Linking and Thought Groups – Spoken English

This is such a fun topic. It’s one of my favorites. I love talking about linking

這次的主題有趣極了

它是我特愛的主題之一，我超愛談「連音」

I love talking about reductions, connected speech, placement, rhythm, intonation, okay. Let’s face it.

我超愛談「省音、說話連貫性、位置、節奏、語調」

好吧！ 我實話實說

I love talking about all of this stuff.

這類主題，我全都愛談

In the Academy, you’ve already been working on linking

在學院中，你一直在學「連音」

因為在早期的「基礎課程」、「奠基課程」

because way back in the Basics course, in the Foundations course,

you started working on connected speech and how that fits into the ch aracter of American English.

你就開始學「說話的連貫性」

以及「說話如何符合美語特性」

In this course, you’re going to learn some important things:

於本課程，你會學到一些重要的事情：

when to link and how to link well, and when NOT to link.

「何時」要連音；「如何」做好連音

以及「何時『不能』」連音

The first thing I want to say about linking is this:

第一件我想談有關「連音」的事如下：

we’re going to break down linking into different kinds, vowel to vowel, consonant to vowel, and so on.

我們會將「連音」分成不同類別

母音接母音、子音接母音，等等

而在任何特定的「字組」

But in any given thought group, every sound, every word should be linked together.

每個音、每個字應該連起來

Actually, let’s use that sentence I just said as an example. Let’s go back and listen to it again.

實際上，就用我剛講的句子當成範例

我們回頭再聽一次

But in any given thought group, every sound, every word should be linked together.

而在任何特定的「字組」

每個音、每個字應該連起來

But in any given thought group, and then there was a pause. But in any given thought group—

而在任何特定的「字組」，然後停頓一下

而在任何特定的「字組」

So this is one thought group. And within that, one thought group.

這是一個「字組」

在引號內，是一個「字組」

Everything was linked together. But in any given thought group—

每個字都要連起來

而在任何特定的「字組」

But in— but in— These two words linked together with a Flap T. Why?

But in—；But in—

這 2 字以「閃音 T」連起來

原因為何？ 因為 T 位在 2 個母音間

Because the T comes between two vowels. But in any—

But in any—

The N consonant linked in to the beginning vowel EH of ‘any’. But in any— but in any given—

子音 n 連到「any」第 1 個母音 EH [ɛ]

But in any—；But in any given—

The EE vowel right into the G consonant with no break.

母音 EE [i] 直接連到子音 g，不中斷

But in any given thought group—

而在任何特定的「字組」

But in any given thought group—

而在任何特定的「字組」

The N right into the TH with no break and sound: thought group—

n 直接到 th，不斷音

字組

Now here, there is a very quick stop for the Stop T

此處有個短促塞音，為「塞音 T」

but the energy of the voice keeps going

但聲音的能量持續進行

thought group—

字組

but in any given thought group—

而在任何特定的「字組」

Right into the next word:

直接到下一個字

But in any given thought group, every sound, every word should be linked together.

而在任何特定的「字組」

每個音、每個字應該連起來

A little lift here, every sound—, but these two words linked right together, no break, every sound—

這裡稍作升音，每個音－

這 2 字直接相連，不中斷

每個音－

every sound— every word— every word— every word—

每個音、每個字

每個字－

每個字－

EE vowel from ‘every’ going right into the W consonant for ‘word’: every word—

「every」母音 EE [i] 直接到「word」子音 w

每個字－

Tiny little lift here separating the thought group,

這裡稍作升音，以隔開「字組」

Every sound, every word should be linked together.

每個音、每個字應該連起來

Should be— should be— don't really hear the LD.

should be—； should be—

完全聽不到「ld」的音

These two words linked right together with ‘should’ reduced,

這 2 字以省音的「should」直接相連

be linked— be linked— no break in sound, be linked together—

be linked—； be linked—，不斷音

連起來；應該連起來；應該連起來

should be linked together— should be linked together—

So I have a true T here for the -ed ending.

這裡為原音 T，乃 -ed 結尾之故

I do make a quick little release before the next True T: linked together—

我快速釋放一點氣，再念下個原音 T

linked together－

All smooth, no breaks.

完全順暢，無中斷

But in any given thought group, every sound, every word should be linked together.

而在任何特定的「字組」

每個音、每個字應該連起來

So in a way, you don’t need to break down the different kind of links and study them,

在某種程度上

你無須分成不同類別的「連音」，並加以學習

you just need to know, link everything in one thought group together.

你只須明白

單個「字組」內的字，要全部連起來

But in order to practice methodically, we’ll talk about different kinds of links in this course,

但為了讓練習有條不紊

我們會於本課程中，談一下不同類別的「連音」

and practice them individually.

並分別練習它們

Sometimes you’ll see me use this symbol. I use it in some of my YouTube videos too.

有時你會見我使用這個符號

在我一些 YouTube 影片中，我有用到它

It can be confusing — I use it when I think a link is especially strong or clear.

它可能會讓人搞混

當我認為「相連性」極強或極明顯時，我會用它

But as I said, everything should connect in a thought.

但如我方才所言

單個「字組」內的字，應該全部連起來

So if you don't see this symbol between two words, it doesn't mean to make break between them.

所以，若你在 2 字之間沒看到這個符號

並不表示它們之間要中斷

So many of my students start out with very choppy speech.

我蠻多學生一開始講話斷斷續續

The words are not connected at all.

說話完全不連貫

It sounds very choppy.

聽起來斷斷續續

That does not sound like natural American English.

不像道地美語那樣自然

When these students start working on linking and connecting their speech,

當這些學生開始學習「連音」及「說話連貫性」時

their smoothness improves, their intonation improves,

他們說話流暢度改善了，語調也改善了

their rhythm improves, and they begin to speak more natural English.

