Pronunciation - t (omission of /t/ in AmE)
Hi all!!
I've realized, at least in AmE, that native english speakers sometimes omit the /t/ in a consonat group at the end of a word, in fast informal speech. Here goes a text with some examples.
-Grandpa accpets help from no one. It's sad. He lifts heavy things and acts like it's easy, but his weight tests his strengh. He rests when the thinks no one is looking. I keep telling him to let me help. One day maybe he'll listen.
Eg:
acts --> /æks/
accepts--> /ək'seps/
lifts--> /lɪfs/
rests---> /ress/
tests----> /tess/
What do you think about it? Are there any other examples like above?
6 Answers
You think Ame is bad for dropping letters...I live in the north of england and there are at least 10 different accents within 50 miles of where i live and each drops more than just 't'. The number of word contractions is amazing. We also like to drops whole verbs too. Grea' in' i?'. ('it's great, isn't it?)
Try to watch an english tv programme called Coronation Street. You will see what I mean. Enjoy.
trumpetnut
Romeo is absolutely right. Very common in Spanish also.
http://spanish.about.com/cs/pronunciation/g/elisiongl.htm
hi
i'm going to answer despite i'm not an english native speaker...
that proces is called "Elision of consonants" and it happens when a speaker simplies a complex consonant cluster and as long as I know it is also used in british english or RP...(apart from american english).
to bear out what I wrote i have to say i've been studying english phonetics for 2 years..
hope it helps.
When I say those words aloud to myself it seems that yes I most definitely omit the "t" sound. In fact I have a hard time pronouncing many of those words with the "t" sound regardless of whether or not I am speaking fast or am in a formal situation. I pronounce the words ending in "sts" (tests, rests) with two "sss" sounds and just a slight "t" sound, the first one, "ess" is cut short with a slight pause before the other, longer "tsss" sound. "tes ss". I pronounce "accepts" without a "t" sound, instead using "pss" - "accepss". Hope that helps!
Not sure if this is helpful, but I think you add an extra half second when saying a word with a t in it (tests) as opposed to if it were simply an s (Tess).
Leslie
I believe it is idiomatic, not what we call the Queen's English. In Andalucia I heard:
Por máh que m'ehtiré, no yegué a arcanzal·lo (Por más que me estiré, no llegué a alcanzarlo)
