Unit 28: Towards Advanced
Grammar, news, vocabulary and pronunciation
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Session 5
Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/
Not sure what happens when a word ending in /t/ is followed by a word beginning with /k/? I think it's time to visit Tim's Pronunciation Workshop
Activity 1
Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/
Don't lose your street cred, Tim!
Tim's back in his pronunciation workshop. This time he's finding out about how the pronunciation of the letter 't' can change when it comes before a word starting with the sound /k/ - and hearing how some Londoners pronounce credit card...
To do
Take a look at the video, then try the activity to do some practice.
Watch the video and complete the activity
Tim
Hi. I'm Tim and this is my Pronunciation workshop. Here I'm going to show you how English is really spoken. Come on, let's go inside. Now, these days, when you go to a real shop do you prefer to pay by cash or by plastic? What do we call one of these? Now, I'm sure you already know, but let's hear what the people of London call it.
Voxpops
It’s a credit card.
Credit card.
Credit card.
Credit card.
Credit card.
Tim
A credit card. Now, the word 'credit' ends in the sound /t/, doesn't it? Or does it? Watch and listen again. What sound can you actually hear?
Voxpops
It’s a credit card.
Credit card.
Credit card.
Credit card.
Credit card.
Tim
In fluent speech, when one word ends in a vowel sound followed by a /t/ and the next word begins with a /k/, the /t/ changes to a /k/. So /kredɪt kɑːd/ becomes /kredɪk kɑːd/. It's an example of assimilation. And here are some more examples.
Examples
Don't let it get cold!
You have to do it quickly.
There's no short cut to learning a language.
I didn't like that cake.
Tim
Right, so you've heard the examples, and now it's your turn. You know the drill. Listen and repeat.
Examples
Don't let it get cold!
You have to do it quickly.
There's no short cut to learning a language.
I didn't like that cake.
Tim
Well done. Now, remember, if you want to learn more about pronunciation, then please visit our website, bbclearningenglish.com. And that is about it from the pronunciation workshop for this week. I'll see you soon. Bye bye! Now, to be honest, I don't really use cash or card these days. I don't need them. No. If you want to maintain your street cred, then the only way is pay by phone. Erm. Have you got a charger?
To do
So that's a look at the pronunciation of the letter 't' when it comes before a /k/ sound in natural spoken English. Now try this activity to get some more practice.
The assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/ game
6 Questions
Which phrases have examples of assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/? You decide...
Help
Activity
Which phrases have examples of assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/? You decide...
Hint
When a word ends in a vowel sound, followed by a /t/, and the next word begins with a /k/ sound, the /t/ changes to a /k/.Question 1 of 6
Help
Activity
Which phrases have examples of assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/? You decide...
Hint
When a word ends in a vowel sound, followed by a /t/, and the next word begins with a /k/ sound, the /t/ changes to a /k/.Question 2 of 6
Help
Activity
Which phrases have examples of assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/? You decide...
Hint
When a word ends in a vowel sound, followed by a /t/, and the next word begins with a /k/ sound, the /t/ changes to a /k/.Question 3 of 6
Help
Activity
Which phrases have examples of assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/? You decide...
Hint
When a word ends in a vowel sound, followed by a /t/, and the next word begins with a /k/ sound, the /t/ changes to a /k/.Question 4 of 6
Help
Activity
Which phrases have examples of assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/? You decide...
Hint
When a word ends in a vowel sound, followed by a /t/, and the next word begins with a /k/ sound, the /t/ changes to a /k/.Question 5 of 6
Help
Activity
Which phrases have examples of assimilation of /t/ followed by /k/? You decide...
Hint
When a word ends in a vowel sound, followed by a /t/, and the next word begins with a /k/ sound, the /t/ changes to a /k/.Question 6 of 6
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
End of Unit 28
We hope that was useful. In Unit 29, Dan will be here to talk about participle clauses. In News Review and LingoHack you can find out which words are making the headlines - and Tim will be back with the pronunciation workshop as usual. See you there!
Session Vocabulary
Assimilation of /t/ and /k/
When the letter 't' comes after a vowel sound and before another word that starts with the sound /k/, its pronunciation changes from /t/ to /k/.
Note that some words that begin with the letters qu, like quite and quick, also start with the sound /k/.
- Did you see Usain Bolt run in the race? I didn't realise he ran that quickly!
- Would you pass me that carrot? I need it for this stew I'm cooking.
- Fat cat bosses in the city earn far more than the average worker.