Th-stopping

Th-stopping is the realization of the dental fricatives IPA| [θ, ð] as stops, which occurs in several dialects of English. In some accents, such as Hiberno-English, some varieties of Newfoundland English, some varieties of New York-New Jersey English, and Indian English, they are realized as the dental stops IPA| [t̪, d̪] and as such do not merge with the alveolar stops IPA|/t, d/. Thus pairs like "tin"/"thin" and "den"/"then" are not homophonous.(Wells 1982: 565–66, 635)] In other accents, such as Caribbean English and Liberian English, such pairs are merged.

For some New Yorkers, the fricatives IPA|/θ/ and IPA|/ð/ are pronounced as affricatives or stops, rather than as fricatives. Usually they remain dental, so that the oppositions IPA|/t-θ/ and IPA| [d-ð] are not lost. Thus "thanks" may be pronounced IPA| [θæŋks] , IPA| [tθæŋks] "or" IPA| [t̪æŋks] in decreasing order of statusfulness, all are distinct from "tanks". The IPA| [t̪] variant has a weakish articulation. the IPA|/t-θ/ opposition may be lost, exceptionally in the environment of a following IPA|/ɹ/ (making "three" homophonous with "tree"), and in the case of the word "with", (so that "with a" may rhyme with the nonrhotic pronunciation of "bitter-bidder"; "with you" may be IPA| [wɪʧu] , following the same yod-coalescence rule as "hit you". These pronunciation are all stigmatized.

The IPA| [d-ð] opposition seems to be lost more readily, though not as readily as the Brooklynese stereotype might lead one to believe. As in many other places, initial IPA| [ð] is subject to assimilation or deletion in a range of environments in relatively informal and/or popular speech, e.g. "who's there" IPA| [huz (z)ɛə] ; as in many other places, it is also subject to stopping "there" IPA|/dɛə/. This option extends to one or two words in which the IPA|/ð/ is not initial, e.g. "other", which can thus become a homonym of "utter-udder". But it would not be usual for "southern" to be pronounced identically with "sudden" or "breathe" with "breed".

In African American Vernacular English, in the words "with" and "nothing", IPA| [t] may occur corresponding to standard IPA| [ð] , thus IPA| [wɪt] for "with" and IPA| [ˈnʌtɪn] for "nothing". (Wolfram 1969:83) Th-stopping is also reported for some other non-initial IPA| [θ] s, apparently particularly when preceded by a nasal and followed by a plosive, as "keep your mout closed" (Wolfram 1969:90). In initial position, IPA| [θ] occurs in AAVE just as in standard accents: "thin" is IPA| [θɪn] , without the stopping of West Indian accents. (Wolfram 1969:130, does however mention the use of 'a lenis IPA| [t] ' as a rare variant.) Stopping of initial IPA| [ð] , however, is frequent making "then" homophonous with "den".

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