Which linking sound occurs between vowels to create the phrase 'a free evening'?

Which linking sound occurs between vowels to create the phrase 'a free evening'?

• A. Intrusive /j/
• B. Intrusive /w/
• C. Liaison
• D. Consonant assimilation

Answer: (A)

When two vowel sounds meet across a word boundary, English often adds a tiny glide to connect them smoothly. In the phrase “a free evening,” the end of free is a long /iː/ and the start of evening also begins with a vowel, so a brief /j/ sound is inserted between them. This intrusive /j/ acts like a quick “y” bridge, so the phrase sounds like a, free, y, evening [ə friː j iːnɪŋ]. That’s why this is described as intrusive linking with a /j/. The other options don’t fit this exact pattern. An intrusive /w/ would link vowels with a /w/ glide in different sequences, which isn’t what's happening here. Liaison describes linking a consonant from the first word to the next, which isn’t involved when both words begin with vowels. Consonant assimilation involves changing a consonant’s sound across the boundary, not adding a glide between vowels. So the best fit for this vowel-to-vowel connection is the intrusive /j/.

When two vowel sounds meet across a word boundary, English often adds a tiny glide to connect them smoothly. In the phrase “a free evening,” the end of free is a long /iː/ and the start of evening also begins with a vowel, so a brief /j/ sound is inserted between them. This intrusive /j/ acts like a quick “y” bridge, so the phrase sounds like a, free, y, evening [ə friː j iːnɪŋ]. That’s why this is described as intrusive linking with a /j/.

The other options don’t fit this exact pattern. An intrusive /w/ would link vowels with a /w/ glide in different sequences, which isn’t what's happening here. Liaison describes linking a consonant from the first word to the next, which isn’t involved when both words begin with vowels. Consonant assimilation involves changing a consonant’s sound across the boundary, not adding a glide between vowels. So the best fit for this vowel-to-vowel connection is the intrusive /j/.