Hello there!
This is the "Sounds American" channel.
In this video, we're going to talk about the glottal 'T' sound,
as in the word "button."
You can also hear this sound in words like
"certain" - "satin" - "cotton" or "kitten."
Now listen to how these words sound with the "regular" 'T':
"certain" - "satin" - "cotton" or "kitten."
Can you hear a difference?
In American English these words are pronounced with the glottal 'T'.
It's not a mistake to use a "regular" 'T' sound.
Don't worry, you'll be perfectly understood.
Still, the glottal 'T' is typical for American English.
So if you want to learn more about this sound
and perfect your pronunciation skills,
keep watching.
OK, let's begin with a question:
what is a glottal 'T' sound?
If you watched the Stop Sounds Overview video,
you may remember that there are six stop consonants in American English.
Still, we're now talking about another stop sound.
Yes, that's right.
The glottal 'T' is a variation of the /t/ sound
that occurs only in a certain position in a word
and is pronounced in a different way.
What happens is that the /t/ sound becomes a glottal 'T'
before a weak syllable ending with /n/:
Listen to some examples:
Why does a "regular" /t/ become a glottal 'T'?
Informal speech is usually very relaxed.
So, it's natural to swallow or drop vowels in weak syllables.
Let's get back to our example
The last vowel could be dropped: /ˈbʌt·n̩/
But you still need to link the /t/ and the /n/ sounds.
It's easier to stop the air in your throat
and quickly direct it through your nose for the /n/: /ˈbʌʔ·n̩/
That's essentially how the glottal 'T' sound works.
Now let's find out how to make this sound.
We'll do it in three steps.
Step 1.
First, we'll learn to link the "regular" 'T' sound
and the /n/ consonant,
without a vowel in between.
Split the word "button" into two parts and pronounce them separately.
Do it as slowly as you need.
Don't rush it at this point:
Next, try and link the /t/ and the /n/ by reducing the pause between them.
Don't remove the pause completely, though, just make it shorter:
Step 2.
Next, let's learn how to make our glottal 'T' sound.
We'll start by doing a small exercise to catch or stop the air in your throat,
using the common American expression: "uh-oh."
Learning this will help you to make the glottal 'T' in the next step.
Make sure that you pause between the sounds when you say "uh-oh."
You can do this by holding your breath for a moment with the muscles of your throat.
Try it:
Step 3.
Now we'll replace the /t/ in the word "button" with a glottal 'T.'
We'll pronounce the glottal 'T' the same way as we did with "uh-oh."
Here's how you do it:
First, stop and hold the air in your throat on the glottal 'T.'
Then make the /n/ sound.
Don't forget to leave a short pause between the glottal 'T' and the /n/ sound.
If you pronounce them too quickly, it'll sound wrong.
Let's try saying the word "button" using the same melody as in "uh-oh."
Now, let's say this word more naturally.
Remember, make the glottal 'T' in your throat,
pause, and then make the /n/ sound.
Now let's do some practice exercises and learn to pronounce this sound in some words.
You'll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation.
Like this:
You'll have a few seconds to pronounce the word.
♪
If you find it difficult to make the glottal 'T' sound,
try to pronounce the words by splitting them in two parts: /ˈbʌʔ/ - /n̩/.
Let's begin!
You're done!
Congratulations!
We know that the glottal 'T' sound is more difficult than it seems.
Is it worth learning?
It depends.
On the one hand,
it occurs in less than 1% of words, so it's a rare sound.
On the other hand,
if you learn to pronounce the glottal 'T' correctly,
you will definitely sound "more American."
Leave us a comment if you have any questions!
Stay tuned on our Sounds American channel!