Everything about Th-stopping totally explained
Th-stopping is the realization of the
dental fricatives [θ,ð] as
stops, which occurs in several dialects of English. In some accents, such as
Hiberno-English, some varieties of
Newfoundland English, some varieties of
New York-New Jersey English, and
Indian English, they're realized as the dental stops [t̪,d̪] and as such don't merge with the
alveolar stops /t, d/. Thus pairs like
tin/
thin and
den/
then are not homophonous. In other accents, such as
Caribbean English and
Liberian English, such pairs are merged.
For some New Yorkers, the fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ are pronounced as affricatives or stops, rather than as fricatives. Usually they remain dental, so that the oppositions /t-θ/ and [d-ð] are not lost. Thus
thanks may be pronounced [θæŋks], [tθæŋks]
or [t̪æŋks] in decreasing order of statusfulness, all are distinct from
tanks. The [t̪] variant has a weakish articulation. the /t-θ/ opposition may be lost, exceptionally in the environment of a following /ɹ/ (making
three homophonous with
tree), and in the case of the word
with, (so that
with a may rhyme with the nonrhotic pronunciation of "bitter-bidder";
with you may be [wɪʧu], following the same yod-coalescence rule as
hit you. These pronunciation are all stigmatized.
The [d-ð] opposition seems to be lost more readily, though not as readily as the Brooklynese stereotype might lead one to believe. As in many other places, initial [ð] is subject to assimilation or deletion in a range of environments in relatively informal and/or popular speech, for example
who's there [huz(z)ɛə]; as in many other places, it's also subject to stopping
there /dɛə/. This option extends to one or two words in which the /ð/ isn't initial, for example
other, which can thus become a homonym of
utter-udder. But it wouldn't be usual for
southern to be pronounced identically with
sudden or
breathe with
breed.
In
African American Vernacular English, in the words
with and
nothing, [t] may occur corresponding to standard [ð], thus [wɪt] for
with and [ˈnʌtɪn] for
nothing. (Wolfram 1969:83) Th-stopping is also reported for some other non-initial [θ]s, apparently particularly when preceded by a nasal and followed by a plosive, as
keep your mout closed (Wolfram 1969:90). In initial position, [θ] occurs in AAVE just as in standard accents:
thin is [θɪn], without the stopping of West Indian accents. (Wolfram 1969:130, does however mention the use of 'a lenis [t]' as a rare variant.) Stopping of initial [ð], however, is frequent making
then homophonous with
den.
See also
Further Information
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