They'll

svetlana14

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2013
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Ukrainian
Home Country
Ukraine
Current Location
Ukraine
Does the speaker say they'll (help set)?

14:48. He pronounces they'll so stuttering and fast that I cannot follow either of the following two ways Americans say: /ðeɪl/ as Oxford Learners Dictionary suggests.


3:05
where an American native speaker claims that typical American pronunciation is "thell".
 
Last edited by a moderator:
In the first video, there's no stuttering. He says the three words pretty fast, particularly running "help" and "set" together but yes, I heard "they'll help set" and the pronunciation of "they'll" was pretty much as the guy in the second video demonstrates.
In BrE, both "they'll" and "there'll" sound much the same ("thell" with a hard "th"). That's not the case for AmE speakers who use a rhotic "r".

They'll help me.
There'll be fifteen people there.
They'll be here at six.
There'll never be another actor like him.
 
I heard "they'll help set" and the pronunciation of "they'll" was pretty much as the guy in the second video demonstrates.
In BrE, both "they'll" and "there'll" sound much the same ("thell" with a hard "th").
What do you mean by 'hard "th"'?

For me, the first sound of "they'll" is /ð/, the voiced dental fricative of the, this, that, mother, breathe, etc.
 

Ask a Teacher

If you have a question about the English language and would like to ask one of our many English teachers and language experts, please click the button below to let us know:

(Requires Registration)
Back
Top