500 Words: T Sounds

Explanation
When saying "it's a hot afternoon" quickly, the T in "hot" can sound like a D due to a phenomenon called assimilation. Assimilation occurs when the sound of one word changes to become more similar or easier to pronounce with the sound of a neighboring word. In this case, the T sound in "hot" is influenced by the following vowel sound in "afternoon," which is a voiced sound produced with the vocal cords. The T sound is unvoiced and requires the vocal cords to be inactive. To make the transition between the T and the voiced vowel smoother, the T sound can assimilate and sound more like a D.

Explanation
The statement is false because the T in "interview" is not always silent. In standard pronunciation, the T sound is usually pronounced in the word "interview." However, it is worth noting that pronunciation can vary regionally or individually, so in some accents or speech patterns, the T sound may be less audible or even silent.

Explanation
When speaking quickly, Americans tend to reduce the pronunciation of certain sounds, including the "T" sound. In the word "intercontinental," the "T" sound is often reduced or even omitted, resulting in a pronunciation that sounds more like "innercontinental." Therefore, the statement that Americans will reduce all the T's in the word "intercontinental" is true.

Explanation
In some dialects or accents, the pronunciation of the letter T in the word "water" can sound more like a light D. This is known as a lenition process, where a consonant becomes softer or more voiced. It is important to note that this pronunciation variation is not universal and may vary depending on regional or individual speech patterns.

Explanation
Americans often drop or reduce the pronunciation of the letter "T" in certain words, especially when it appears in the middle or at the end of a word. This is a common feature of American English pronunciation and is known as the "T-flap" or "T-deletion." In the word "Great," Americans are likely to pronounce it as "grayt" or "grate," with a reduced or tapped "T" sound. Therefore, the statement that Americans will barely pronounce the "T" or stop the sound when saying the word "Great!" is true.

Explanation
In informal situations, it is common for some words to be pronounced with a shortened or contracted form. In this case, the words "mountain," "curtain," and "written" are pronounced as "mou-N," "cur-N," and "wri-N" respectively. This suggests that the statement is true.

Explanation
The statement that the T in the word "bottle" is silent is incorrect. In the word "bottle," the T is pronounced as a /t/ sound. Therefore, the correct answer is False.

Explanation
The T in the word "table" is not pronounced as a D sound. In English, the T sound is typically produced by placing the tongue against the ridge behind the upper front teeth, while the D sound is produced by vibrating the vocal cords while making the same tongue position. Therefore, the statement that the T in "table" is a D sound is incorrect.

Explanation
The T in the word "later" is pronounced as a D sound because of a phonological rule called flapping. In American English, when the T sound occurs between two vowel sounds (as in "la-ter"), it often changes to a softer D sound. This is a common phenomenon in spoken English and helps with smoother pronunciation and linking between words. Therefore, the statement is true.

Explanation
When Americans speak quickly, they tend to omit certain sounds or letters in words to make their speech faster and more efficient. In the word "interstate," the T sound is often dropped, making it sound like "innerstate" or "innerstate." This is a common phenomenon in American English, where certain consonant sounds, especially at the end of words, are frequently omitted in fast speech. Therefore, the statement that the T in the word "interstate" is silent when Americans speak quickly is true.