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 UnderstandingDoes 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
Answers 1-T 2-T 3-D 4-D 5-T