說話節奏也變好了

他們的英語開始說得更自然

Within a thought group, we want all words to be part of one smooth line.

在一個「字組」內

我們想把所有的字，連成一段順暢的話

Now we have to get to the important idea of, what is a thought group?

現在，我們必須了解這個重要概念

何謂「字組」？ 它是個「術語」

It’s a term that you’ll see lots of teachers use when they talk about linking, myself included.

常見很多老師提到「連音」時，都會使用

包括我自己在內

There are two reasons why this is important: first, as you know, you want to link all words in a thought group.

「字組」會如此重要，有 2 個原因：

首先，如你所知

你會想把「字組」內的字，全部連起來

But also, to be more easily understood, to be clearer, you want to put little pauses between thought groups.

此外，為了讓人更易理解，讓語意更清楚

你會想放入一些停頓，以隔開「字組」

Both are important for sounding American and for being understood.

這 2 項對美國口音及讓人理解極為重要

So what is a thought group?

那麼，何謂「字組」？

It’s a short string of words with one main idea, that forms a logical unit.

它是一個簡短字串，用來表達「一個主要概念」

可形成一個邏輯單元

There can be several in one sentence.

一個句子裡可以有數個「字組」

In writing, we may separate thought groups with punctuation.

在寫作上，我們可用標點符號隔開「字組」

And it’s important to know, native speakers don’t think about this at all when they’re speaking,

有件重要的事要知道

英語母語人士說話時，根本不會去想「字組」

and, there’s no one right way to break up speech into thought groups.

並且沒有一個正確方法，將一段話拆成數個「字組」

Let’s look at a sentence I just said.

看一下我剛講的句子

有件重要的事要知道

And it's important to know, native speakers don't think about this at all when they're speaking.

英語母語人士說話時，根本不會去想「字組」

And it's important to know— I did a break here making a separate thought group.

有件重要的事要知道

我在這裡斷開

形成一個隔開的「字組」

And it's important to know native speakers don't think about this at all when they're speaking.

有件重要的事要知道

英語母語人士說話時，根本不會去想「字組」

And then I did a little lift here, a little pause.

我在這裡稍作升音，稍微停頓一下

Native speakers don't think about this at all when they're speaking.

英語母語人士說話時，根本不會去想「字組」

Making another thought group.

形成另一個「字組」

And it's important to know native speakers don't think about this at all when they're speaking.

有件重要的事要知道

英語母語人士說話時，根本不會去想「字組」

我們看另一個例句

Let’s take another example sentence. I could say this several ways:

我能用好幾種方式來說這句

first, with no breaks.

首先，完全不中斷

I need to get my husband to help me to shoot a video on car vocabulary.

/ 我必須叫我先生幫我拍一支影片解說汽車詞彙 /

That’s not as clear as it could be.

不算很清楚，其實還可以更清楚

Definitely, there’s a set of native speakers that use less pauses than others.

確實有部分母語人士，「停頓」用得比其他人少

Their speech sounds extra fast and they can be harder to understand.

他們說話極快，而且可能較不易聽懂

Especially as a non-native speaker,

特別是母語非英語的人士

I would encourage you away from imitating speakers that put in very few pauses.

我強烈建議你

不要去模仿講話幾乎不停頓的母語人士

Another way to say it:

以另一種方式來說

I need to get my husband to help me to shoot a video on car vocabulary.

我必須叫我先生幫我拍一支影片 / 解說汽車詞彙

There, I put a little break before the last three words.

在上句，我稍微斷開最後 3 個字

On car vocabulary —

解說汽車詞彙

上述片語在說明一件事，就是該影片的主題

this phrase has one meaning, it’s describing the topic of the video.

I need to get my husband to help me to shoot a video on car vocabulary.

我必須叫我先生幫我拍一支影片 / 解說汽車詞彙

The first part of that sentence is pretty long. I could definitely break it up further.

上句的第一段相當長

我當然能再進一步拆開

I need to get my husband to help me to shoot a video on car vocabulary.

我必須叫我先生 / 幫我拍一支影片 / 解說汽車詞彙

So here I’ve broken out a middle chunk of information:

在這句，我強調中間一塊資訊

what’s happening? I’m shooting a video.

發生何事？ 說明我正在拍一支影片

I could keep the first separation, and get rid of the second:

我可以保留第 1 個分隔，拿掉第 2 個分隔

I need to get my husband to help me to shoot a video on car vocabulary.

我必須叫我先生 / 幫我拍一支影片解說汽車詞彙

在上句，我把「video on」連起來

There I linked ‘video on’, videoo-on.

videoo-on

A native speaker may do any of these, or even something different.

母語人士可使用上述任何一種方式

或甚至用不同方式

Chances are, you’re already doing a good job separating thought groups

很有可能，你已善於隔開「字組」

and your main challenge will be linking and connected speech within a thought group.

那你主要的挑戰將是：

單個「字組」內的「連音」及「說話連貫性」

If thinking about thought groups, linking smoothly, and knowing when to pause sounds intimidating, don’t worry.

若一想到「字組」、「無縫連字」、

「熟悉停頓時機」等，就會令你膽寒

不要擔心

In this course, you’re going to learn how to link sooooo smoothly.

於本課程，你會學到如何連接得很---順暢

為了瞭解「字組」

And in order to understand thought groups, you’re going to study native speakers, both in conversations and giving speeches and presentations,

你會同時學習母語人士的對談，和演講、演說

to see how they link words and how they group words with phrases.

了解他們如何連字、如何把字組成片語

And best of all, you’ll be given audio soundboards and imitation files to help you sound just like them.

最棒的是

你會拿到「語音控制面板」和「模仿音訊檔」

以協助你的口音與他們一致