Which term describes omission of a sound in fluent speech?

• A. Epenthesis
• B. Elision
• C. Assimilation
• D. Cluster reduction

Answer: (B)

Elision is the omission of a sound in fluent speech. In natural talking, speakers often skip sounds to speak more quickly or smoothly, especially across word boundaries or in rapid delivery. A simple example is dropping a final consonant in a word when followed by another word, so “next door” might sound like “nex door.” Another common case is dropping a vowel within a word in casual speech, so a word like “camera” can come out as “camra.” Because elision explicitly describes the removal or deletion of a sound, it’s the best match for “omission of a sound in fluent speech.” Epenthesis would be adding a sound, assimilation involves a sound changing to become more like a neighbor, and cluster reduction refers to dropping a sound specifically within a consonant cluster rather than general deletion.