Click here to listen to the explanation below.
In English speech, only the CONTENT words (the words that carry meaning) get stressed. The FUNCTION words will be reduced so they are harder to hear. Below are some wh-word questions with the content words in bold.
What's your name? What's your address? What's your emergency?
If you listen closely, you will notice that you hear a [sh] sound between "what" and "your." This happens when a word ends with [s] and the next word begins with [y]--these two sounds come together to form [sh]. So [s] + [y] = [sh]
[y] also makes a new sound when it follows a [z] sound. The following wh-word questions have a [z] sound in them, but they are spelled with an [s]. Listen closely.
Where's your mother? Where's your car? Who's your father?
The [z] sound followed by [y] sounds like [zh]. So [z] + [y] = [zh]
But wait! There are 2 more sounds that [y] mixes with to make a new sound. We often hear these in wh-word questions, too. First let's listen to what happens when [y] follows a [t] sound.
What (are) you doing? I didn't understand what you said.
Here the [t] + [y] = [ch]
The last one is common with questions in the past tense. What sound do you hear between the [d] and [y]?
What did you do? Where'd you park? What'd you say the address was again? Did you call 911?
Past tense questions often use the helping verb "did," so whenever people say "did you," you will hear "didju" because [d] + [y] = [dj].