Master the American Accent: How to Link Words Using the Stop T

A funny thing happens to the True T sound when it comes at the end of a word. Sometimes it turns into a completely different sound - a Stop T sound. Native speakers may use a Stop T within a word, like in the word "written", or between words to link them together, like in the phrase "Put that down". Improve the rhythm of your spoken English and learn the rules for using a Stop T sound to link words together in this video!
****
Live English lessons each week! Join Julie at Julie's Conversation Club: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccen...
*****
Join the r/AmericanAccent Reddit community and participate in the weekly pronunciation challenge! / americanaccent
*****
One-on-one private speech training: sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/co...
*******
Study with me online...for FREE! San Diego Voice and Accent offers two free online courses!
#1: American Accent: Top 10 Essentials: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccen...
#2: Whip your voice into shape with the Six Steps to a Stronger Voice: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccen...
*****
For more free and helpful information, visit my website: sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/

[@jimmywu9033]

This video helped me a lot! Before watching this video, I always raise my tongue tip to alveolar ridge for the words ending with t, which created a lot of troubles when linking to coming words start with consonants. Thanks a lot!!!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hey Jimmy - Awesome! Thanks so much for your comment! I'm so glad this video was valuable :) And hey, it would be super helpful if you shared your learning experience on my Google Business page: g.page/r/CRKVA27p84i0EB0/review. It will help others to find me and my videos! Thanks!

[@galalal-hajowri3903]

Thank you

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Galal - thanks for your comment! I'm glad you liked the video :)

[@jacksonamaral329]

i enjoyed it a lot.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for the comment, Jackson! Glad you liked it! :)

[@obydullahalrafi]

Nice work! Go ahead

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thanks for your comment! :)

[@pabloalfonsopoetacarolino]

Muy buena clase! Muchísimas gracias. Suscriptor nuevo

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Gracias, Pablo! :)

[@rafaelassad8774]

Please make a video about connected speech with similar sounds such as "does she" "each dog". I assume that we're supposed to eliminate the first sound and maintain the second one, but I'm not quite sure

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thank you for the video suggestion! This would be an excellent topic - I'll add it to my list :) The linking process will depend on the sounds. If the sounds are very similar, a process called "assimilation" will occur in which one sound changes to become closer to the next one. For example, with the words "does she", the final Z /z/ in "does" loses some (or all) of its voicing to become more similar to the initial SH in "she", since that is a voiceless consonant. The linking consonants in "each dog" are a little less similar (the CH is an affricate, and the D is a stop), so there isn't as much assimilation that takes place so the transition is not as easy. However, they still link together with as smooth of a transition as possible. You pronounce both sounds, however. Here's what it would sound like if you eliminated the CH sound in the phrase "each dog" - "EE - dog". So you do pronounce the CH here, but you smooth out the transition to the D. I hope this was helpful! :)

[@rafaelassad8774]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent oh thanks a bunch. Your explanation will certainly be so helpful. :)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@rafaelassad8774 Great - I'm happy to help! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

1:30 i noticed when you say glottal stop /ʔ/ the tip of your tongue slightly or gently touch the lower back teeth yes of no . can my tongue pointed over my lower teeth or between my teeth without touch any tooth. Thank you so much.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Your tongue tip can be anywhere - it doesn't matter for the glottal stop where the tongue tip goes. I can make a glottal stop while I move my tongue tip around in my mouth, and it's the same glottal stop no matter where my tongue tip is placed. Regarding the time stamp you referenced in your question: I think the reason why my tongue tip was down at that moment was because I was saying "Ah", and typically when you say "Ah" the tongue moves down in the mouth. So that is probably why my tongue tip naturally moved down, behind my lower front teeth. When you use a glottal stop in a sentence, the tongue tip will most likely be moving to wherever it needs to go for the next sound. For example, in the phrase "that sounds good", my tongue tip is neutral, or possibly moving up, when I say the glottal T in "that" in preparation for the /s/ in "sounds". I hope this was helpful! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent you write ( "that sounds good", my tongue tip is neutral, or possibly moving up, when I say the glottal T in "that" in preparation for the /s/ in "sounds". ) - i think your tongue goes down always for s and z as you said before without the teeth touch each other , i'm a little confused now. Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ramzy-6566 Oh - so sorry for the confusion! I shouldn't have said "tongue tip" - instead, I should have said the sides of my tongue start to move up in preparation for the /s/ sound. I was feeling the sides of my tongue move, but I mistakenly linked that to my tongue tip - my mistake! So yes, my tongue tip stays down when I say the /s/ sound - it points towards the back of my bottom front teeth. The sides of the tongue come up to create that U shape in the tongue that allows the air to flow down the middle of the tongue. I hope this cleared up everything! :)

