# internet, interview (pronunciation, silent "t")



## i_have_doubts

Hi there! 
According to this web there are some established words where there is a T in the middle and such letter is pronounced as a silent T. I already knew that but I've heard some people from USA to pronounce the letter T as a silent T in some words where it actually should be pronounced as a "True" T (what i mean with a "True" T is like the sound of T in the word "*t*able").
This often happens in spoken English in words like internet,interview or wanted among other. They would be pronounced "ainernet" ,"ainerviu" and "uonid" respectively. Sorry for that notation is like I hear them in Spanish.

So the questions are:

Is this due to a bad usage of English pronunciation? 
Do you spoil the language when you do it? 
Is it common in a formal atmosphere?

Some time ago, a friend from USA corrected me when i said "ainernet" instead of "ainternet".

Thanks in advance.

***EDITED****
It is pronounced "internet" and "interviu"


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## Peterdg

Where do you get the "ai" from in "ainternet" or "ainerviu"? The first letter of "internet" and "interview" is pronounced like the Spanish "i", not as "ai".


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## Rubns

"Internet" and "interview" are not pronounced like "ainternet" or "ainterviu", the first "i" sounds like the "i" in "invent". And about the silent t, this is another phenomenon, what you probably heard from Americans was a "nasal tap", for example "winner" and "winter" may sound the same in quick speech because the "t" in "winter" is elided.


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## Nipnip

i_have_doubts said:


> Is this due to a bad usage of English pronunciation?
> I would say a natural development of the language.
> Do you spoil the language when you do it?
> It will depend on whom you ask. I personally don't think much of it.
> Is it common in a formal atmosphere?
> It is common pretty much everywhere, but more careful pronunciations do try to avoid it. George W. Bush didn't hide it.


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## i_have_doubts

Rubns said:


> "Internet" and "interview" are not pronounced like "ainternet" or "ainterviu", the first "i" sounds like the "i" in "invent".


Ups, I was wrong. It's not pronounced "ainternet". You and Peterdg are right . Thanks .



> And about the silent t, this is another phenomenon, what you probably heard from Americans was a "nasal tap", for example "winner" and "winter" may sound the same in quick speech because the "t" in "winter" is elided.



Yes in fact this happens when the word contains a syllable which ends in -N and It follows it a syllable which begins with an unstressed -T. 

Thanks!


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## i_have_doubts

Awesome! very helpful! That about G.Bush was very funny XDD 

Thanks!


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## Wandering JJ

The comments about "silent t after n" apply only to AE, not BE. Our 'winter' never sounds like 'winner', for example.


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## FromPA

With the word "true" the initial sound is not the letter "t" but the consonant blend "tr," a very different sound.  The letter "t" is very often dropped in the middle of a word, but this happens as a result of imprecise pronunciation when speaking rapidly.  If a person is speaking carefully, the "t" will be pronounced.


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## i_have_doubts

Wandering JJ said:


> The comments about "silent t after n" apply only to AE, not BE. Our 'winter' never sounds like 'winner', for example.


Yes you are right. I thought this phenomenon it belonged to an american dialect and that was the reason why i posted my doubt here.But now i know is common in USA. 
Thanks.


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## k-in-sc

i_have_doubts said:


> Yes, you are right. I thought this phenomenon it belonged to an *A*merican dialect and that was the reason why *I* posted my doubt *question* here. But now *I* know *it* is common in USA. *the U.S.*


The "t" is always still there. If you pronounce it like it isn't there at all, you will be mispronouncing the word. That's probably why your friend corrected you.


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## i_have_doubts

FromPA said:


> The letter "t" is very often dropped in the middle of a word, but this happens as a result of imprecise pronunciation when speaking rapidly.  If a person is speaking carefully, the "t" will be pronounced.



Yes but that only happens with the words i mentioned above ,right?
I mean for example in the word "water" is very known that is pronounced "warer" (approximately) in all America. With a flap T.


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## Spug

Peterdg said:


> Where do you get the "ai" from in "ainternet" or "ainerviu"? The first letter of "internet" and "interview" is pronounced like the Spanish "i", not as "ai".



No, it is not. The initial _i_ in _internet _and _interview _is the English short _i_. Its sound is quite distinct from the Spanish _i_. Rubns has it right: the initial _i_ in both of those words has the same sound as the initial _i_ in _invent_.


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## i_have_doubts

k-in-sc said:


> The "t" is always still there. If you pronounce it like it isn't there at all, you will be mispronouncing the word. That's probably why your friend corrected you.



Thanks for the corrections. Nice but if what you mean with "there" are the words:  internet,interview or wanted , then all the people in U.S. mispronounce those words. Here an example from the second 40 onward the word "interview" is pronounce as "inerview" twice. And that is a very formal context, with the president you know.


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## Peterdg

Spug said:


> No, it is not. The initial _i_ in _internet _and _interview _is the English short _i_. Its sound is quite distinct from the Spanish _i_. Rubns has it right: the initial _i_ in both of those words has the same sound as the initial _i_ in _invent_.


Could you explain how the "i" in the English word "*i*nvent" would be different from the "i" in the Spanish word "*i*nvención"?


