Which phrase is provided as an example of intrusive linking sounds in connected speech?

Which phrase is provided as an example of intrusive linking sounds in connected speech?

• A. Sea air
• B. The cat chased the dog
• C. I don't know
• D. Baked beans

Answer: (A)

Intrusive linking sounds are added between words when the first word ends in a vowel and the next word starts with a vowel, to connect the sounds smoothly. In many dialects, that extra sound is the semivowel /j/ (like a short “y” sound). In the phrase sea air, the first word ends with the long /iː/ vowel and the next word starts with another vowel sound in “air.” When people speak quickly, they often insert that linking /j/ between the two vowels, producing something like /ˈsiːjɛə/ or /ˈsiːjəː/. That makes it an example of intrusive linking in connected speech. The other phrases don’t demonstrate this vowel-to-vowel bridging. They involve consonant sounds connecting between words (or the sequence doesn’t create a vowel-to-vowel boundary), so they don’t illustrate intrusive linking.

Intrusive linking sounds are added between words when the first word ends in a vowel and the next word starts with a vowel, to connect the sounds smoothly. In many dialects, that extra sound is the semivowel /j/ (like a short “y” sound). In the phrase sea air, the first word ends with the long /iː/ vowel and the next word starts with another vowel sound in “air.” When people speak quickly, they often insert that linking /j/ between the two vowels, producing something like /ˈsiːjɛə/ or /ˈsiːjəː/. That makes it an example of intrusive linking in connected speech.

The other phrases don’t demonstrate this vowel-to-vowel bridging. They involve consonant sounds connecting between words (or the sequence doesn’t create a vowel-to-vowel boundary), so they don’t illustrate intrusive linking.