STRONG and WEAK FORMS of VOWELS
Spoken English shows a marked contrast between its stressed and unstressed syllables.
Words which are generally stressed are – nouns, adjectives, main verbs, adverbs,
numerals, interrogative and demonstrative pronouns.
Words which are generally unstressed are – articles, prepositions, conjunctions, particles,
auxiliary and modal verbs, personal and possessive pronouns.
Stressed words have their strong forms, unstressed words have their weak forms.
Sometimes unstressed words may have their strong forms.
a) e.g. auxiliary and modal verbs, personal and possessive pronouns have their strong forms
when
1. they are said in isolation
2. when they become the communicative centres of utterances
3. at the end of an intonation group or phrase whether stressed or not – Who has done it? –
Mary has. Are you free? – I am.
4. at the beginning of general and alternative questions – Can you get it by tomorrow?
5. in contracted negatives – I don’t know the man.
b) e.g. prepositions have their strong forms if
1. at the very end of an intonation group or phrase – What are you looking at?
2. at the end of an intonation group or phrase when they are followed by the unstressed
pronoun – I am not talking to you.
The following form-words have no any weak forms – what, where, when, how, which,
on, it, with, then.
The verb “to have” has no weak forms though often unstressed – I have a little brother.
Russian students, have careful practice of form-words in various accentual patterns is
desirable.
Ресурс - М.А. Соколова, К.П. Гинтовт, Л.А. Кантер, Н.И. Крылова, И.С. Тихонова, Г.А.
Шабадаш, Практическая фонетика английского языка, Москва, «Гуманитарный
издательский центр ВЛАДОС», 1997.