Blogging from A to Z: G is for...Glottal Stop


In America, despite my manly good looks, keen mind, and effervescent sense of humor...

...the first thing people normally notice about me is how I talk. Nowadays, my accent has been corrupted by the use of American words, the need to slow down to be understood, and the subtle assimilation of residency. Here in America, I still sound Scottish enough to raise questions about where I come from. To people in the UK, I sound American.


One thing people pick up on is my pronunciation of certain words, particularly those with the double t in the middle: Butter - Buh-uhr. This is due to Scots using a Glottal Stop when pronouncing those words.

 A glottal stop is a complete or partial closure of the glottis (vocal folds) creating a sound which is used instead of the actual sound of the letter. So in butter, instead of the hard "t" sound I use a glottal stop.

Americans also use glottal stops, but you just don't notice it. Don't think too hard about it...just say:

Cat litter.

Did you make the t sounds or were they replaced with a constriction of the glottis and an interruption in air flow?

Say: Important

 Did you say imPOR-unh? That's a glottal stop.

Say: Right now

...put...

...sentence...

 ...button...

 ...apartment...

...hate mail...

Do you hear it? If you're replacing a consonant sound with what is basically an interruption in air flow through your vocal chords, you should notice, unless you're really concentrating and over-pronouncing.

So, now that I've got you thinking about it, you'll be talking weird for a while...

You're welcome!


That was G in the A to Z Blog Challenge. Come back tomorrow for H. And in the meantime go to http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ and check out some of the other bloggers.

~ GSY

Comments

  1. SylviaApril 9, 2015 at 4:06 AM

    LOL! Delightful post, and yep, I do it too :D

    I hope you have a wonderful time during the rest of A to Z!
    Sylvia van Bruggen @ Playful Creative

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sara C. SniderApril 9, 2015 at 6:31 AM

    Great, I probably am going to be talking weird for a while. Thanks for that. ;) Also, Scottish accents are the best.

    Happy A to Z!

    ReplyDelete
  3. loverofwordsApril 9, 2015 at 8:29 AM

    Yep, I do it. But I hate the nasal quality of my voice more, however I enunciate very clearly. I think its too late to change. Interesting post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. GusApril 9, 2015 at 10:33 AM

    Scottish accents are the best! Although I might be biased. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Selling your book or selling your soul?

Image
Snobbery and hubris from the traditional publishing world bred some hurt feelings on the self-published side of the industry. To ease the pain, "Selfies" like to point out that they maintain control over their work and don't have to sell their souls like the "Trads" do. I don't think many believe that argument completely, but there's a lot of self-satisfaction in the idea of being in complete control of your artistic vision. This mask of creative integrity has morphed into a widely held conceit that we Selfies can write anything we like and, once our genius is recognized, we can reap the benefits of redefining the publishing industry. Only, that almost NEVER happens. Sure, the internet is awash with stories of this person who made seven figures self-publishing, or that person who was writing a chapter at a time on their blog and now their book is a movie. Yes, it happens...to those two people. Generally, the rest of us struggle. One of the ...
Read more

Questions for Spartagus.

I'm trying to be a writer (you may have heard mention of this fact a couple thousand times already...lets just pretend this is the first time) and writers need an audience and an ability to connect with them. So, I'm gonna try something different in the blog this time. I struggle to talk about myself in any meaningful way to strangers. I don't know you and you don't know me so, for the most part we are strangers. I show up on Twitter and tweet some mundane fact about myself: "I like cheese!" or, find myself chiming in about movies, cracking wise or ruminating about the size of the universe.The bulk of what I "talk" about is in short, sharp blasts on Twitter and that's lead me to wonder how much of a connection I'm making to the people I interact with through the myriad of social forums. I'm not the most social of animals since I do not find myself in the least bit "special" or "interesting" so find it hard to fat...
Read more

Bright Lights #1 - Valerie Haight - Happenstance

Image
 As promised, today I begin a new series of interviews with a diverse group of writers I've met on my internet journeys. The first head on the chopping block (volunteer) is Valerie Haight. Valerie is a prize winning, contemporary romance and suspense writer from Arkansas. Always supportive of other writers, she was one of the first people on Twitter to extend the hand of friendship to me and the first (and still only) person to ask me to post (guest blog) on their website. I am hugely honored that she has finally relented and agreed to come over to my wee blog and talk to you all (or y'all...whichever is more appropriate lol). So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce the first "Bright Light" in this ongoing series: Valerie Haight GUS: Hi, Valerie! This is a very exciting time for you in your writing career.  Now that you're nearing the release of your first novella, which part of the journey has surprised you the most...
Read more