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Intonation (Part 4)
Pronouncing "T"

In any language, there are areas of overlap, where one category has a great deal in common with a different category. In this case, intonation and pronunciation have two areas of overlap. First is the pronunciation of the letter T. When a T is at the beginning of a word (such as table, ten, take), it is a clear sharp sound. It is also clear in combination with certain other letters, (contract, contain, etc.) When T is in the middle of a word (or in an unstressed position), it turns into a softer D sound. (This is covered in more detail in pronunciation.)

Betty bought a bit of better butter.

Sounds like:

Beddy bada bida bedder budder.
Click to listen

It is this intonation/pronunciation shift that accounts for the difference between photography (phoTAgraphy) and photograph (PHOdagraph).

This lesson has been provided by Ann Cook, author of American Accent Training. Visit her website at www.americanaccent.com.

Check Your Understanding

Does the pronunciation of the following words have a strong "T" sound or a softer "D" sound?

1. Tommy

Tommy
Dommy

2. Italian

ITalian
IDalian

3. Italy

ITaly
IDaly

4. water

waTer
waDer

5. container

conTainer
conDainer

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