Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Freaka]

there
their
they're

Do you pronounce these differently? My cousin came home from her English class today and said that her English instructor went over the different pronunciations for the three words. I'm puzzled...are the differences in pronunciation between the three words so pronounced that an entire lesson would be devoted to them in an ESL class?

There is no hope.
Their offices were nice.
They're not very nice.

We went there last year.
They left their books on the table.
It doesn't matter why they're important.

[Bramble]

That's pretty bizarre. I don't hear any difference ... did she get this "lesson" from a hagwon in Korea, or somewhere else?

Anyway, congrats on your new job.

[xCustomx]

"there" I pronounce like "The Are E"

"their" is like "The Ire"

"they're" is like "They Ree"

Seriously, what kind of person is teaching that class if s/he spent an entire lesson on the pronunciation of those words?

[Freaka]

[jvalmer]

All pronounced the same for me...

[kingtout]

[ilovebdt]

[kat2]

I'm from the South East in the US. I've lost most all of my accent, but I could see a slight variation (but so slight, its not worth teaching!)

there, their, they're --these can all be prounounced the same in one syllable-- theyr

their and they're-- I could see drawing out the sound part into a syllable and a halfish --they ur

Still, its so slight, that I can't imagine anyone spending anytime on it in class

[highlander_76]

Your cousin might seriously want to consider a new class if a native-speaking instructor is teaching that kind of stuff. There is a *slight* difference in pronunciation between "there" and "their/they're" in some dialects of English, but it has nothing to do with comprehensibility and the instructor shouldn't be wasting any time but perhaps a passing moment on it to mention that such a variation *sometimes* exists.

[Freaka]

Thanks, guys. For a second there, I was questioning my own sanity.

When my cousin first brought it up, I thought she was referring to the proper usage of the words, but when told me she was referring to the pronunciation, I was surprised.

[kingtout]

[poet13]

I grew up with a slight difference in pronounciation....imposed upon me by my Bermudian mother. I even say thema litle differenly now, but I wouldn't spend more than about five minutes trying to teach it, and then only to someone who also recognized a difference and asked me to.

[Woden]

There is no difference, it is just we perceive a difference due to the difference in spelling.

If you were to record natural speech and then play back each 'their/there/they're' said in isolation I would put my house (if I had one) on people not being able to discern any difference.

[oskinny1]

[Alyallen]