connected speech

[Squirrel_3110]

Hi, everyone
I have some problems with assimilation and liaison in English. How can we connect these words ending in /S/ and /th/. (I am sorry I don't know how to write phonetic symbols)
For example: miss these
hit them
I found /th/ difficult to be assimilated. Can you show me some rules of assimilation in English. Thank you very much.

[BobK]

Hi, everyone
I have some problems with assimilation and liaison in English. How can we connect these words ending in /S/ and /th/. (I am sorry I don't know how to write phonetic symbols)
For example: miss these
hit them
I found /th/ difficult to be assimilated. Can you show me some rules of assimilation in English. Thank you very much.

Each one of these liaisons involves the tip of the tongue sliding forwards, and each one involves an unvoiced consonant followed by a voiced one; but you can't just say 'assimilation makes the unvoiced consonant become fully voiced' - there's a difference between 'hit them' and 'hid them'.

In 'hit them' the /t/ is formed, but not* exploded forwards as a [t] sound.
The tip of the tongue starts the /t/ by touching the roof of the mouth just behind the teeth and slides forward down the top teeth. When the tip of the tongue is visible in a mirror the "them" starts.

*This is in normal speech. In very careful speech, there is plosion. (Read more here: Stop consonant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

b