I can't tell the difference when an American person say can and can't ! Help!!!

[vokazu]

Edit: title should be "can or can't"

Each time I hear an American person say can't or can, I can't really tell the difference. How do you guys do it? I can't really tell if there is a weak "t" sound at the end of can't.

It's much easier to tell the difference when it's spoken in British English: can is said like can, can't is said like cúnt.

Can you guys teach me how to tell if an American guy say can or can't ? Especially when they talk so fast is hard to tell if they say can or can't.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Never knew this to be an issue. Perhaps one or more of these vids can help. It can't hurt:

 

[Sentinel]

How do you guys do it?

I could never figure out.

Also why does the lady pronounce the "t" in often?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Is the American can/can’t issue primarily on the phone, on TV or movies? Or is also a problem in face-to-face communication? If the latter, you might ask, “can or cannot?”.

 

[ollinger]

I don't know what to think when I ask a patient how he's been and he says "I've been better." Some people mean they've improved, and some mean they haven't but in fact have been better some time in the past.

 

[sureshs]

I don't know what to think when I ask a patient how he's been and he says "I've been better." Some people mean they've improved, and some mean they haven't but in fact have been better some time in the past.

It is obviously the second.

 

[van_Loederen]

cúnt, you see

 

[socallefty]

America is a can-do culture, we never say ‘can’t’. We might try and fail, but we never start out saying we ‘can’t’.

 

[Bartelby]

Americans also say "sh-ore" instead of "sure" or, at least some of them do.

 

[vokazu]

Americans also say "sh-ore" instead of "sure" or, at least some of them do.

I thought it's British English that says "shore" for "sure".

British:

sure

1. certain; without any doubt: 2. certain or certainly: 3. to be very or too…

dictionary.cambridge.org

American:

Definition of SURE

marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty; characterized by a lack of wavering or hesitation; admitting of no doubt : indisputable… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[Bartelby]

There's maybe a long vowel/short vowel difference and there is a stronger 's' sound in the American pronunciation.

I don't know how to phonetically-transcribe sounds. They both mean the same.

I thought it's British English that says "shore" for "sure".

British:

sure

1. certain; without any doubt: 2. certain or certainly: 3. to be very or too…

dictionary.cambridge.org

American:

Definition of SURE

marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty; characterized by a lack of wavering or hesitation; admitting of no doubt : indisputable… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[Larry Duff]

Carrie and Kerry they say the same also.

 

[onehandbh]

Americans also say "sh-ore" instead of "sure" or, at least some of them do.

Huh? Which part of America pronounces 'sure' like the word 'shore'? A particular part of th NY?

I do hear Americans pronouncing it as 'shur'.

 

[onehandbh]

Edit: title should be "can or can't"

Each time I hear an American person say can't or can, I can't really tell the difference. How do you guys do it? I can't really tell if there is a weak "t" sound at the end of can't.

It's much easier to tell the difference when it's spoken in British English: can is said like can, can't is said like cúnt.

Can you guys teach me how to tell if an American guy say can or can't ? Especially when they talk so fast is hard to tell if they say can or can't.

You might need to get your ears checked. Perhaps you are unable to hear certain sounds well.

A tougher one for non-native English speakers is the word combination of 'would' and 'you'.

Would you like to go to the store?

Often sounds like "wood(d)-ja)". (soft 'd')

Try this:

She sells seashells by the seashore,
The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.
So if she sells seashells on the seashore,
Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

 

[KantenKlaar]

Lets call in an expert @jm1980 is very proficient with linguistics.

 

[Bartelby]

Yes, well, it's clear you understood what I meant and 'shur' can be pronounced a few ways so you see the problem.

Unless you know and use phonetic transcriptions it's hard to be exact, as I already clearly stated.

Huh? Which part of America pronounces 'sure' like the word 'shore'? A particular part of th NY?

I do hear Americans pronouncing it as 'shur'.

 

[vokazu]

There's maybe a long vowel/short vowel difference and there is a stronger 's' sound in the American pronunciation.

I don't know how to phonetically-transcribe sounds. They both mean the same.

Just click on the little audio icons on those dictionary websites, and you can hear the human's voices saying the word.

 

[Bartelby]

I was hoping locals might know of regional variation in the pronunciation of "sure" in the USA.

Just click on the little audio icons on those dictionary websites, and you can hear the human's voices saying the word.

 

[vokazu]

When they say it slowly, sometimes I can tell the difference.

 

[onehandbh]

I was hoping locals might know of regional variation in the pronunciation of "sure" in the USA.

I am a local that has visited almost every part of the US. There a few variations in the pronunciation of the word 'sure'. The "standard" dialect is how it is pronounced in the ******* region, which is more usually shown in dictionaries as "ˈshər".

Similar to other languages, the situation and sentence it is used in can affect how much it is enunciated, though.

I believe are said you reside in Australia. How many ways of pronouncing 'sure' are there there?

 

[Bartelby]

Australia is very linguistically homogenous so there is only one. There are different words in different places, but the main difference is between broad, general and cultivated accents.

I tend to think that there are small differences between general and cultivated. We used to have a clear distinction between RP and broad, but that disappeared in the sixties.

I am a local that has visited almost every part of the US. There a few variations in the pronunciation of the word 'sure'. The "standard" dialect is how it is pronounced in the ******* region, which is more usually shown in dictionaries as "ˈshər".

Similar to other languages, the situation and sentence it is used in can affect how much it is enunciated, though.

I believe are said you reside in Australia. How many ways of pronouncing 'sure' are there there?

 

[Sentinel]

Each time I hear an American person say can't or can, I can't really tell the difference. How do you guys do it? I can't really tell if there is a weak "t" sound at the end of can't

Are you able to tell the difference between winner and winter?

