U8-L2: Elision

How Elision Is Used

"Elision of sounds can ... be seen clearly in contracted forms like isn't (is not), I'll (I shall/will), who's (who is/has), they'd (they had, they should, or they would), haven't (have not) and so on. We see from these examples that vowels or/and consonants can be elided. In the case of contractions or words like library (pronounced in rapid speech as /laibri/), the whole syllable is elided."

Tej R. Kansakar, "A Course in English Phonetics."

The Nature of Reduced Articulation

"It is easy to find examples of elision, but very difficult to state rules that govern which sounds may be elided and which may not. Elision of vowels in English usually happens when a short, unstressed vowel occurs between voiceless consonants, e.g. in the first syllable of perhaps, potato, the second syllable of bicycle, or the third syllable of philosophy."

"It is very important to note that sounds do not simply 'disappear' like a light being switched off. A transcription such as /æks/ for acts implies that the /t/ phoneme has dropped out altogether, but detailed examination of speech shows that such effects are more gradual: in slow speech the /t/ may be fully pronounced, with an audible transition from the preceding /k/ and to the following /s/, while in a more rapid style it may be articulated but not given any audible realisation, and in very rapid speech it may be observable, if at all, only as a rather early movement of the tongue blade toward the /s/ position."

Daniel Jones, "English Pronouncing Dictionary."

From Iced Tea to Ice Tea

"An elision is the omission of a sound for phonological reasons ..: 'cause (also spelled 'cos, cos, coz) from because; fo'c'sle from forecastle; or ice tea from iced tea (in which -ed is pronounced /t/ but omitted because of the immediately following /t/)."

John Algeo, "Vocabulary," in "The Cambridge History of the English Language."

Source:Nordquist, Richard. "What Is Elision in the English Language?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/elision-phonetics-term-1690638.