topic Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON? in Q Talk

Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Annie57 — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 06:55:03 GMT

Okay, I admit it: I am a teacher so this may bother me more than it does others, but has anyone else noticed how often the hosts and guests, especially the young ones, are pronouncing words like "cotton" and "button" as "cah-un" and "buh-un," completely dropping the T sound? I am noticing it in my students, too. What is going on????

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Kachina624 — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 07:27:13 GMT

I notice several of the hosts and Susan Graver drop the "g" in length, making it lenth. I assume it's regional, although my Philly area relatives don't do that.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Desertdi — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 07:42:25 GMT

It's called a "glottal stop"........common in many foreign languages. Have no idea why it's been "adopted" here.............

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Pook — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 08:16:15 GMT

Here we go again!!! If I ever heard anyone prouncing the t in theses words as a hard t - well it would sound funny! I find it's just the way the t has aways been pronounced just about everywhere and if you say it over and over you just might find that in any real coversation that is the way you even pronounce it. The only person I only ever heard pronouncing the double t's was my Italian born grandmother.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

mcducky — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 08:36:25 GMT

I’ve noticed it as well. I don’t know if it is generational, regional or something else. It is not in my speech pattern. When I hear cah-un and such i don’t like it. Why? I have no idea. I know in my speaking I watch how I say words....like goin’ instead of the proper going. I attribute it to my Mom. She was southern and it was common in her family. I try to balance colloquial speech with proper speech.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Imaoldhippie — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 10:12:57 GMT

Good grief! Most likely regional accents.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

janeec — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 10:41:49 GMT

They should learn how to enunciate. This is empahsized in choral singing and public speaking. While dropping consonant sounds may be regional, a professional would not do that. Some may want to seem "folksy" and speak that way but I find it annoying on national television. If people spent half as much time on proper speech as they do on physical appearance, this would not be a problem.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Shanus — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 10:52:41 GMT

@Pook wrote:
Here we go again!!! If I ever heard anyone prouncing the t in theses words as a hard t - well it would sound funny! I find it's just the way the t has aways been pronounced just about everywhere and if you say it over and over you just might find that in any real coversation that is the way you even pronounce it. The only person I only ever heard pronouncing the double t's was my Italian born grandmother.

@Pook Many others, besides me, pronounce it properly. Isaac says his tees are Pima c-o-t-t-e-n. It may regional. I still have 1/2 my NY accent since I moved to NC as a child w/ all (aunts, uncles, cousins) relatives from NY. No public kindergarten then. I was only around them until 1st grade.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

CalminHeart — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 10:55:32 GMT

There are different accents and pronunciations all over the US. These regional differences are perfectly normal. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Shanus — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 10:57:30 GMT

@mcducky wrote:
I’ve noticed it as well. I don’t know if it is generational, regional or something else. It is not in my speech pattern. When I hear cah-un and such i don’t like it. Why? I have no idea. I know in my speaking I watch how I say words....like goin’ instead of the proper going. I attribute it to my Mom. She was southern and it was common in her family. I try to balance colloquial speech with proper speech.

@mcducky When my kids started school, I also noticed NC accents w/ mispronounced words...oil was “all”, five was “fov”, nine was “non”, etc. DH & I corrected them. I cannot detect any accent now that they’re grown.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

on the bay — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 10:59:47 GMT

@Annie57-

I've noticed it too!

I have tried to say it that way when I hear them say it and it's really difficult!

But I think it is more than just the dropping of the tt's. It sounds also like an emphasis on the on saying it more like "un" ca-unn.

I say it like ca-n. And I think like someone else said, not many of us actually say the tt's, its more like pronouncing the n without that long vowel sound in front of it like we are hearing with some of the hosts.

I think that's what makes it sound so strange to us.

While some may thing jeez, why spend so much time thinking about this?!

If a teacher and/or parents teaching children the importance of language all our lives, it's ingrained! It's interesting. We can't help it!😄

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Shanus — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 11:00:30 GMT

@CalminHeart wrote:
There are different accents and pronunciations all over the US. These regional differences are perfectly normal. Don't sweat the small stuff.