[@rogeriodelacruzrodriguezca9141]

What happens with the linking between Ed endings with stop consonants? For example is there any difference between walked to and walk to or tried diving and try different things ??? I can barely hear any difference between linking Ed endings with the same stop consonants ( sorry for my English)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Roger - Thanks for your questions :) You are correct - your examples can be pronounced the same way! This is a great question, and I'm sure that other people have the same question as you. It would be great if you joined my weekly conversation group (Julie's Conversation Club) and asked this question during our next meeting! Here's the link to register, if you're interested: offers.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/juliesconversationclub.

[@mirrorssmoke9897]

A quick question. If there is a stop T, are there stop P, K, D, G, NG? Can those sounds be replaced by glottal stop as well?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi mirrors smoke - Thanks so much for this question! I would say that yes, sometimes these sounds are replaced by a glottal stop, but it's very specific to the speaker and the context. :)

[@ramzy-6566]

1:42 in this time for ( it can ) i noticed the T glottal stop, is the letter N in ( can ) stop or glottal stop. wow.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Yes! I said this phrase very quickly, so you have great ears to hear that glottal stop! The T in "it" was a very quick glottal stop, and then N in "can" was a true N sound, but it was said very quickly. I linked "can" to the next word "also", so that it sounded like "canalso" - as if it was one word. Actually, I linked the entire phrase "it can also" so that it sounded like one, big word: "iʔcanalso" (the T is a glottal stop). But again, the glottal stop and the N sound both happened very quickly. Thanks for your comment! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent - yes, yes great reply, thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ramzy-6566 No problem at all :)

[@ngoccuuhuynh3814]

Hi Julie. Could you please answer my question? I have a sentence “A fat cat in a hat had a nap.” Can I use Glottal stop T in all of these words: Fat, Cat, Hat? I mean my tongue doesn’t need to put behind the upper front teeth for the T sound (Unreleased T), I just close my glottis and free my tongue (Glottal stop T). And when I use Glottal stop T, does it distort the sound Fat, Cat, Hat compared with Unreleased T? Thank you for reading my question.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ngọc - Thanks for your question! Yes, you can use a glottal stop T in all three words (fat, cat, and hat), and you can pronounce the glottal stop T exactly as you have described it. And the glottal stop T should not distort the sounds in fat, cat, and hat compared to the unreleased T. In fact, when I read the sentence above I use a glottal stop T in each of those words, and it sounds perfectly normal to me :)

[@ngoccuuhuynh3814]

Thank you so much!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ngoccuuhuynh3814 You're welcome! I'm glad to help :)

[@user-tl7ni6sy4b]

If the next word connected after "stop t" starts with a vowel instead of a consonant, how to pronounce it ( like this word: eat egg) ? At this time, the "stop t" becomes "true t"?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi - Thanks for your question! Here's a video that will answer your question: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4fSdaGZrtd1qKs. And in case you don't already know, I host a live, weekly English class called Julie's Conversation Club. If you come to a live class, I can answer your questions in real time :) You can learn more about Julie's Conversation Club here: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club. I hope to see you there!

[@douglasmarinho3653]

I have trouble not with stop d but the stop d in the sentence "married with" I just cannot say this fast haha

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Douglas - Thanks for your comment :) I agree with you - the link between "married" and "with" can be tricky because the /d/ is pronounced very quickly. Good luck with your practice!

[@ramzy-6566]

you always say , to pronounce the letter S or z your tongue pointed behind the lower teeth, but in these 2 words i noticed your tongue goes up behind upper teeth 2:05 ends 5:02 pizza may because the letter before the s end up. Thank you so much.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Yes - you are right! When I pronounce an S or a Z by itself, "ssssss" or "zzzzz", my tongue tip points down, behind the lower teeth. But in a word, the placement of my tongue tip might change depending on the other sounds that are next to the S or Z. So for the words "ends" and "pizza", the placement of my tongue tip changed because of the surrounding sounds, the /d/ in "ends" and the /ə/ in "pizza". Thanks for your question! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent - are your teeth touched each other the upper and the lower for S and Z when these sounds pointed up behind upper teeth . - because you said for s and z tongue tip points down, behind the lower teeth. ( the teeth don't touch for these sounds. ) thank you, thank you, thank you so much.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ramzy-6566 Hi! Thanks for your question :) When I pronounce the S and Z sound by themselves, my teeth never touch (though you can make the S and Z sounds with the teeth touching - but it feels unnatural for me to do this). On occasion when I say the word "pizza", and maybe even more rarely with the word "ends", my upper and lower front teeth may briefly touch, but I don't think I do this very often. My teeth usually come very close to touching, and the front teeth may overlap the bottom teeth, but they don't contact each other. My back molars never touch, however. I hope this helps! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent yes, very very helpful, Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ramzy-6566 I'm happy to help! :)