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## i_have_doubts

Peterdg said:


> Could you explain how the "i" in the English word "*i*nvent" would be different from the "i" in the Spanish word "*i*nvención"?


No.There is no way because in Spanish we only have one sound for the vowel i. We haven't the short i. I know what you and Spug mean. You just gave me an approximate "Spanish" pronunciation.


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## fenixpollo

Peterdg said:


> Could you explain how the "i" in the English word "*i*nvent" would be different from the "i" in the Spanish word "*i*nvención"?


To an anglophone ear, the Spanish word would sound like it started with *een*, not with *in*.


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## Peterdg

fenixpollo said:


> To an anglophone ear, the Spanish word would sound like it started with *een*, not with *in*.



Are you saying that when a Spaniard says "*i*nvención" you hear the "ie" of "y*ie*ld"? Strange! 

I don't, and Dutch also knows long and short vowels (unlike Spanish). Of course, it may depend on who says it (as Spanish doesn't know long and short vowels, it is indifferent to them so there may be a regional influence (accent)). But anyway, all this doesn't matter to make it clear to a Spanish speaker that "interview" starts with a (Spanish) "i" and not with "ai".


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## k-in-sc

i_have_doubts said:


> Thanks for the corrections. Nice but if what you mean with "there" are the words:  internet,interview or wanted , then all the people in U.S. mispronounce those words. Here an example from the second 40 onward the word "interview" is pronounce as "inerview" twice. And that is a very formal context, with the president you know.


Steve Kroft clearly says the "t" in "interview." Apparently it just doesn't sound like what you're expecting to hear. Maybe you should start listening a little closer


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## Rubns

That "t" is not the one I would say speaking British English. I think that's what i_have_doubts is referring to. Of course it's not mispronunciation, it's just the way you Americans speak. It sounds almost silent to a Spanish-speaking person, but clearly there's something there, a sort of nasal sound.

Cheers.


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## k-in-sc

It's an American "t." Just a reminder: American English is by far the majority of all native English spoken.


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## James2000

Spug said:


> No, it is not. The initial _i_ in _internet _and _interview _is the English short _i_.





fenixpollo said:


> To an anglophone ear, the Spanish word would sound like it started with *een*, not with *in*.





Peterdg said:


> Could you explain how the "i" in the English word "*i*nvent" would be different from the "i" in the Spanish word "*i*nvención"?



I think this depends on your English accent.  To me the English and Spanish 'i' in those words sounds identical.


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## Rubns

k-in-sc said:


> It's an American "t." Just a reminder: American English is by far the majority of all native English spoken.



Oh thanks I didn't know that! 

I don't know if you read the part: _of course it's not mispronunciation_. I don't see any disagreement between what you said and what I said. Since the OP is from Spain, s/he is probably used to British accents, hence the question about that "t". When I started learning English I also noticed something different about the "t" in American movies and shows. I'm used to it now and I don't think there's anything wrong about that of course.

Un saludo.


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## aztlaniano

Wandering JJ said:


> The comments about "silent t after n" apply only to AE, not BE. Our 'winter' never sounds like 'winner', for example.


Efectivamente, (y el presentador de telediarios americano Tom Brokaw era buen ejemplo de quienes pronuncian "winter" igual que "winner" ) pero muchos británicos sí se comen las Tes ... aunque al menos tienen la delicadeza de sustituir oclusiones glotales. Hay que reconocer que es prefible el defecto británico al americano, porque al menos sigue siendo posible detectar la distinción entre, por ejemplo, "winner" (uinah) y "winter" (uin-ah).
Puesto a quejarse de las Tes americanas, cabe señalar que las intervocales tienden a convertirse en Des, ej, water = ua*d*r (frente al británico "uo-ah").


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## Rubns

Grandiosos "glottals", a mí me encantan: wo'a. Jajaja

EDIT: aunque sean "preferibles", para un hispanohablante creo que son más complicadas de "pillar". Las "t" intervocálicas americanas son mucho más sencillas de entender. De hecho una de las causas por la que muchos acentos británicos eran ininteligibles para mí al principio eran precisamente los _glottal stops_, algo que no me pasó nunca con el inglés americano.


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## Spug

Peterdg said:


> Could you explain how the "i" in the English word "*i*nvent" would be different from the "i" in the Spanish word "*i*nvención"?



Yes, at least with regard to American English. The sound of the _i _in invent is the English short _i _sound. It is clearly different from the Spanish _i _vowel sound, which is essentially equivalent to the English long _e _vowel sound.


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## duvija

There are many threads about this:
"the [t] may disappear when it follows a stressed syllable ending in nasal, and precedes a vowel"
So it doesn't happen in 'entry' (the t is followed by a consonant), or in 'entire' (the first syllable is not stressed).
It's one of my favorite 'rules' and yes, in fast speech, it happens. As a foreigner, you may want to leave it in.


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## Wandering JJ

James2000 said:


> I think this depends on your English accent.  To me the English and Spanish 'i' in those words sounds identical.


Hi James, I'm not surprised. Pronouncing short 'i' more like 'ee' (similar to Spanish 'i') is one of the ways we Brits mimic the South African accent.


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