Hoon.
Is it correct to pronounce sound /t/ in "to" as /d/? 0:54 And enclosed chamber has it opening beneath sea level, which allows water to float from the sea to the chamber and back. 1:03 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcStpg3i5V8 ) In the above video, the /t/ sound in "to float" is pronounced as /d/ So I saw the following video and found out that /t/ is often pronounced as /d/ flap t sound. 0:58-1:04 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nwbzoIP14E "The world 'to' will reduce to either the true T-schwa sound, or the flap T-schwa sound. " She gives example "to the [tə ðə]/[də ðə]" But is it correct to pronounce "to" as [də]?
Sep 16, 2014 6:38 PM
Answers · 5
3
The "t flap" sound is similar to the korean syllable-initial "r" sound. The "t" in "to" is pronounced this way in US English when the previous word ends in a vowel or an "r." This is not the case in the main British dialects. This is how U.S. English is really spoken -- imitate how native speakers really speak, not how they think they speak. When your pronunciation is a close to reality as possible, your ability to understand the spoken word will be enormously enhanced.
September 17, 2014
1
...which allows water to FLOW… not float. Rachel's videos are amazing, I'd follow whatever she says. Yeah, I guess it depends on the others sounds, it's something in between. I'd say go with the T sound. This is native speaker detail. Emulating this will not make you a better English speaker.
September 16, 2014
1
...the word is 'flow' not float.
September 16, 2014
The links you gave do not seem to work for me but I would say no, it is not correct - in your examples, the "t" should sound like a "t". It may vary in different parts of the English-speaking world though - for example, I believe that in some parts of the USA, "duty" (which we in the UK would pronounce [ˈdjuːti]) and is pronounced [ˈduːti] in standard US English) can be pronounced [ˈduːdi] in some parts of the US.
September 16, 2014
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