00:00Hi, I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here I'm going to show you how English is really spoken. It'll help you become a better listener and a more fluent speaker. Come on, let's go inside.
00:30Here's a question for you. When is a tea not a tea? Well, this is the answer. What is it? And what colour is it? Let's go to the streets of London to find out.
00:50It's a white piece of paper.
00:52It's a white piece of paper.
00:54That is a white piece of paper.
00:55That's a white piece of paper.
00:57That is a white piece of paper.
00:59Now, the word white ends in the sound t, doesn't it? Or does it? Let's have another listen.
01:11It's a white piece of paper.
01:13It's a white piece of paper.
01:14That is a white piece of paper.
01:15That's a white piece of paper.
01:16That is a white piece of paper.
01:17That is a white piece of paper.
01:18In fluent speech, if one word ends in a t sound and the next word begins in a sound, the t is pronounced slightly differently.
01:30In fact, we pronounce it as if it were almost a p sound. So, white piece of paper becomes white piece of paper.
01:42Let's take another look, this time in slow motion. Watch the mouth shape. Can you see a t or a p?
01:54A white piece of paper?
02:06Interesting, hey?
02:08This is an example of how sounds change in everyday speech. And it's called assimilation. Here are some more examples.
02:18There are lots of great parks in London.
02:21I love split pea soup.
02:24I hate potatoes.
02:26I make pictures up from the airport.
02:30Right, so you've heard the examples and now it's your turn. Are you ready to have a go? Listen and repeat.
02:39There are lots of great parks in London.
02:45I love split pea soup.
02:51I hate potatoes.
02:57My mate picked us up from the airport.
03:03How did you get on?
03:05Great. If you want to hear more about this topic, please visit our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
03:14And that's about it from the pronunciation workshop this week.
03:18Bye-bye.
03:24Did you just see...
03:26I could have sworn it was...
03:29You know, sometimes I think I have a split personality.
03:35yeah, it was an amazing subject to one of our people.
