英語學習 - sound reduction in word "and" in conversation

英語口語語言現象是客觀存在。對英語學習者來說，有意識的學習它會大大促進英語聽說的提高；但不要把它當成知識來學，當成技巧來練，才能有效地掌握及運用。不知道它時，談不上掌握；知道它時，當成教條來學又不容易掌握。

本片斷設想先呈現給大家一段包含一個語言現象的對話，讓大家對這個語言現象有一個接觸，引起學習者的興趣；然後通過後麵的解釋，了解這個現象；再通過有針對性地練習來加深對這個現象的理解掌握。通過一個這樣的練習後，今後日常生活中在遇到這樣的語言現象時就不感到麽生了。

又：聽著自己的錄音，真感到別扭，明顯的感覺出幾個發音的問題，但又懶得重錄；真不好意思，自己沒練好還來顯示給別人。但覺得拿出來同大家探討與人與己都好，互相學習共同進步吧！請多提寶貴意見。





Today I am going to share with you an English pronunciation phenomenon: the reduction of the word and in conversation.

First please listen to the following audio and try to figure out where the word and is used in the sentenses. Please listen to it several times if you couldn\'t get it the first time.

Here\'s the audio:
Script 1 (see below)
(You may pause here to listen to this part more times if you like.)

You may aleady get it, and here\'s more information for you to better understand it.
THe word and is used several times here, such as:
Up and down, Right and left, light and dark, short and tall, rich and poor, male and female, black and white etc.

The word and is pronounced as \'n in this audio. The word and is usually pronounced this way in quick conversation with the consonant sound d being omitted, and the vowel in it is lightly sounded, and is reduced, and is barely heard. Here\'s another example:

Script 2 (see below)

(The word and is refered to the one in ... and in a few years ... )

And below are some sentences for practising this sounding technique.
Script 3 (see below)

Finally, please listen to radio, or TV programs and try to find as many of this language phenomenon as possible to train your hearing ability and meanwhile, read with the audio examples above many many times until you\'re quite familiar with them and can say them by yourselves.

Note:
You may come across the phrase Park\'N Fly when you are travelling, and you may see it in big airport like Pearson International airport, Boston airport and other airports. Park\'N Fly is a parking service provider providing off-airport parking services, with shuttle buses picking you up and droping you off at the terminals. Similar phrases are Drop\'N Go Park\'N Go. Those phrases are all involved with the word and in its reduced form.

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Audios are from: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind and American Accent Training


Script 1:
It\'s very important to realize that we live in a world of duality.
Whats the word, please?
Duality.
Thank you -- duality.
Give me some examples. Up and down / Right and left / Light and dark /Short and tall/ Rich and pool/ Male and female/ Black and white.


Script 2:
How many hundreds -- no, let\'s make that thousands -- no, let\'s make that tens of thousands of peopel have come to this wonderful country -- immigrants. They came with nothing and in a few years, they\'re faily rich. Yes or yes? yes.

Script 3:
ham and eggs
bread and butter
Coffee? With cream and sugar?
No, lemon and sugar.
... And some more cookies?
They kept going back and forth.
We watched it again and again.
He did it over and over.
We learned by trial and error.