Pronouncing /d/ versus /t/ (e.g. word Fifty)

English as a Second Language Listening, speaking, pronunciation and accent
1

Hi,

Some people ,instead of pronouncing /t/, pronounce /d/, as in:

later (adv): Instead of saying /leit…/, some say /leid…/
Fifty: Instead of saying /fifti/, some say /fifdi/.

Do you think it is positive or negative?

Thanks.
K

2

Hi,

I don’t think negativity or positivity come into it. It is merely a question of enunciation and how much clarity you give to the letter ‘t’. This is similar to making putting rhyme with pudding.

Alan

3

It is a feature of North American English that a /t/ between two vowels is pronounced as an alveolar tap (like a very quick [d]) when the first vowel is stressed and the second one isn’t.

As Alan points out, this is not a positive or negative phenomenon, but is just part of the reality of regional variation. This pronunciation is standard in North America, and not in England.

4

Here is my attempt at pronouncing fifty the British as well as the American way…[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, photographs: Break for a smoke[YSaerTTEW443543]