Is there a liaison in the sentence "je suis américain"?

Question

I heard the sentence “je suis desolé” read by a native audio program flashcard app as just “*je–suis–désolé*”, but then I listened to another one with “suis” in it: “je suis américain” and am I dreaming or is there a slur like “*je–swiss–américain*” as if the *suis* is slurred? I tried to find another way to confirm online but I couldn't. On my Ivona Text-to-Speech app there is no slur in the sentence “je suis américain”. Which one is accurate?

Answer 1

This difference can also depend on where you are--just like in English-speaking places/regions, pronunciation/dialect can change. The Liaison does cause the s to have a z sound and does go with the word that follows, assuming it starts with a vowel.

Answer 2

When speaking with advanced/fluent speakers you will most likely hear the liaison, so I would say that's the most accurate. That is because the last 's' in 'suis' is silent and there is a vowel/vowel sound in the following word; therefore it would be more natural to bring the sound of the 's' onto the next word. However, the sound is more a 'z' sound. So it would be "je-sui-zaméricain."