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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
How do you pronounce“Is there” in fast speech?
I'm not the native speaker of English, and I was recently puzzled with the question "how can Americans put their tongue in "z"(is) position and then change to th (there) in such short time." please explain,thanks in advance
Top answer
There are a couple of answers to this. One is that a lot of American English speakers leave out the "th" sound when speaking quickly. So it might sound like "izzair".
- There are a couple of answers to this.
- One is that a lot of American English speakers leave out the "th" sound when speaking quickly.
- So it might sound like "izzair".
- People who speak a little more carefully, but still quickly, will slide their tongue forward just a little bit.
- The "z" sound and the "th" sound in the word "there" are actually very close to each other.
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3 Answers
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There are a couple of answers to this. One is that a lot of American English speakers leave out the "th" sound when speaking quickly. So it might sound like "izzair".
People who speak a little more carefully, but still quickly, will slide their tongue forward just a little bit. The "z" sound and the "th" sound in the word "there" are actually very close to each other. When you're saying "
People who speak a little more carefully, but still quickly, will slide their tongue forward just a little bit. The "z" sound and the "th" sound in the word "there" are actually very close to each other. When you're saying "
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Anonymoushow can Americans put their tongue in "z"(is) position and then change to th (there) in such short time.It's easy. Both require the tongue to be in approximately the same place in the mouth, so if you're having a lot of trouble with it, you're doing something wrong with either the 'z' or the 'th'. The tongue just slips down a bit. Relax. Don't tr
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th + z > fronted z
Why fronted z? /z/ is alveolar and /th/ is inter dental.
Articulate /th/ and move the tip (articulator) towards the gum, what do you notice? Definitely not /th/, but an allophone of /z/.
In non-native Englishes, one doesn't hear this sound.
Examples:
Is there
is that
whats that
whats this
isthm
Why fronted z? /z/ is alveolar and /th/ is inter dental.
Articulate /th/ and move the tip (articulator) towards the gum, what do you notice? Definitely not /th/, but an allophone of /z/.
In non-native Englishes, one doesn't hear this sound.
Examples:
Is there
is that
whats that
whats this
isthm
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