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2 votes
2 answers
93 views

Why does "pontoon" sound so uncommon or foreign? [closed]

Yes, I know "cartoon" sounds like normal English. But why does "pontoon", which rhymes with it, sound somewhat odd?: Somehow the accent on which syllable combined with choice of ...
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

/z/ + /ð/ = /zdð/?

I was wondering what exactly happens when the common English speaker* pronounces /z/ and /ð/ right after, for example , the word - combo "is this ...". Honestly, for me it's almost impossible to ...
5 votes
4 answers
4k views

Palatalization of the initial "s" in words starting with "str-"

Sometimes I hear native speakers pronounce the s at the beginning of a word as [ʃ]. For example, straight as [ʃtreɪt], or struggle as [ʃtrʌɡl]. It sounds like German words. Is it a certain English ...
5 votes
1 answer
8k views

Is the pronunciation of 'th' as in think 'f' specific to a native speaker's variety of English?

I'm asking this because I heard two people say fink* instead of think & bof* instead of both: a non native university teacher of English and a native speaker of English. If it's not a speech ...
2 votes
1 answer
530 views

T-glottalization in West Country accents -- is it a south-eastern influence?

English speakers from the West Country seem to glottalize their tees just like Estuary English speakers do. I can't find a word about T-glottalization in the West Country accents on the internet. I'm ...