Connected speech in acronyms and spelling

Connected speech in acronyms and spelling

Try to work out what abbreviations and words the lines below represent. Each is an acronym followed by a word that goes with it, like “ee yoo summit” for “EU summit”.

Hint: These pronunciations are used for the letters of the alphabet (although split in different ways)

• ei A
• bee B
• cee C
• dee D
• ee E
• ef F
• gee G
• eich H
• ai I
• jei J
• kei K
• el L
• em M
• en N
• oh O
• pee P
• kyoo Q
• ah R
• es S
• tee T
• yoo U
• vee V
• double yoo W
• eks X
• wai Y
• zed/ zee Z

Check with as a class or with the suggested answers.

Why are the pronunciations in the acronyms different from the list of each letter above? What patterns are there in those changes?

What are the patterns for these things?

• a letter ending with a consonant sound followed by a letter starting with a vowel sound (“ME”, etc)
• a letter ending with a vowel sound followed by a letter starting with a vowel sound (“EF”, etc)

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Acronyms to work out from the (fast, natural) pronunciation

• ei yai yassistant
• ei ah game
• bee yei yin French
• she’s my bee ye fef
• see yai yei yagent
• see yoh too wemissions
• dee ye nei analysis
• ee yah doctor
• e fem radio
• gee yem foods
• ei chah manager
• e lei yek sairport
• e mei yin art history
• e mah rai scan
• e nei ches doctor
• oh wee see dee report
• oh we lee dee television
• oh wem gee emoji
• oh we supdate
• pee yee lesson
• pee yoh box
• pee yah company
• pee yes five game
• kyoo wah code scanner
• ah ree yem sleep
• ah roh wai yof five percent
• yoo wei yee dirham
• yoo we foh sighting
• yoo wen resolution
• yoo we sei Olympic team
• yoo weks designer
• vee yah headset
• ek sel size pants
• wai yei fiction

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Suggested answers

• ei yai yassistant AI assistant
• ei ah game AR game
• bee yei yin French BA in French
• she’s my bee ye fef she’s my BFF
• see yai yei yagent CIA agent
• see yoh too wemissions CO2 emissions
• dee ye nei analysis DNA analysis
• ee yah doctor ER doctor
• e fem radio FM radio
• gee yem foods GM foods
• ei chah manager HR manager
• e lei yek sairport LAX airport
• e mei yin art history MA in art history
• e mah rai scan MRI scan
• e nei ches doctor NHS doctor
• oh wee see dee report OECD report
• oh we lee dee television OLED television
• oh wem gee emoji OMG emoji
• oh we supdate OS update
• pee yee lesson PE lesson
• pee yoh box PO box
• pee yah company PR company
• pee yes five game PS5 game
• kyoo wah code scanner QR code scanner
• ah ree yem sleep REM sleep
• ah roh wai yof five percent ROI of 5%
• yoo wei yee dirham UAE dirham
• yoo we foh sighting UFO sighting
• yoo wen resolution UN resolution
• yoo we sei Olympic team USA Olympic team
• yoo weks designer UX designer
• vee yah headset VR headset
• ek sel size pants XL size pants
• wai yei fiction YA fiction

Try to pronounce these letters with natural linking for fast speech, in the way given above:

• ALT
• BLT sandwich
• BMI
• BO
• BR
• BS story
• new CEO
• CFO
• CNN broadcast
• COO
• CSI Miami
• DA
• DM
• DOA
• DUI conviction
• ER department
• midday EST
• FA cup
• FE college
• SFX-heavy movie
• ME
• MI5
• MO
• dot mx
• OA
• OMD
• OSS
• QE
• RA exhibition
• RE classes
• RSVP
• SNL
• TA
• TM
• URL
• USP
• VA
• VE day
• WA

Write the spelling of some words in the way above, then dictate them to someone else, making sure you start speaking quickly in the way that you have written them.