[@alexramirez2904]

Is stop T the same with Glottal Stop...?? Why do other English teachers are saying both sounds are different...??

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Alex - Thanks for your question! This is a great question for my conversation group, which I have on Saturdays. It's free to join, and it would be awesome if you joined us and asked this question so that everyone in the group could benefit from the discussion! Here's the link if you're interested: offers.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/juliesconversationclub. I'll answer your question here as well :) I understand why this must be frustrating for you, but I will try to answer your question to the best of my ability :) There might be 2 reasons why the other English teachers say the stop T and the glottal stop are two different sounds: 1) The glottal stop /ʔ/ is its own unique sound in the International Phonetic Alphabet. It isn't always a T sound. The glottal stop /ʔ/ just means that the vocal cords come together to stop the airflow and voicing, and this can happen for a T /t/ sound in American English (like in the word "button"), but also at the beginning of a vowel sound, like in the words "Okay", "Ummm", and "I". Technically a vowel is almost always started with a glottal stop - that's how the vowel sound is pronounced - so some teachers might want to separate the glottal stop from the stop T, because the glottal stop does NOT always equal a T /t/ sound. 2) I use the term "stop T" to mean a glottal stop and an unreleased T. The glottal stop is made with the vocal cords (not the tongue), but the unreleased T is is made with the tongue tip as it comes up to the alveolar ridge, and the tongue tip stays in contact with the alveolar ridge. There isn't a release of the tongue - it remains up, in contact with the alveolar ridge. I often use the same term "stop T" to describe both of these sounds - the glottal stop and the unreleased T - which I know is a little confusing, but I often use a glottal stop and an unreleased T interchangeably, meaning that I might use a glottal stop in one context and an unreleased T in the other. I hope this answered your question! I apologize for the confusion :) And please join the conversation group and ask this question again - the other members would love to hear the answer!

[@alexramirez2904]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent ok, what I meant was: Other English teachers separate the stop t and the glottal stop, they refer to stop t, as an unreleased t, and they don't use the term stop t to refer to a glottal stop, they separate them, that's what I have been watching. Can I pronounce the unreleased T only with my vocal cords instead of putting the tongue tip in the alveolar ridge....?? By the way You are a very beautiful and an excellent English teacher!!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@alexramirez2904 Thanks for your follow-up question :) Sure, you can do that - you can pronounce the unreleased T with only your vocal cords instead of putting the tongue tip up to the alveolar ridge. This T sound will become a glottal T at that point, since by definition you are using your vocal cords only to make this sound (which is what a glottal T is). But you can certainly use a glottal T (T sound made with the vocal cords only) in the place of an unreleased T (T sound is made with the tongue tip up at the alveolar ridge) in most words. I hope this helps!

[@Gman001]

If I’m correct, my whole life, everytime I make the “stop t” I noticed I wouldn’t go into the T position but it still sounds like a stop t. Please let me know if I’m doing it right. Thnaks

[@Gman001]

Is it personal preference or have I been doing it wrong? When I would say a the word like “can’t” I noticed that I don’t put my tongue in position for the nt sound but it still sounds like can’t. I need some clarification I can’t find anything on this.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thanks for your question :) When you make the Stop T, do you feel your vocal cords closing together to stop the airflow? If the answer is yes, then you are making the correct Stop T! It is much more common for me to also use only my vocal cords when I make a Stop T. It doesn't matter what the tongue tip does - as long as the airflow is stopped completely by your vocal cords, then it will sounds like a T. But sometimes, people think they are making a Stop T with their vocal cords, but instead all they are doing is stopping their voice. This is not a Stop T. You need to feel your vocal cords come together, and the airflow must be stopped. If you are doing it correctly, the Stop T will have a sharp, crisp ending. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you need more explanation :)

