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Jingtian Posted 17 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
"Trader" and "Traitor" in American English
Are "trader" and "traitor" pronounced the same way in American English? Do they have the same pronunciation?
It seems to me that the Americans pronouce "ter" "tor" at the end of a word as "der" or "dor."
It seems to me that the Americans pronouce "ter" "tor" at the end of a word as "der" or "dor."
Top answer
The "er" is the same in both. Some of us try to articulate the "t," but not if we're in a hurry. "
- The "er" is the same in both.
- Some of us try to articulate the "t," but not if we're in a hurry.
- "
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16 Answers
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The "er" is the same in both. Some of us try to articulate the "t," but not if we're in a hurry. I don't think anybody says "dor."
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Hi Avangi, thank you for your reply.
Do you mean that when you speak very fast, you will not pronounce "t" very clearly, instead, you will pronounce it like "d?"
Do you mean that when you speak very fast, you will not pronounce "t" very clearly, instead, you will pronounce it like "d?"
00
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OK. Great!
Suppose there is a word spelt as "trater." If we pronounce "t" as "d", then how can we distinguish it from "trader" if you hear such a word? Would these two words be pronounced the same way?
Suppose there is a word spelt as "trater." If we pronounce "t" as "d", then how can we distinguish it from "trader" if you hear such a word? Would these two words be pronounced the same way?
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Hypothetical questions about what people's habits might be if things were different than they are don't often produce useful answers.
But generally speaking we use context to assign meanings to real homonyms, (like "reed," "read," "read," and "red"); so why not use context to decode hypothetical ones?
But generally speaking we use context to assign meanings to real homonyms, (like "reed," "read," "read," and "red"); so why not use context to decode hypothetical ones?
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Must admit that I'm English, not American, but some American states citizens do have a slight drawl to their accents, and, in this case, the two words may sound very similar. However, the context in which the word is being used would generally help you know which of the two words they mean. eg it is unlikely that a person would be called 'a market traitor', or 'a trader to the cause'.
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I pronounce them the same. Like "writer" and "rider", there's no difference for me. As far as I know, it's common in the US to pronounce them the same, but some (or several?) Americans do distinguish one from the other because of a difference in the vowel before T or D. I guess it's called Canadian raising, but I am not completely sure. So, "traitor" and "trader" would be different because the vo
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I think the vowel sounds in "traitor" and "trader" are the same.
Last time, I said to a colleague of mine (I was joking): "Someone says that you are a traitor." And he asked me, "Do you mean traitor or trader?"
I also think that "writer" and "rider" are pronounced the same in American English.
Last time, I said to a colleague of mine (I was joking): "Someone says that you are a traitor." And he asked me, "Do you mean traitor or trader?"
I also think that "writer" and "rider" are pronounced the same in American English.
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Yes, they do have same pronunciation in allegro tempo (casual, fast speech). In a very careful speech, yes, you can see the difference: unaspirated t in "tor"
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KooyeenCanadian raisingOnly for the diphthongs /ai/ and /au/, so "traitor" and "trader", having neither of those, would be pronounced the same.
CJ
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