Hello, I'm John Russell. Let's continue our exploration of common words, phrases, and questions.
Today, we consider a useful question. Do you speak English?
In today's lesson, we will focus on linking.
Linking means to connect an ending consonant sound with the first vowel sound in the next word.
If you want to sound more like an American, then you need to practice linking your speech.
Let's take our question. Do you speak English?
We have four words, but the last two are of special importance.
Notice that the verb speak ends in this consonant sound, k, k.
And notice that the noun English starts with a vowel sound, i, i, i.
Americans generally link the last sound in speak with the first vowel sound in English.
We can compare two statements. If we say the phrase without linking, it sounds like this. Speak English. Speak English.
But when we say the phrase with linking, it sounds like this. Speak English.
This detail about linking might seem minor, but mastering linking can really go far toward improving your pronunciation.
And when we use common everyday phrases, we need to sound as natural as possible.
That's all for today. Keep up the good work.