 

[onehandbh]

Can you hear the difference between the way a Singaporean pronounces the words 'tree' and 'three'?

 

[onehandbh]

Can you hear the difference between the way an American pronounces hors d'oeuvre and "horse devours"?

 

[vokazu]

Are you able to tell the difference between winner and winter?

Mostly yes, when it's said in a sentence because then I know the context.

But I think Americans would pronounce the "t" in winter.. if they want to say it correctly. The American dictionary pronounce the "t" in winter: (click the little audio icon)

Definition of WINTER

the season between autumn and spring comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of December, January, and February or as reckoned astronomically extending from the December solstice to the March equinox; the colder half of the year; year… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[vokazu]

Can you hear the difference between the way an American pronounces hors d'oeuvre and "horse devours"?

Well, most Americans on TV say the word "voilà" correctly, so I guess they would say the right way for hors d'oeuvres ( or derv).

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Can you hear the difference between the way a Singaporean pronounces the words 'tree' and 'three'?

In Hawaiian pidgin (an English creole language), 3 is pronounced as 'tree'

How about ppl with a strong Vietnamese accent pronouncing 6. It sounds like 'sick'.

 

[onehandbh]

How about the difference between 'ladder' and 'latter'?

"let her" and "letter"

"fee nicks" and 'phoenix'

"Mack's a mum" and 'maximum"

"letter 'b'" and "let her be"

"rock it science" and "rocket science"

 

[sportsfan1]

Use cannot. Ban can't.
Lol.

 

[Sudacafan]

English is an ambiguous language.
Talk responsibly.

 

[onehandbh]

English is an ambiguous language.
Talk responsibly.

English is an amphibious language.

Sometimes a word or phrase lands and really makes an impact. Other times it misses and you just let it flow by like water under a bridge.

 

[vokazu]

English is an amphibious language.

Sometimes a word or phrase lands and really makes an impact. Other times it misses and you just let it flow by like water under a bridge.

ohbh, you'd say "winter" as win-ter, correct? not winner???

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

ohbh, you'd say "winter" as win-ter, correct? not winner???

Now is the winner of hour dis-consent

 

[Sentinel]

How about the difference between 'ladder' and 'latter'?

"let her" and "letter"

"fee nicks" and 'phoenix'

"Mack's a mum" and 'maximum"

"letter 'b'" and "let her be"

"rock it science" and "rocket science"

At the airport, i can never tell if they're announcing a flight to Atlanta or Atilla the Hun since the second T is not pronounced.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

At the airport, i can never tell if they're announcing a flight to Atlanta or Atilla the Hun since the second T is not pronounced.

Reminds me of a story I heard many years ago. It might be a local urban myth. A passenger believed that they had boarded a short flight to Oakland, CA. When the plane touched down, (too) many hours later, they found themselves in Auckland, NZ instead.

 

[onehandbh]

ohbh, you'd say "winter" as win-ter, correct? not winner???

Yes.

 

[Sentinel]

Reminds me of a story I heard many years ago. It might be a local urban myth. A passenger believed that they had boarded a short flight to Oakland, CA. When the plane touched down, (too) many hours later, they found themselves in Auckland, NZ instead.

Haha. That was me.

On another occasion, I boarded the flight to New York and reached some place called Newark.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Haha. That was me.

On another occasion, I boarded the flight to New York and reached some place called Newark.

Landing in NJ rather than NY… now that’s gotta be annoying.

We have a Newark in the SF Bay Area. Thankfully, no airport there. But I do drive thru Newark 6-8 times a month. The first few times I asked my nav software for a location in Newark, it told me my destination was more than 2900 miles away and it would take me nearly 2 days to get there. Apple Maps has gotten smarter since then

 

[Sentinel]

Landing in NJ rather than NY… now that’s gotta be annoying.

We have a Newark in the SF Bay Area. Thankfully, no airport there. But I do drive thru Newark 6-8 times a month. The first few times I asked my nav software for a location in Newark, it told me my destination was more than 2900 miles away and it would take me nearly 2 days to get there. Apple Maps has gotten smarter since then

We often get confused between the country Georgia and the state in the US. Luckily whenever I flew to Atlanta, which i really did, i never landed up in the country Georgia.

 

[alexio]

georgia on my mind

 

[KantenKlaar]

georgia on my mind

Love that song

 

[puppybutts]

Edit: title should be "can or can't"

Each time I hear an American person say can't or can, I can't really tell the difference. How do you guys do it? I can't really tell if there is a weak "t" sound at the end of can't.

It's much easier to tell the difference when it's spoken in British English: can is said like can, can't is said like cúnt.

Can you guys teach me how to tell if an American guy say can or can't ? Especially when they talk so fast is hard to tell if they say can or can't.

most people (well, not that I can speak for every dialect in America) pronounce "can" like "ken", and "can't" like how they would say "can of beans." e.g. in "I can open the can of beans", the two cans usually aren't pronounced the same. usually sounds more like "Iken open the can of beans, but he can't."

 

[stapletonj]

Huh? Which part of America pronounces 'sure' like the word 'shore'? A particular part of th NY?

I do hear Americans pronouncing it as 'shur'.

South..... Ahhh shore dew lak bisskits!

 

[onehandbh]

most people (well, not that I can speak for every dialect in America) pronounce "can" like "ken", and "can't" like how they would say "can of beans." e.g. in "I can open the can of beans", the two cans usually aren't pronounced the same. usually sounds more like "Iken open the can of beans, but he can't."

Generally true but when the verb 'can' is at the end of a sentence, the short 'a' vowel is enunciated more.

 

[onehandbh]

Here is a good video to help you understand the importance of placement and context in determining the meaning of a word.