Connected Speech Processing by EFL Vocational Students

When native speakers of English speak, they are usually very quick and use a stream of words which most of the time have very few pauses between them. This natural way of speaking, said to be fluent and connected, is governed by some phonological processes. EFL (English as a foreign language) learners who have constructed different habits within the language generally have receptive difficulties caused by these phonological aspects. The most commonly used are assimilation (contiguous sounds which take on one and other¿s features), elision (sounds which are omitted or not uttered), and linking (joining sounds at the words boundary or adding a /r/ sound to create a juncture between words). This book attempts to evaluate fifteen EFL vocational students¿ knowledge of these phonological phenomena with regard to English native speech. It aims at showing that being aware of the aspects of English connected speech, understanding and practising them, constitute a major step forwards for EFL learners who would like to use English for international communication.