MylesRyden

Hey #linguist types...

I don't know exactly how to explain this, but is there a thing where the (I don't know what it is called} the sound at the end of some consonants, especially the letter "T" is being softened or is disappearing?

For example, I hear people (somewhat more frequently in the UK, but also in the US) pronouncing a word like "cotton" more like "caugh-en." Maybe I haven't explained myself clearly, but if you have an idea and a better way to describe this and whether it is a real, new thing, I would appreciate hearing!

#linguistics #pronounciation

Oct 20 at 2:52pmWeb
Show threadlingΓΌista aburridoOct 20
@MylesRyden Yeah, it's called a glottal stop
Show threadGeorge Liquor, AmericanOct 20
@MylesRyden It's called T-glottalization. The T sound ends up getting made not in the front of the mouth with the tongue pressed up to the hard palate, but farther back in the mouth by briefly restricting the flow of air to approximate a T sound. Good observation there
Show threadMylesRydenOct 20

@liquor_american

I thought there was a "glottal" something there. Are "regular" Ts are referred to as "plosives," if I am recalling correctly?

Is this substitution a new thing or becoming more common? As an old guy, I find it a bit irritating as I hear it as a bit of vocal laziness, but that is just me being a grumpy old man.

Thanks!

Show threadGeorge Liquor, AmericanOct 20

@MylesRyden Yes, a sound where you completely block the air momentarily is a plosive.

I don't really know about trends, but I know this particular habit isn't anything new. I had an Irish teacher in high school who would fuss at us for not pronouncing the Ts in "Atlanta," for example. This was many decades ago, mind you. But then as now I literally know zero people from the USA who pronounce those Ts "properly."

Show threadErgative AbsolutiveOct 20

@MylesRyden @liquor_american Both regular t and the glottal stop are varieties of plosive. Regular t is an 'alveolar plosive', and the glottal stop is 'glottal plosive'.

Glottal replacement is pretty well attested, and has been for generations.

Show threadπ”Έπ•Ÿπ•”π•šπ•–π•Ÿπ•₯ π•Šπ• π•¦π•Ÿπ••π•€ πŸ”‰Oct 20
@MylesRyden @liquor_american
It's pretty old (over 100 years in the UK) but spreading to more dialects, such as American
Show threadElisabeth MOct 20
@MylesRyden It's very common for this sound shift to take place on a word ending with N (cotton, button, etc). Other shifts show up for other word endings. For example, in the US it's common to shift the T sound to a D sound on words ending with R: pitter patter, flutter, butter, etc. (In some UK dialects these also become glottal stops, instead.) And have you noticed how the T completely disappears in the US shift from twenty to twenny?!
Show threadMylesRydenOct 20

@independentpen

Yes! Now that you mention it, that is a very common pattern.