Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[worksmart]

This is what I know, pronounce the "the" like "thee" in front of words begin with vowel sounds. (And teacher CP gave me a good list of those words last time.)

Isn't the word "English" begin with a vowel sound? If so, why do I hear native speakers pronounce the "the" in front of "English department" like the regular the and not "thee"?

Second question, An English student, not a English student, right?

[redset]

It's possible that they are pronouncing it like 'thee', but in a weaker form since they're speaking quickly, so it sounds more like 'thi' in 'this'. The reason we pronounce the as 'thee' before vowel sounds is that it's just naturally easier to do so, the sounds link together more smoothly and flow better. When people speak English normally the less important words become weaker in sound, and this makes the sentences even easier to speak - 'thee' naturally shortens to 'thi', which sounds very close to the normal way of pronouncing 'the'. The difference is that 'thi' is formed right at the front of the mouth, like the 'y' sound which links it to the vowel sound of the next word.

The difference between 'the' and 'thee' sounds is more pronounced when the person is emphasising the words, in rapid speech it becomes less distinct. Try saying 'thee English' out loud over and over, faster and faster, and listen to how it naturally shortens. Then try it with 'the English' and see which feels natural

Native English speakers also cover a broad range of accents, some of which may tend to favour the lower sound in 'the', so it's possible you're hearing a particular regional accent with this trait - generally though, I think most native speakers will tend to use 'thee'.

[Mallaien]

The pronunciation of �thee� when using �the� is an old English style. It is not used in the common language
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[CP]

Sorry, but I cannot agree with Mallaien here. As other recent posts have explored, with nouns beginning in vowels (or a silent "h"), we use "an" instead of "a" and pronounce "the" as "thee" rather than "thuh." The reason is euphony, smooth sound.

We do not say "'thuh' English language," but rather "'thee' English language."

Redset's answer to Worksmart's question is correct, and I think most native speakers of English would agree.
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