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Nittersing

(6,270 posts)
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:24 AM Oct 2021

Have You Noticed People Not Pronouncing Their T's?

Dropping T's in words like "kitten," "Vermont" and "important" is a normal speech pattern, and there's even a name for it: T-glottalization!

Two of our listeners wrote in recently to ask about a speech pattern they’d noticed: the habit of people dropping the T-sound in words like “Putin” or “mitten.” They wondered if this was a regional dialect, a generational one, or something else.

Here’s what we discovered.

The phenomenon itself is known as “T-glottalization.” It occurs when a speaker swallows the T sound in a word rather than speaking it aloud. We hear it when words like “kitten” and “water” are pronounced like “KIH-en” and “WAH-er.”

Let’s talk about how this happens, and whether we should expect more of it.

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/pronouncing-T


I think I do this more than I thought I did. Ever evolving I guess.

33 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Have You Noticed People Not Pronouncing Their T's? (Original Post) Nittersing Oct 2021 OP
Probably brought about by Turbineguy Oct 2021 #1
Ha! Nittersing Oct 2021 #2
Yes! MontanaMama Oct 2021 #3
I live in ME, so ayuh. GPV Oct 2021 #4
Some local TV reporters do that here in St. Louis bcool Oct 2021 #5
I worked with a woman from Bricktown NJ and she did that all the time.. mitch96 Oct 2021 #6
..also adding a "cy" to everything, like "relevancey", "competency", etc whathehell Oct 2021 #7
It drives me nuts. Sounds ignorant. louis-t Oct 2021 #8
I first noticed it in Pop and Rap songs? Maybe like parrots we repeat what we hear?? walkingman Oct 2021 #9
I hear it a lot, mostly from younger people, and it's annoying. Ocelot II Oct 2021 #10
I'm guilty of kitten and buttons but Nittersing Oct 2021 #11
thats normal - button and kitten Blues Heron Oct 2021 #17
It's "KIH-en", It's "KIH-en", It's "KIH-en" Kinna Hectic! Anon-C Oct 2021 #12
I've been griping about this for the past couple of years. nocoincidences Oct 2021 #13
They also add Ts where they shouldnt Blues Heron Oct 2021 #14
I've noticed some words goiong that way, but others... Binkie The Clown Oct 2021 #15
As an English teacher in a previous life, Tetrachloride Oct 2021 #18
I notice this mostly on local news broadcasts.... VarryOn Oct 2021 #16
Aagh! That's the worst! Ocelot II Oct 2021 #25
This verbal tic began among (how shall we put it so as not to offend anyone?) the least educated, sop Oct 2021 #19
I pity the fool who does that! nt Shermann Oct 2021 #20
You mean pi'y ? nt eppur_se_muova Oct 2021 #22
One of the hallmarks of a Cockney accent. eppur_se_muova Oct 2021 #21
The phenomenon is nothing new Blues Heron Oct 2021 #23
only when i say kitten samnsara Oct 2021 #24
Oh man, GWB had a press secretary that constantly pronounced tanyev Oct 2021 #26
that makes me cringe too Skittles Oct 2021 #31
I've told my son many times that he can do poorly at science, math, history, but... VarryOn Oct 2021 #27
Is this the same as how people say "import-UNT"? Patterson Oct 2021 #28
omg, Texas Skittles Oct 2021 #30
yes, and it is fucking irritating Skittles Oct 2021 #29
I find that I pronounce "water" as "wadder" if I'm speaking fast ailsagirl Oct 2021 #32
No; I pronounce mine and haven't noticed others 'dropping' theirs left-of-center2012 Oct 2021 #33

mitch96

(13,816 posts)
6. I worked with a woman from Bricktown NJ and she did that all the time..
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:30 AM
Oct 2021

Mount-en etc. She would also change the "T" to a "d" Pud-in Wadder
I find it interesting how the brits change the TH to an F.. Think? fink etc. YMMV
m

whathehell

(28,968 posts)
7. ..also adding a "cy" to everything, like "relevancey", "competency", etc
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:32 AM
Oct 2021

What was wrong with "competence" and "relevance?

So stupid..I can understand the efficiency of shortening, abbreviating a word, but why would you ADD a syllable for no reason?

louis-t

(23,199 posts)
8. It drives me nuts. Sounds ignorant.
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:34 AM
Oct 2021

It's one of those bad habits that tends to sweep the nation, 'know what I mean'?

