Don’t make these mistakes in Linking!

What’s linking, again?

Linking is one of the 4 ways to connect your speech, for more fluency.

They are:

• Assimilation
• Gliding
• Linking
• Blending

Linking in connected speech refers to the way in which sounds are joined together when speaking naturally and fluently. In English, words are not pronounced in isolation, but rather, they are linked together in a continuous stream of sound.

Linking involves the merging of sounds at the boundaries of words, in order to facilitate the smooth flow of speech. One common example of linking is the linking “r”, where a final “r” sound in one word is linked to the beginning of the next word that starts with a vowel sound. For example, “far away” would be pronounced as “fara way.”

Linking in connected speech is an important aspect of English pronunciation, and mastering it can greatly improve the fluency and naturalness of one’s speech. It takes practice to develop an ear for linking, but with time and effort, it is possible to speak English more smoothly and confidently.

In this podcast episode, I illustrate 4 common mistakes you might be making when you link your words in Connected Speech in an American accent in English.

Why are you making these mistakes?

It may be because the sound is difficult to articulate because it isn’t in your first language.

Or perhaps it is, but it’s made differently.

Or perhaps it is, but how we spell things and how we say things can be different.

Or perhaps it is, but you might be hearing a reduced form of the word.

If you want to link your NGs, THs, Rs, or final Ss (orfen a Z sound) better, listen to this episode!

But don’t take my word for it… in this episode you’ll hear movie clips to represent each of the 4 mistakes in linking.

Listen to the episode on Captivate or watch it on YouTube.