5 ms·

The "Bri'ish" way of replacing it with a glottal stop is definitely more noticeable, but if you really listen to American English, they are more likely to compl

The "Bri'ish" way of replacing it with a glottal stop is definitely more noticeable, but if you really listen to American English, they are more likely to completely drop the sound, or replace it with a d.

thaumasiotes 5y ago
> if you really listen to American English, they are more likely to completely drop the sound, or replace it with a d. Not at all. Americans reduce many /d/s and /t/s to a flap, which is much weaker than a [d]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_and_flap_consonants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_and_flap_consonants Dropping a /d/ or /t/ is not common at all, except in the sense that an /nt/ cluster may be replaced by a nasal flap.
- henrikschroder 5y ago
  > Not at all. Americans reduce many /d/s and /t/s to a flap, which is much weaker than a [d]. Fair enough. When most American pronounce "city", I hear "siddie". What's going on there? Is that a flap?
jameshart 5y ago
There are American accents that have glottal stops too. I always notice it when I hear some Americans pronounce “button” as “bu’inn”. It’s really common in “mountain” too - “mowwn’nn”
- richardfontana 5y ago
  Indeed, I would go as far as to say that not glottalizing the /t/ in such words (preceding unstressed syllabic /n/) could sound somewhat odd or affected in American English. "Important" is an interesting word in American English. I think for many speakers including me the first /t/ is glottalized (following the general rule noted above) but for me at least there's a sound preceding the glottal sound which I don't know how to describe other than "t realization sound". I feel like I've noticed younger (than me) American speakers omitting that first sound and just using the second (normal /n/-preceding) glottal sound. I think I've only noticed this in the Boston area where I currently live but it may be more widespread. To me it makes the pronunciation of "important" sound slightly more like how I'd expect a stereotypical southern England pronunciation to sound, except for the /r/. I have also heard Americans pronounce "important" with the /t/ realized as (I think) a flap and no glottalization, which sounds sort of affected to me, as though the speaker is trying to avoid the glottal sound.
bregma 5y ago
"Bri'ish" is the pronunciation by those living east of London of the word those just west of that city who use RP pronounce as "Bwwwitish".

thaumasiotes 5y ago

> if you really listen to American English, they are more likely to completely drop the sound, or replace it with a d. Not at all. Americans reduce many /d/s and /t/s to a flap, which is much weaker than a [d]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_and_flap_consonants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_and_flap_consonants Dropping a /d/ or /t/ is not common at all, except in the sense that an /nt/ cluster may be replaced by a nasal flap.

henrikschroder 5y ago
> Not at all. Americans reduce many /d/s and /t/s to a flap, which is much weaker than a [d]. Fair enough. When most American pronounce "city", I hear "siddie". What's going on there? Is that a flap?

jameshart 5y ago

There are American accents that have glottal stops too. I always notice it when I hear some Americans pronounce “button” as “bu’inn”. It’s really common in “mountain” too - “mowwn’nn”

richardfontana 5y ago
Indeed, I would go as far as to say that not glottalizing the /t/ in such words (preceding unstressed syllabic /n/) could sound somewhat odd or affected in American English. "Important" is an interesting word in American English. I think for many speakers including me the first /t/ is glottalized (following the general rule noted above) but for me at least there's a sound preceding the glottal sound which I don't know how to describe other than "t realization sound". I feel like I've noticed younger (than me) American speakers omitting that first sound and just using the second (normal /n/-preceding) glottal sound. I think I've only noticed this in the Boston area where I currently live but it may be more widespread. To me it makes the pronunciation of "important" sound slightly more like how I'd expect a stereotypical southern England pronunciation to sound, except for the /r/. I have also heard Americans pronounce "important" with the /t/ realized as (I think) a flap and no glottalization, which sounds sort of affected to me, as though the speaker is trying to avoid the glottal sound.

bregma 5y ago

"Bri'ish" is the pronunciation by those living east of London of the word those just west of that city who use RP pronounce as "Bwwwitish".