Glottal T, True T, Posh RP T, American T | Ultimate British Pronunciation Lesson 1

- Hey everyone, I'm Aly.

Welcome to the first video

in my Ultimate British Pronunciation course.

Remember to get the ebook, if you haven't already,

at papateachme.com.

That ebook goes with this course like best friends,

and it will help you absorb all the information

like a sponge.

So, we're going to start with one of the most famous,

yet very misunderstood, and definitely misused,

sound of British pronunciation, the glottal T.

Since I first made my video on this subject,

whoa, all those years ago, look at all that hair I had.

Wow, it's like a different person.

Anyway, since then, a lot has changed

about this little sound.

In my opinion, English teachers need to change,

and update, how they teach English,

about every five years or so.

The reason is because language, in general,

but especially English, is a living breathing thing,

and it changes so quickly.

Throughout this course I'll show you

a variety of different sounds and techniques and styles.

But the idea is for you to choose your favorite aspects

of British pronunciation.

You'll sound natural because I'm gonna help you

develop your own British pronunciation style.

So, what is the glottal T?

It's this.

(mellow french music)

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, hi, sorry, can we have some water?

Water?

Water.

Water.

Water.

Water.

Wawa?

Water.

In British pronunciation,

it's really common to replace the T sound,

in some words, to a glottal T.

I say some words, because it will sound really weird

if you pronounce every T with a glottal T.

Please, don't be weird.

How do you make this sound?

Well, say, uh-oh.

Uh-oh.

Do you feel that sound?

That feeling in the middle of uh-oh?

Your throat, your airway, closes.

It stops the sound coming out.

That is the feeling.

That's the sound of the glottal T.

And that sound will replace, again,

some of the Ts in some of the words.

Just remember, don't overuse it.

That will be weird.

Trust me, variety is the key to a natural speaking style.

That's what I will be stressing throughout this course.

So, it's really, really common

to use the glottal T when a word finishes with a T sound.

Like hot, but, not, wet.

Again, it's perfectly fine to pronounce the T as a true T.

A true T is when you pronounce it like a "tuh".

But, not, wet, hot.

That's a true T.

But the glottal T, remember, it's that middle sound

of uh-oh.

When your airflow stops, stopping the sound,

that's your glottal T.

So, let's practice this together.

Hot, hot.

Listen carefully.

If you're just saying hah, hah,

the air is still coming out, you're not doing the glottal T.

The airflow must stop.

Hot, hot.

Did you do it?

I feel like you did it that time.

I have confidence in you.

Let's move on.

But, but.

Not.

Wet.

Good, let's do all of them together.

Hot, but not wet.

(claps) That was amazing, well done.

And, that word we just did,

you could pronounce water like water.

Water, try that with me.

Water.

(claps) Again, you're amazing.

Why do we do this?

Why make this sound?

It's because the sound is lazy,

and, to be honest, we are lazy.

There, I said it.

It, see?

Lazy.

It's not clear.

It's not an easy sound to hear.

Therefore, it's not considered formal.

But, before people tell you this as a stupid sound,

politicians, even the queen, will use this sound.

- And though self-isolating may at times be hard.

- Why?

Because it makes you sound human.

If you tried to pronounce every T as a "tuh",

you would sound like a weird robot.

And again, don't be weird, be human.

So, other common words like this would be,

don't, can't, couldn't, wouldn't, won't.

Basically, any contraction of not.

Again, like I said, variety is key.

So, I'm not saying always use glottal T

when the word finishes in a "tuh" sound.

No, I will use a mix.

Sometimes I'll use it, sometimes I won't, like just now.

First, let's practice these together.

Don't.

Can't.

Couldn't.

Wouldn't.

Won't.

Okay, let's practice this together in a sentence.

First, everything as a glottal T.

It's a bit hot.

But not that hot.

Now, you could pronounce all of these Ts as glottal Ts,

and it wouldn't sound strange.

Why?

Because the tea is at the end of the word.

That sounds fine.

This is where we start to develop your style.

I want you to pause the video here, and try saying these,

or, if you have a partner, you can practice talking

to each other, with these two sentences.

Change it up.

Use some Ts as glottal, some Ts as true Ts,

use all of them as glottal, use all of them as true Ts,

but use a variety, see which combination,

or which style, feels right for you.

There's no wrong answer here, so, don't worry.

Remember, the goal is to develop

your own natural British style,

not to copy an idea of a British style.

That won't sound natural.

The only way to sound natural is to develop your own style.

So, let's do that.

Pause the video, try a few different options.

Let's try another one.

For example, someone offers you a cat.

Do you want a cat?

What, that cat?

So, let's practice some different ways of pronouncing this.

Do you want a cat?

Do you want a cat?

Do you see where wanna comes from now?

Want a, wanna, wanna, want a cat.

Do you want a cat?

I told you we're lazy, so, yeah.

