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I realize some native speakers will create a new sound when linking s/z and y [j]. For example:

Miss you = [mɪʃuː] "mishu"

As you = [/æʒuː] "azhu"

Is it okay if I just say [mɪsjuː] for "miss you" and [æzjuː] for "as you"? Do native speakers always do that specific linking sound? Is it stigmatized in any way?

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    Discussed some here: Are what-cha and arent-cha examples of elision?
    – herisson
    Commented Feb 13, 2016 at 21:31
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    It's acceptable, and will not raise any eyebrows; but there is usually a slight retention of the original sibilant (elided miss you does not sound exactly like tissue), and if you don't reproduce that it will sound a little odd. And I see no reason why you spend any effort trying to reproduce the elision when the unelided pronunciation is just as acceptable. Put your energy somewhere else.
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented Feb 13, 2016 at 22:07

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Yes, except perhaps for the devoicing of [j], all of the changes from [sj] to [ʃ] are optional, so far as I can tell. We have [mɪsju], [mɪsj̥u], [mɪsçu], [mɪsʃu], [mɪʃʃu], [mɪʃu] by various assimilations. It's interesting to try characterizing the differences from "I miss shoes", "I miss Hughes".

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