Weak Forms 弱读
在英语中，与句重音相对应的出现的是非重读音节，它们一起构成了句子的高低起伏，强弱交替的节奏模式，形成具有表意功能的连贯句子。这些非重读音节体现在单个单词中就是常说的某些单音节的弱读或非重读（unstressedsyllable）。英语是节奏感很强的语言，要掌握好英语节奏，首先要熟悉强读式(strong
forms)和弱读式(weakforms)，它对语言连贯、流畅性起着重要的作用。
一、强读和弱读
强读和弱读实际就是重读和弱读，一句话中至少有一个重要的音节要重读，其他音节相应弱读。重读音节从音高和音强上应该big,
strong, important
loudly,非重读音节（弱读）就应该是weak or
small or quiet。
强读和弱读通过一定形式在句子中体现，英语中有接近五十多个单音节词有两种读音形式：弱读形式和强读形式。在连贯的语言中弱读形式的使用比强读形式更多，更重要。重读或强读形式其实是单个单词发音的基本形式，即音标中的读音形式，而弱读形式从音质上和强读形式比较起来短而轻；在前面学习中，我们知道短元音/ə/和/i/常出现在非重读音节中，因此
多数弱读形式体现也以/ə/或/i/体现。
二、弱读形式
从上一单元可以知道，在英语句子中，实词一般要重读虚词弱读，其中有弱读形式的单音节词根据不同类别可以分为以下几种：
冠词、人称代词、be动词、助动词、情态动词、单音节介词、单音节、连词以及其他特殊词。其弱读形式见表
从表8-1中，我们对五十多个单音节词的弱读形式进行归纳，得出三个规律：
1)
弱读形式以/ə/为主,大部分的弱读形式都和/ə/有关，极少部分与/i/和/u/有关,如
a /ə/, some /səm/; who /hu,u/ my /mi/。
2） 如果单词是发长音，其弱读形式一般变成相应短音，如：
be /bi/been /bin/her /hə/等。
3） 在语流很快时或者可以缩略的单词中，常常只出现辅音，如 will/l/is
/z,s/am /m/等。
弱读形式
单词
Weak forms and Example
Article冠词
a
/ə/
a book, in a
minute,
an
/ən,n/
an hour, in an hour,
the
/ðə/辅音前,/ði/元音前
the book, the apple
Be动词
am
/əm//m/
What am I to
do?
is
/z,s/
He’s
at home.
are
/ə/,/ər/元音前
What are you doing?
be
/bi/
Don’t
be late.
been
/bin/
You’ve been
a long time.
was
/wəz/
He was
a rich man.
were
/wə/
What were you doing?
助动词
have
/həv,əv,v/
Have you been to
Shanghai?
has
/həz,əz,z,s/
The bus has gone.
had
/həd,əd,d/
The room had been
reserved.
do
/du,də,d/
What do you want?
does
/dəz,z,s/
How does it work?
情态动词
will
/l/
I’ll do it.
would
/wəd,əd,d
/
What would you like?
should
/ʃəd,ʃd /
What should I
say?
could
/kəd,kd
/ I wish I could do something for
you.
must
/məst/
He must go
now.
can
/kən,kn/
What can I do to make up
you?
shall
/ʃəl,ʃl/
I shall
wait for you.
短小连词
that
/ðət,ðt/
This is the best that I can
do.
as
/əz/
as long as, do as I
do
but
/bət/
It’s old
but useful.
and
/ənd,nd,ən,n
/ you and me, a cat and a
dog
than
/ðən,ðn/
It’s more than
I want.
such
/sətʃ/
I never heard of such
thing.
短小介词
at
/ət/
at
six, at school
of
/əv,v,ə/
a lot of money, one
of the book
off
/əf/
take
off
to
/tə,u/
Do you want to go? I’d
love to.
for
/fə/
Is this
for you? for a long time
from
/frəm/
She just come back from
Italy.
人称代词
he
/hi,i/ What did he say?
He told me a story.
him
/im/ I write him a
letter.
his
/iz/
she
/ʃi/
What did she say? She’s fine
her
/hə,ə,/
I gave her the book.
me
/mi/ You make me
happy.
us
/əs/
They told us to
go.
you
/ju/ What’re you
doing? How do you do?
your
/jə/,/jər/(元音前)
them
/ðəm/,/ðm/,/m/ If
I saw them,I’ll tell them
that.
we
/wi/ We’d like
a drink.
who
/hu/, /u/ Who are you?
my
/mi/ Do you know
my brother?
其他词
some
/səm/
Would like some
drink?
not
/nt,n/ I haven’t
finish it.
there
/ðə/,/ðər/(元音前)
There
is a book.
or
/ə/
two or
three
so
/sə/
Thank you so much.
many
/mni/ How
many?
有了这三个规律,对这些单音节词的弱读形式可以运用正确读音,连贯句子;但同时还需注意几个问题:
1） he, her,his, have,has,
had不带/h/的弱读形式不用在句首；
2） has,does,is
弱读形式/s/用在清辅音的后面,/z/放在浊辅音或元音的后面,如:it’s:
/its/;
3） the
在元音前和在辅音前的读音不一样；
4） there are
your,只有在后面有元音时才有/r/,在下一单元连读要涉及；
5）
有些弱读形式较常用,有些不常用,只有在较快的口语中使用,如:
my /mi/ or /ə/ so /sə/ such /sətʃ/。
6）
尽管以上助动词、情态动词、介词有弱读形式，但当他们位于句末时不用弱读形式，例如：
---Are you astudent？
---Yes I am
What are youworking for？
What are you fighting for？
Where are you from？
7）对于中元音/ə/发音特点要牢固掌握，即轻而弱，自然而放松。