You can choose whichever T

you want to practice as a true T or a glottal T,

it doesn't matter.

It's all going to be correct.

It's just about you developing your own natural style.

So, pause the video now, practice this a few times,

with a study buddy, or with yourself, any way is fine.

Just see which combination works best for you.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

Now, there are times when you probably want to pronounce

that final T as a true T.

Don't, I can't get wet.

Oh, sorry love, you wet?

Yes, I'm very wet.

He pronounced the glottal T

because he's just speaking normally.

There's nothing special.

But she pronounced the true T that second time.

Why?

Because she wants to emphasize.

She wants to make this stronger.

Yes, I'm very wet.

If it's clearly pronounced,

then it can sound much stronger, more emphatic.

Just something to remember.

Also, there are times when you definitely don't want

to use a glottal T.

For example, when a word begins with a T sound,

don't use the glottal T.

The word tonight, for example, starts and ends with a T.

We already know that that end T, that's fine.

You can pronounce that as a glottal T,

you can pronounce that as a true T,

either way will sound natural.

That's your choice.

But, that first T, definitely not.

So, options.

Tonight.

That's okay.

Tonight, that's okay.

But, a night?

No, don't glottalize that T.

Mm.

But, there is an exception to this.

In Cockney, and similar styles, you might hear this.

I'm going to the pub.

You'll definitely hear some British people say that.

Not always.

It's not for everyone.

It might not be for you.

And that's okay.

So, likewise, if you said, you're going to the pub?

I want to come too!

Exactly the same thing.

So, going to, want to, you already know

that these get contracted to gonna and wanna.

So, really common.

So, also glottalize those Ts.

But, that one, true T.

The others, you have the option.

Again, try both ways, see which one you prefer.

First, let's try both as true Ts.

I'm going to the pub.

I want to come too.

Now, let's try both as glottal Ts.

Again, it's just as correct, just a different style.

I'm going to the pub.

I want to come too.

Well done, you're amazing.

Another time when you definitely don't want

to use the glottal T is when the consonant sound

just before the T is an unvoiced consonant sound.

Wait, what the f-?

What's an unvoiced consonant sound?

An unvoiced sound doesn't make a vibration in the throat.

Like, for example, an F sound.

Ffff, no vibration here.

But a voiced sound, like a V,

that does produce a vibration in the throat.

Vvvvuh, the same mouth shape,

but the difference is the vibration.

Fffff, vvvvuh, fffff, vvvvuh.

That's the only difference.

Unvoiced, voiced, that's it.

So, with names, like Taylor Swift,

the T in Swift, don't make that one glottal.

That will always be true T, Swift.

Fast.

Again, true T.

Connected.

Again, true T,

because the consonant sound just before

is an unvoiced consonant sound,

and no one glottalizes those.

That's not a difference in style, just, no one does it,

I guess because it's impossible.

Let's actually try.

Swiff, Taylor Swiff-uh.

It's too difficult.

Remember, we're lazy, so, if it's difficult to say,

we won't do it, it doesn't become a style.

That's how language works.

So, just keep that in mind.

But, also, there are times

when you always pronounce the glottal T.

Again, because it's easier.

For example, absolutely.

And, in this case, again, it's all about the position

of the T in the word.

See, there's a vowel sound before the T,

and a consonant sound after.

In those cases, just pronounce the glottal T,

it will sound natural, just trust me.

States, make it glottal.

The same with this one, mates.

If your teacher tells you

that the glottal T is a dumb sound, that's not true.

It's just a feature of British pronunciation,

which everyone uses.

Yes, even the queen.

- Many charities, groups, and organizations

have worked to promote peace and unity around the world.

- See, with a glottal T, it just sounds more natural.

So, let's quickly practice those points.

Let's imagine that we're talking

about connecting to wifi or something.

We're gonna practice this,

but, notice which Ts can be glottal,

and which definitely aren't.

And, remember,

this is about developing your natural way of speaking.

So, practice a few different ways that you could say this,

see what feels comfortable, see what feels natural.

Don't try and force anything.

If you try to make everything a true T,

it might sound weird.

If you try to make everything a glottal T,

it might sound weird.

For example, I might pronounce this like,

tell Tom that it's definitely connected,

but that might not be the same for you,

and that's fine too.

Again, they're equally correct, just different styles.

Pause the video, press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, this is where it gets really interesting,

because this is where we develop your style even more.

So, words like, mountain, button, bottle, water, hotel.

You have options.

Let me add this one.

Just, quickly.

My speaking style is completely middle, nonspecific,

very general, London.

So, if you come to London, you'll hear this, more or less.

Just depends on the person.

And sometimes I will pronounce the glottal T,

sometimes I won't, in these words.

Sometimes mountain, sometimes mountain.

Depends how fast I'm speaking.

Depends on my mood.

Depends who I'm talking to.

