wɪð, or ,wɪθ

[celtaflorida]

Greetings.
Is there a certain situation where the sound of 'th' in preposition 'with' has to be voiced or unvoiced?
Thanks.

 

[Raymott]

Greetings.
Is there a certain situation where the sound of 'th' in preposition 'with' has to be voiced or unvoiced?
Thanks.

No. The default is 'wiθ'. Sometimes the phonetic environment might lead to a voiced 'th', but there's no rule saying you have to do that. I can't think of an example just now of where I'd use a voiced 'th'.

 

[Carolina1983]

"With them" would be a nice example for voiced th in with, I think. Not mandatory, course.

 

[Esredux]

No. The default is 'wiθ'. Sometimes the phonetic environment might lead to a voiced 'th', but there's no rule saying you have to do that. I can't think of an example just now of where I'd use a voiced 'th'.

What about 'with you'? Would 'th' be also naturally voiceless?

Incidentally, OALD, thefreedictionary, dictionary.com have both voiced and unvoiced versions while Cambridge knows only the voiced one, at least in transcription.

 

[euncu]

We had a similar thread;

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/142507-wi-wi-one-more-common.html

 

[Asdherel]

Hello!
The default form of "with" is /wɪð/. We use the voiceless final consonant (/wɪθ/) when the following consonant is voiceless as well.
Information taken from my university notes and the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary.

 

[Esredux]

We had a similar thread;

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/142507-wi-wi-one-more-common.html

:up: Thanks a lot. (Always motivating to know which side you are on, even if seemingly by chance :-D )

 

[Raymott]

What about 'with you'? Would 'th' be also naturally voiceless?

I use a theta in "with you". But, as we've seen, there is so much variation that to say a certain form is natural is untrue.

 

[natkretep]

Please do have a look at the other thread mentioned.

Most (non-Scottish) British speakers have /wɪð/ and most American speakers have /wɪθ/,and I think most use /ð/ for without and within. (And I'm discounting some other pronunciations like the Cockney /wɪv/.)

 

[BobK]

That Cockney thing is called Th-fronting, and - as natkretep probably knows - applies much more widely than to this one word.

b