Th-pronunciation questions for North-Americans?

Question

Do you say 'baFroom' instead of baTHroom?
Do you say 'paTH' instead of 'paF'?
Do you say 'Deir/Dis/Dose' instead of 'THeir/THis/THose'?
If you do, why and when do you pronounce the unvoiced th like a ''f'', and the voiced one like a ''d''? Is there like a certain situation where you wouldn't do this?

I often hear American people pronouncing the unvoiced th like a ''f'', but only if the word ends with -th like in baTH', or has -th in the middle like 'someTHing' (that's probably 'cause words like there/this/thought would sound like fair, fis and fought, if the -th would be pronounced like a ''f'). And I also hear voiced th's often pronounced like ''d''s.

So, when would you use a ''f'' over an unvoiced th and a ''d'' over a voiced th ? Any more information would be appreciated, Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The F pronunciation is a regional thing. It's not a pronunciation that is used by most English-speakers. I know that people with thick New York accents and other accents, sometimes use that F pronunciation, but it's not the way most English speakers say it. That's not to say that it's incorrect, it's just that there are a variety of ways in which English is pronounced and they're all acceptable, as long as people are spelling correctly. English has a variety of ways of pronouncing and saying things, like the Jamaican way, the British way, the Scottish way, the Australian way, etc.



Most Americans and English speakers don't say the F pronunciation for the TH at any time.



The D pronunciation is also a regional thing, depending on the accent. Some people, the TH like D's like "Dat" or "Dere..." Some people say it like that, some don't. Again that variation is allowed.



I always say it as "th," I think. Although sometimes the TH is more teethy than at other times. Like when I say "the blanket," the "TH" is quieter, while when I say "the elephant," the "TH" sound is more teethy, my tongue is more on my teeth.





The "TH" is a sound that's hard to explain how to do. You put your tongue against your teeth and blow air through your tongue. You just have to hear it.





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Actually I should correct myself, you could say "thuh" all the time if you want, but I use the "thee" pronunciation before a vowel along with the "thuh." That's just how my accent is. In English there are numerous acceptable ways of pronouncing things, depending on how you speak and what country you're from and what region you're from. As long as you spell it correctly, and it's understandable. There are some pronunciations, that are always wrong, however. I guess the rule is, as long as enough people say it a certain way, then it's okay.

Answer 2

Some people speak with speach impediiments- it really is TH in bathroom and their/there/they're, with the "TH"'s. Some other people think it sounds cool and "gangsta" to use an F or D sound. Personally, I think that speaking in proper English makes you sound a lot smarter and I as an American would immediatly respect you more unless it was an impediment.

Answer 3

It's always said as "TH" no matter what the word.

People with speech impediments, people with accents within the U.S.A., people with foreign accents, and just people who talk really fast sometimes make it sound like "d" or "f"

But it should be "th"

Don't feel bad if you can't say it though. Your English would still be perfectly comprehensible. ^_^

Answer 4

you should always say "th" and not "d" or "f". We Americans end up slurring our speak a lot, and therefore mispronouncing things. The correct way to say the words would be paTH, baTHroom...

dont worry about pronouncing secret "f"s or "d"s.

I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Check out this link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_Vernacular_English#Phonology



The features that you are talking about are unique to African American Vernacular, but scholars are still debating the origins of specific features like these.