The point is, all of that is correct.

It just depends on your mood, your style.

Now, me personally, if there's a vowel T vowel,

I tend not to use the glottal T.

But that doesn't mean I never use it.

Depends, again, on my mood, my speed of speaking,

and who I'm talking to.

For example, with my best friend, if I'm being a bit lazy,

yeah, I'm gonna say, yeah, it's better.

So, this is how you can develop your style.

You will have a preference.

Try saying these with a true T, and the glottal T,

and see which one feels better for you.

Let me give you a quick example of each one.

First, true T.

Mountain, button, bottle, water, hotel, better.

Now the glottal T.

Mountain, button, bottle, water, hotel, better.

Again, you definitely won't want all of them to be true,

you definitely won't want all of them to be glottal.

You'll probably find that a mix feels better for you.

That is how you're gonna develop your own style.

So, pause the video, practice a few different ways,

and play the video when you're ready to continue.

Okay, we've talked about the glottal T,

we've talked about the true T.

But there are two other types of T,

and they don't need milk.

That was such a bad joke, and I apologize.

If you wanna stop this video right now,

and give it a dislike, I'll completely understand.

But before you do, let me tell you about the other two Ts.

First is the incredibly posh, posh RP T, which,

if you watch that TV show, "The Crown", they always use it.

And this is how it sounds.

Little, water, bottle.

How do you do this posh RP T?

Well, the tongue is gonna hit just behind

that top set of teeth.

Not gonna hit the teeth themselves,

it's gonna hit that ridge, just there.

So, about there.

Just a gentle tap there,

that should give you that posh RP T.

Water.

Another example, let's look at Italy.

With a true T, Italy.

With a glottal T, Italy.

With that posh RP T, sounds like this.

- Italy.

- But I should mention that this T only appears

in very posh RP.

And, as this article in The Guardian points out,

only around 2% of British people even speak like this.

So, if your goal is to sound natural

with British pronunciation, I can't, as a good teacher,

recommend that you learn posh RP.

And the final T sound actually comes

from American pronunciation.

I used to hate it when British actors

would start changing the sound of their Ts

to an American D sound.

An example, an example.

James Corden, no.

Emma Watson, much better.

Better.

How would Hermione say the word better?

Let's have a look.

- Hermione?

- Never better.

- Interesting, she uses the true T, better.

But how does Emma Watson, in an interview,

say the word better?

- It just makes my day better.

- See, she changes the "tuh" for a "duh" sound.

So, instead of better, it becomes better.

And I used to think, ugh, I hate when British actors move

to Hollywood, and start changing their "tuh"

for a "duh" sound, in words like better,

pronouncing it better.

But this is what I spoke about before.

Language evolves.

It changes every few years.

And, in recent years, I started noticing British YouTubers.

They started pronouncing the American "duh"

where a "tuh" sound used to be.

And then my friends started doing it.

And then I noticed I started doing it.

And then, even my mom.

Yeah, it's definitely become more prominent now.

So, for years, I have taught

that British English would pronounce it better or better,

and American English would say better.

But, I'm officially declaring it now.

It's no longer unBritish to change that T to a D sound.

Got it?

You better get it.

See, I probably wouldn't say, got it?

Well, you better get it.

For me, the "duh" sound feels more natural now.

Language changes.

And again, just see what works for you.

Maybe you prefer this, doesn't matter.

So, to conclude this lesson, a few points about the T sound.

God, this is a long lesson.

If you want to develop a more posh RP speaking style,

you'll want to use fewer glottal Ts,

and they favor a more posh RP T,

like that one I showed you,

that always appears in "The Crown".

But, like I said, if you want to focus on sounding natural,

realistic, and modernly British,

then I recommend that you mix it up.

Mix it up.

Mix it up.

Try various styles, see what works best for you.

So, to finish this unit of the course,

I want you to look at these three sentences here.

Think of different ways

that you could pronounce the T sounds.

In all three sentences, you have a lot of options.

Pause this video, try saying them a few different ways,

and make notes about what you prefer,

what feels natural for you.

Just as a reference, I would pronounce it like this.

The first one,

it's hotter than a wet August night in Toronto.

But again, that's how I'm saying it now.

That might change, depending who I'm with,

the speed of speech in which I'm talking,

lots of things, my mood.

The second one, let's have a look.

It's an absolutely great photo of a turtle.

And the third one,

a better water bottle for the environment.

Again, you have lots of options for these three sentences.

My job, on this course,

is to help you develop your natural speaking style.

So, pause this video,

practice a few different ways of saying those Ts,

and then press play when you're ready to say goodbye to me.

To better follow the videos in this course,

download my free ebook, available at papateachme.com.

It's free, same as these videos, all free.

And that's it.

Thanks for watching the first unit of this course,

and I'll see you in unit two, next Saturday.

See you then.

(relaxing music)