@CalminHeart I think mispronounced words are acceptable in most instances. Newscasters, public speakers, Q hosts who speak for living should have proper command of the language.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

CalminHeart — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 11:03:53 GMT

@Shanus wrote:
@CalminHeart wrote:
There are different accents and pronunciations all over the US. These regional differences are perfectly normal. Don't sweat the small stuff.

@CalminHeart I think mispronounced words are acceptable in most instances. Newscasters, public speakers, Q hosts who speak for living should have proper command of the language.

If you listen to professionals on the news, weather tv, and such, they speak very well. But these are salespeople. These salespeople just happen to be on tv instead of in a store. Q's expectations are much different. They don't expect or ask their hosts to be professional speakers. I still say, don't sweat the small stuff.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

picco — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 11:20:18 GMT

You're not alone, I notice it too and it makes me cringe.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

dooBdoo — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 11:56:11 GMT

There actually are 3 ways people are pronouncing words like "cotton" or "button." In my experience, there used to be only 2 ways -- either a regular or "hard" sound to the "t" or the glottal sound most of us probably use. Here's a very basic video that explains and we can hear the 2 sounds (you ony need to listen to the first part to get the gist):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vabg-EUHOQk

In recent times, for some reason, people have invented a 3rd pronunciation. This method sounds like "cahh--hun" or "buhh--hun" with the main accent on the first syllable but definite emphasis on both syllables, and it eliminates the "t" altogether. Dennis Basso does this quite distinctly, and every time I hear it I think how much more difficult it is to say the words that way, it takes more effort.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

YorkieonmyPillow — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 12:11:54 GMT

I've noticed it also and yes it seems peculiar.

Also the "new" word that you hear regularly now....how to spell it........."zhjuug" or "jooj".........does anyone know what I'm referring to?

Shawn uses it often.......it apparently means "to improvise" or "to adjust".............................

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Bahamasgirl — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 12:18:12 GMT

The dropping of it's began as a fad among teenage girls several years ago, and has been adopted by many other young women.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

dooBdoo — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 12:47:06 GMT

@YorkieonmyPillow wrote:
I've noticed it also and yes it seems peculiar.

Also the "new" word that you hear regularly now....how to spell it........."zhjuug" or "jooj".........does anyone know what I'm referring to?

Shawn uses it often.......it apparently means "to improvise" or "to adjust".............................

Hi, @YorkieonmyPillow! Yes! I first heard it many years ago in the original QE tv show, common use mostly by Carson Kressley -- wonder if he coined it?

I've seen your spellings, or "zhuj," or "tszuj, " or "zzjuuz," and he used it to mean giving a garment or a "look" a bit of an adjustment or tweak (as simple as pushing up sleeves, for example) to kick it up a notch.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Shanus — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 12:39:16 GMT

@dooBdoo wrote:

There actually are 3 ways people are pronouncing words like "cotton" or "button." In my experience, there used to be only 2 ways -- either a regular or "hard" sound to the "t" or the glottal sound most of us probably use. Here's a very basic video that explains and we can hear the 2 sounds (you ony need to listen to the first part to get the gist):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vabg-EUHOQk

In recent times, for some reason, people have invented a 3rd pronunciation. This method sounds like "cahh--hun" or "buhh--hun" with the main accent on the first syllable but definite emphasis on both syllables, and it eliminates the "t" altogether. Dennis Basso does this quite distinctly, and every time I hear it I think how much more difficult it is to say the words that way, it takes more effort.

@dooBdoo Some hosts/vendors just must be lazy. They say “rayon span”. How much more time does it take to say “spandex” or instead of “poly”, “polyester”.

Re: Why are hosts and guests dropping the t's in COTTON and BUTTON?

Shanus — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 12:41:55 GMT

@YorkieonmyPillow wrote:
I've noticed it also and yes it seems peculiar.

Also the "new" word that you hear regularly now....how to spell it........."zhjuug" or "jooj".........does anyone know what I'm referring to?

Shawn uses it often.......it apparently means "to improvise" or "to adjust".............................

@YorkieonmyPillow It’s a slang fashionista word for adjusting a sleeve or collar, etc. to add individuality or panache.