Sawdamizer Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Still Me said: question why can we pronounce “the” as th-ah and thee and it means the same thing...and are completely interchangeable based on context... example: im going to th-ah mall vs im at thee mall Isn't it Thuh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Me Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Sawdamizer said: Isn't it Thuh? Eh however you want to phonetic that...fine but you can still say it as thee based upon context... like I said, they are both interchangeable and I find myself doing it often Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gina Szanboti Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 9 minutes ago, Still Me said: question why can we pronounce “the” as th-ah and thee and it means the same thing...and are completely interchangeable based on context... example: im going to th-ah mall vs im at thee mall Really? You say "thee mall"? The main difference in usage between the two that I've heard is that it's a schwa sound (thuh) when it precedes a word that starts with a consonant, and it's a long e (thee) when it comes before a vowel sound (not just a vowel, like one (wun)). So "I'm at thee alehouse, you know, thuh one at thee end of thuh street." The only other time I hear people use long-e the before a consonant is if they're really emphasizing a specific thing or person. "Slim Shady? You mean The Slim Shady? Not those other Slim Shadys?" or "He thinks he's The Greatest Writer ever." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Me Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 6 hours ago, Gina Szanboti said: Really? You say "thee mall"? The main difference in usage between the two that I've heard is that it's a schwa sound (thuh) when it precedes a word that starts with a consonant, and it's a long e (thee) when it comes before a vowel sound (not just a vowel, like one (wun)). So "I'm at thee alehouse, you know, thuh one at thee end of thuh street." The only other time I hear people use long-e the before a consonant is if they're really emphasizing a specific thing or person. "Slim Shady? You mean The Slim Shady? Not those other Slim Shadys?" or "He thinks he's The Greatest Writer ever." I didn’t say I said that...I was using it as an example...hence before said statement it says “example:” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gina Szanboti Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 You gave it as an example of something "we" do, so I figured you included yourself. I did ask to be sure though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobdog Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 (edited) On 5/15/2020 at 1:56 AM, Still Me said: question why can we pronounce “the” as th-ah and thee and it means the same thing...and are completely interchangeable based on context... example: im going to th-ah mall vs im at thee mall Pronunciation can be altered to better benefit speech cadence, which is dependent on the speaker. Edited May 18, 2020 by scoobdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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