Linking and flapping
11 phrasesHD
an apple a day
JA一日一個のりんご
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
The n of 'an' jumps onto 'apple': a-NAPple. English hates leaving a word-final consonant next to a word-initial vowel unlinked — the two run together as if they were one word.
HD
far away
JA遠くに
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
a bottle of water
JA水一本
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
Both t's fall between vowels and soften to the flap ɾ: BOTTle → BOD-l, WAT-er → WAD-er, roughly. It is neither a clean t nor a d — a single quick tap of the tongue. The card writes t; your ear should expect ɾ.
HD
not at all
JA全然
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
get it out
JA取り出して
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
turn it off
JA消して
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
pick it up
JA拾って
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
hold on tight
JAしっかりつかまって
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
come in please
JAどうぞ入って
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
put it away
JA片付けて
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
HD
call it off
JA中止して
In the stream of speech words do not stop at their edges. A final consonant slides onto the next word's vowel (an apple → a-napple); a t or d between vowels softens to a quick flap, the ɾ of American water and city — a sound so ordinary it is not even on the chart, because English never uses it to tell two words apart; and sounds that get in the way are simply dropped. The card keeps the tidy dictionary form; the note shows what the mouth actually does.
Linking and flapping in English: all 11 on one list
| English | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| an apple a day | /æn ˈæpəl ə deɪ/ | 一日一個のりんご |
| far away | /fɑr əˈweɪ/ | 遠くに |
| a bottle of water | /ə ˈbɑtəl ʌv ˈwɔtər/ | 水一本 |
| not at all | /nɑt æt ɔl/ | 全然 |
| get it out | /ɡɛt ɪt aʊt/ | 取り出して |
| turn it off | /tɜrn ɪt ɔf/ | 消して |
| pick it up | /pɪk ɪt ʌp/ | 拾って |
| hold on tight | /hoʊld ɑn taɪt/ | しっかりつかまって |
| come in please | /kʌm ɪn pliz/ | どうぞ入って |
| put it away | /pʊt ɪt əˈweɪ/ | 片付けて |
| call it off | /kɔl ɪt ɔf/ | 中止して |
Linking and flapping in English - 11 phrases you can play on a loop until they stick. Each one shows the characters, the reading and the meaning in six languages.