ackshly English - pt.2

In the television series Doctor Foster, fairly at the beginning of episode 1, Emma Foster, who's just found a lipstick among the belongings of her husband Simon, asks: "Is this yours?" and he replies: "Yes, actually", to be transcribed as: /ðɪʃʊəz/ - /jes ækʃi/. In a later scene Simon says: "It was real actually." /ɪt wəz rɪəl ækʃli/. Listen:

In The Kennedys, a BBC sitcom, there are some more examples. Tony Kennedy asks his friend Tim, if he happens to know how to get hold of pasta not in a tin. To which Tim replies: "Actually, I do know someone who might have some pasta not in a tin."
In another episode Tony tells his wife Brenda that she's just ruined their car. "You have actually killed the car."
The first sample contains the weakform /ækʃi/ of the adverb, while the second sound track illustrates the strongform variant /ækʧʊəli/.

ackshly English

What is this post ackshly about? It's about the adverb actually.
It's not only an adverb but also a weakform word. The strongform pronunciation is usually /ˈækʧuəli/, or in a more traditional manner /ˈæktjuəli/.
To make your conversations in English sound more natural and relaxed, try some of these weakform variants:

• /ˈækʧuli/, /ˈækʃuli/,
• /ˈækʧəli/, /ˈækʃəli/,
• /ˈækʧli/, /ˈækʃli/, /ˈækʃi/, /æʃli/.

 Here are a few sentences containing 'actually': Give them a try!

1. It actually works.
2. Prices have actually fallen. 
3. She's actually glad about it.
4. His story is actually true.
5. D'you think ghosts actually exist?
6. He actually believes his own crap.
7. I've actually known him for quite a long time.
8. It actually happened.
9. You couldn't actually have seen him.
10. I don't actually like whiskey.