Ocelot II

(115,269 posts)
10. I hear it a lot, mostly from younger people, and it's annoying.
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:36 AM
Oct 2021

Maybe it's a fad like vocal fry but I wish they'd stop. A baby cat is a kitten, not a ki'un. Those things on the front of your shirt are buttons, not bu'ins. Why have a letter at all if you're not going to use it? And that's letter, not le'ur.

Nittersing

(6,270 posts)
11. I'm guilty of kitten and buttons but
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:38 AM
Oct 2021

letter still has a "t" in it.

At least when I say it.

Wow. I do this a lot!

Blues Heron

(5,898 posts)
17. thats normal - button and kitten
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 12:11 PM
Oct 2021

those have always had a dropped T. Letter always had the T pronounced though, Boathouse had the T, now it doesnt with this new fad

nocoincidences

(2,195 posts)
13. I've been griping about this for the past couple of years.
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:41 AM
Oct 2021

My last name has a T in the middle so it is jarring to me to keep hearing my name with no T pronounced!

Blues Heron

(5,898 posts)
14. They also add Ts where they shouldnt
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:45 AM
Oct 2021

Boathouse and Kitten are two good examples. Normally you would not pronounce the T in Kitten but would in Boathouse - this fad has these reversed so the T in kitten is pronounced, but the one in Boathouse is dropped.

What is the origin of this? Paging Deborah Tannen!

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)
15. I've noticed some words goiong that way, but others...
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 11:47 AM
Oct 2021

... like water and bottle seem to be replacing the "t" sound with "d" as in "wadder" and "boddle".

The glottal stop in those two sounds distinctly British to me. I've just never heard them in the U.S.

 

VarryOn

(2,343 posts)
16. I notice this mostly on local news broadcasts....
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 12:10 PM
Oct 2021

The mangling of "important" with "impor-unt" is especially galling.

sop

(9,945 posts)
19. This verbal tic began among (how shall we put it so as not to offend anyone?) the least educated,
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 12:15 PM
Oct 2021

then it migrated to the general population. Now it seems just about everyone younger than a certain age is dropping their T-sounds. T-glottalization is the latest annoying thing. I imagine it stems from their need to look, act and sound like everyone else...you know, to be individuals.

Another thing that drives me nuts is hearing people beginning every sentence with the word "so." Now everyone being interviewed on tv - from political figures, media personalities, down to kids in elementary school - prefaces their responses with "So..." It's the new "like." And don't get me started on tattoos.

eppur_se_muova

(36,227 posts)
21. One of the hallmarks of a Cockney accent.
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 12:41 PM
Oct 2021

When you learn Arabic, the Cockney pronunciation of "bottle" is used to illustrate the use of hamza.

Blues Heron

(5,898 posts)
23. The phenomenon is nothing new
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 01:14 PM
Oct 2021

Boston people with Cah (Car) and Ideer (Idea) take away an R and add it somewhere else

Jamaica people with the H - 'air (hair) and h'air (air) take away an H add it somewhere else

and now this T thing - take one away, add it in somewhere else. Its almost like the total number of t's in the universe needs to remain the same- any unpronounced T needs to be added back in somewhere else.

tanyev

(42,356 posts)
26. Oh man, GWB had a press secretary that constantly pronounced
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 01:25 PM
Oct 2021

“important” as “impordend”. Scott McClellan. Drove me up a wall then, and I’m getting some flashbacks right now just thinking about it. *shudder*

 

VarryOn

(2,343 posts)
27. I've told my son many times that he can do poorly at science, math, history, but...
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 02:25 PM
Oct 2021

His grammar and use of language is the first impression he gets to make with most. Proper language can over a hot of other shortcomings. If you come across as uneducated, uncultivated and poor in language, it's a difficult impression to over come.

Improper noun/verb agreement, double negatives, "ain't", improper use of I versus me, "good" versus "well", are just a few I have spaoboxes on around here!

Skittles

(152,964 posts)
29. yes, and it is fucking irritating
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 03:29 PM
Oct 2021

Last edited Sat Oct 2, 2021, 05:13 PM - Edit history (1)

it sounds ridiculous

another thing is incorrectly pronouncing contractions - instead of WOULDN'T they say WOULD-ENT

edited to add: I hear them say KIT - EN instead of KIT-TEN

ailsagirl

(22,837 posts)
32. I find that I pronounce "water" as "wadder" if I'm speaking fast
Sat Oct 2, 2021, 05:44 PM
Oct 2021

I'd have to slow it way down to enunciate the t sound

I'm sure there are many similar things I do, but I'd just as soon not know what they are!!

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