[@Gman001]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent yes. One last thing. What would you do with the nt sound. For example. Won’t, shouldn’t, can’t . I still feel like it sounds like a stop T but I don’t bring it into the “nt” position. Is it possible to stop both of those sounds with your vocal cords is basically what I’m asking. I believe this is what I did before but came across stop T videos and some people do them differently so it has me confused. Just wanted to know if I was doing it right. Thanks once again. First explanation helped me out a bit :)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@Gman001 Hi! Thank you for your follow up question :) I think I understand what you're asking, and yes, you can make the NT sound using a stop T for the T /t/ in these words (can't, won't, shouldn't) without bringing your tongue fully up to the N /n/ position first. This is a little confusing to explain, but sometimes when I say "won't", I make the N /n/ without using the front part of my tongue (which is how an N /n/ is normally produced). Instead, I use the mid part of my tongue, and I bring the mid part of my tongue up to the soft palate for the nasal N /n/, and then the stop T happens with the vocal cords right after that. The front part of my tongue doesn't really do anything for the NT portion. But sometimes, the front part of my tongue does come up for the NT portion, and when this happens I say a true N /n/ sound and an unreleased T (which is when the tongue tip comes up to the alveolar ridge and stays up - the air isn't released). Either option should sound like "won't". You can contrast these word pairs to make sure you are saying the NT part correctly: - "wrote to" (with a stop T in "wrote") versus "won't to" (with the N made using the mid part of your tongue + stop T). "Wrote" and "won't" should sound different because "won't" has a nasal sound and "wrote" doesn't. I hope this was helpful! I offer private accent lessons, so if you want me to listen to you speak and give you feedback about your pronunciation, just let me know :)

[@Gman001]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent when I make the “nt” sound. I notice my tongue doesn’t do anything for nt. It’s all in the vocal cords. It’s hard to explain how I make the sound. Is this still right? I’m sorry, it’s just really confusing. I think that would be worth making a video over. It’s a very interesting combo because T and N have similar tongue positions and if they are by eachother, then should the stop T be different? Idk I think it’s very interesting and would probably help many. :)

[@user-tl7ni6sy4b]

and what the differences between "stop t" and "drop t"?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi - Thanks for your question! The answer is a little too long to describe in a comment - come to my live English class at Julie's Conversation Club, and I can answer your question there! courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club. :)

[@hibbertjahlil4512]

How about this sentence ,what is it?I hear American pronounce it two different ways. 1.wha t̬ɪ zɪt.The T in what is a flap t and it links to the ɪ vowel sound. 2what ɪzɪt.I am not sure about the The T in what. It sounds like a unreleased flap t or a stop t. However they are not link to the /ɪ/ sound,it just stop there. What's the difference between the first and sencond way,stressed word ?intonation or something else?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Both sentences are correct! I think that most native American English speakers will use the first option: "What is it?" with a flap T in "what", and that links to the /ɪ / in "it". However, it is OK to use a stop T instead, which is what you wrote in option #2. It depends on the context of the conversation, and the speaker's preference, which T sound they will use. But the flap T is much more common, and this helps you to link the word "what" to the next word "is" - the flap helps with the rhythm of your speech. But depending on the context, you could use a stop T there as well. I know that is a confusing answer, but I hope it was helpful! :)

[@hibbertjahlil4512]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent It's a very useful answer! I'm more confident that my hearing is right! Maybe I need learn more American intonation and rhythm lesson😊😊😊

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@hibbertjahlil4512 Great! I'm glad I could help! And I'll try to make more videos about intonation and rhythm in the future :)

[@hibbertjahlil4512]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccentAwesome news!😄😄😄

[@Gman001]

Is there a stop t in “pizza”?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thanks for your question :) When I say "pizza" at my normal pace, I feel my tongue tip come up to the roof of the mouth and my vocal cords close together when I say the /t/ in "pizza" /ˈpit.sə/. So maybe this is considered to be BOTH a stop T and an unreleased T! My tongue tip comes up to the alveolar ridge, airflow is stopped, and the tongue tip stays at the alveolar ridge. Then my tongue tip moves down to make the /s/ consonant. It's definitely not a true T sound - there is no release or aspiration of the T in "pizza". The airflow that occurs happens because of the /s/ consonant. I hope this helps! :)

[@Gman001]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent yes this is very helpful. Thanks for your reply. Means a lot! :)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@Gman001 You're welcome - I'm glad I could help! :)

[@k.2250]

Why do i hear nilk, dont milk?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi K. Poma, This is another great question, and I could best answer it for you during one of my live English classes at Julie's Conversation Club: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club. I hope you can join us!