Th-stopping


Th-stopping is the realization of the dental fricatives as stops—either dental or alveolar—which occurs in several dialects of English. In some accents, such as of Indian English and middle- or upper-class Irish English, they are realized as the dental stops and as such do not merge with the alveolar stops ; thus, for example, tin is not a homophone of thin. In other accents, such as varieties of Caribbean English, Nigerian English, Liberian English, and older, rural, or working-class Irish English, such pairs are indeed merged. Variation between both dental and alveolar forms exists in much of the working-class English speech of North America and sometimes southern England. Th-stopping occurred in all continental Germanic languages, resulting in cognates such as German die for "the" and Bruder for "brother".

New York City English

For the working class of New York City and its surrounding region, the fricatives and are often pronounced as affricatives or stops, rather than as fricatives. Usually they remain dental, so that the oppositions and are not lost. Thus thanks may be pronounced,, or in decreasing order of occurrence; all are distinct from tanks. The variant has a weakish articulation. The opposition may be lost, exceptionally in the environment of a following , and in the case of the word with, (so that with a may rhyme with the non-rhotic pronunciation of "bitter-bidder"; with you may be, following the same yod-coalescence rule as hit you. These pronunciations are all stigmatized.
The 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 is subject to assimilation or deletion in a range of environments in relatively informal and/or popular speech, e.g. who's there ; as in many other places, it is also subject to stopping there. This option extends to one or two words in which the is not initial, e.g. other, which can thus become a homonym of utter-udder. But it would not be usual for southern to be pronounced identically with sudden or breathe with breed.

African American Vernacular English

In African American Vernacular English, in the words with and nothing, may occur corresponding to standard, with the itself being succeeded by the t-glottalization rule: thus for with and for nothing. Th-stopping is also reported for some other non-initial s, apparently particularly when preceded by a nasal and followed by a plosive, as keep your mouth closed. In initial position, occurs in AAVE just as in standard accents: thin is, without the stopping of West Indian accents. Stopping of initial, however, is frequent making then homophonous with den.

Frequency in other accents

Th-stopping is also commonly heard, specifically from speakers of working-class origins, in the American English dialects of the Inland North, the Upper Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic region, It is also heard in a minority of speakers of England's Estuary dialect, but only in case of the word-initial. Many speakers of Philippine English and some speakers of other variants in Asia also have th-stopping.
The dialect of Sheffield in England is sometimes referred to as "dee-dar" because of the Th-stopping to change initial to. However, a 1997 study in Sheffield found this was then largely confined to older males.

Homophonous pairs

IPANotes
ateeighth-
BartbathNon-rhotic accents with trap-bath split.
batbathWithout trap-bath split.
bayedbathe-
betBeth-
bladderblather-
blightBlythe-
blitterblitherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
boatboth-
bodybothyWithout lot-cloth split and with intervocalic alveolar flapping.
bootbooth-
breedbreathe-
Brettbreath-
broughtbrothWith lot–cloth split. Also in some accents.
cedarseether-
centsynthWith pen-pin merger.
citescythe-
clotclothWithout cot–caught merger.
cootcouth-
D; deetheThe before vowels and silent H.
D; deethee-
Danthan-
daretheir-
darethere-
darethey're-
Darudethe rude-
daythey-
debtdeath-
DeetheThe before vowels and silent H.
Deethee-
denthen-
densethence-
dentsthence-
dhowthou-
diethy-
dinethine-
dirtdearthwith fern-fir-fur merger.
disthis-
doethough-
doesthose-
doughthough-
dowthou-
dowthough-
droughtdrouth-
dyethy-
eatereither-
eaterether-
eighteighth-
fatefaith-
fetterfeatherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
fitfifthSome accents pronounce fifth as.
fodderfatherWith father-bother merger.
fortforth-
fortfourth-
fraughtfrothWith lot-cloth split.
frotfrothWithout lot-cloth split.
gotgoth, Goth-
groatgrowth-
harthearth-
headerheather-
hearthearth-
heatheath-
hitterhitherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
hurtearthWith H-dropping and fern-fir-fur merger.
IdaeitherNon-rhotic accents.
kneadneath-
kneaderneither-
kneedneath-
ladderlather-
ladelathe-
laidlathe-
latterlatherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
letterleatherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
liedlithe-
loadloathe-
loutLouth-
martyrMarthaNon-rhotic accents.
matmath-
meadMeath-
meatMeath-
meetMeath-
meteMeath-
mitmyth-
muttermotherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
naughtnorthNon-rhotic accents.
neaterneitherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
neatneath-
needneath-
oatoath-
oatsoaths-
odesoaths-
padspathsWithout trap-bath split.
paidpathe-
partpathNon-rhotic accents with trap-bath split.
partspathsNon-rhotic accents with trap-bath split.
patpathWithout trap-bath split.
patspathsWithout trap-bath split.
pitpith-
pitypithy-
ratwrathWithout trap-bath split.
ratewraith-
readwreathe-
readswreathes-
readswreaths-
reedwreathe-
reedswreathes-
reedswreaths-
ridewrithe-
rotRothWithout lot-cloth split.
rootruth, RuthWith yod-dropping.
Some accents pronounce root as.
routeruth, RuthWith yod-dropping.
Some accents pronounce route as.
scentsynthWith pen-pin merger.
seedseethe-
seederseether-
sentsynthWith pen-pin merger.
setsaith-
setSeth-
she'dsheathe-
sheetsheath-
sidescythe-
sightscythe-
sitSith-
sitescythe-
smitsmith-
smiteSmyth-
spiltspilth-
sootsoothSome accents pronounce soot as.
suddensouthernNon-rhotic accents.
suedsootheWith yod-dropping.
suedeswatheSome accents pronounce swathe as.
suitsoothWith yod-dropping.
swatswathWithout lot-cloth split.
swayedswatheSome accents pronounce swathe as.
tankthank-
taughtthought-
teatteeth-
tenttenth-
Thaithigh-
tickthick-
tidetithe-
tiethigh-
tiedtithe-
tinthin-
toottooth-
torthawNon-rhotic accents.
torThor-
torethawNon-rhotic accents with horse-hoarse merger.
toreThorWith horse-hoarse merger.
tornthornWith horse-hoarse merger.
tortthoughtNon-rhotic accents.
trashthrash-
trawlthrall-
treadthread-
treethree-
truethrew-
truethroughWith yod-dropping.
tumthumb-
tumpthump-
turdthirdWith fern-fir-fur merger.
udderother-
utterotherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
Utesyouths-
weltwealth-
wetterweatherWith intervocalic alveolar flapping.
witwidth-
witwith-
wordyworthy-
wortworthSome accents pronounce wort as.
wroughtRothWith lot-cloth split.