got you
- gotta = got to
- hafta = have to
- innit = isn't it
- izzy = is he
- kinda = kind of
- lemme = let me
- migh-as well = might as well
- musta = must have
- n'ku = thank you
- outta = out of
- prolly = probably
- shoulda = should have
- 'sko = let us go
- 'sup = what is up
- wanna = want to
- wa-sat = what is that
- wazzup = what's up'
- what'cha = what do you / what are you
- woulda = would have
- y'all = you all
- zit = is it
[edit] Dutch
- d'r = haar ("her")
- ie = hij ("he"), often used in phrases such as dattie for dat hij ("that he")
- amme = aan mijn ("on / to my"), for example in ammezolen for aan mijn zolen ("not on your life")
[edit] Russian
The most notable example in Russian language is the greeting Zdravstvuite, colloquially pronounced as zdrasti or zdraste. the latter forms may also be seen in writing when an oral speech is rendered.
[edit] French
Among other relaxed pronunciations, tu as (you have) is frequently elided to t'as in colloquial French. The same with je suis (I am) to chuis. Or je (ne) sais pas (I don't know) to chais pas. Moreover, most of the negative forms ne or n' are lost in non-formal discussion. The expression, "Quest-ce que..." isn't used too much in colloquial speech for forming the interrrogative, but when it is, it's shortened to:
"Qu'est-ce que tu veux?" becomes... "Quess tu veux?"
[edit] Spanish
Forms of the verb estar ("to be") are often shortened by dropping the first syllable (as if the verb were *tar).
- Acá ta. ← Acá está. ("Here it is", joking tone or baby-talk)
The preposition para ("for", "in order to") can be shortened to pa' (this sounds uneducated in most dialects):
- Pa' servirlo. (lit. "To serve you", i. e. "At your service".)
- No es pa' cualquiera. ("It is not for anyone.")
The d in the final -ado of past participles is usually pronounced softly, and, in relaxed pronunciation, can disappear: Estoy cansado ("I am tired") is heard as Toy cansao. Doing so with the final -ido, as in *Toy perdío ("I am lost"), is perceived as more uneducated. This can lead to hypercorrections like *bacalado instead of bacalao ("cod").
The preposition de ("of") also tends to get shortened to e when the previous word ends in a vowel.
In many dialects, the very common phrase voy a + infinitive ("I'm going to..."), which shows the immediate future tense, is shortened: some people pronounce vua /bwa/, others via /bja/. This is quite common but also considered uneducated.
Some dialects like Andalusian Spanish lose the syllable-final s. Since it is important as a mark of plurals, it is substituted with vowel opening.
The contractions:
para + el = pal
para + la = pala
para + los = palos
para + las = palas
Or the common, "pa'que" from "para que".
[edit] Portuguese
Here is a list:
- tá = está ([it/she/he] is)
- 'vambora = vamos embora (let's go)
- pra, pa = para (to)
- cê = você (you)
- home = homem (man)
- vô = vou (I will)
- portuga, tuga = português (both for the Portuguese people and language)
Contractions:
para + o = pro
para + a = pra
para + os = pros
para + as = pras
The other set of contractions with "por" plus the definite article are further reduced to:
por + o = pelo = plo
por + a = pelo = pla
por + os = pelos = plos
por + as = pelas = plas
