How do you pronounce "Twenty"

Johnny   Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:18 pm GMT
How do you pronounce "twenty"? Tw-any or Tw-uh-knee? I hear the latter a lot...
Thanks.
AJC   Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:48 pm GMT
"twenty"
Travis   Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:24 pm GMT
I normally pronounce "twenty" as [ˈtʰwʌ̃ːĩ̯] unless I am speaking carefully, where then I pronounce it as [ˈtʰwʌ̃ɾ̃iː].
Guest   Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:30 pm GMT
I usually pronounce it as you said, Johnny; twuh-nee.
Johnny   Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:36 pm GMT
Thanks. Does anybody know something more about this, for example if it's something regional or not, if it is more common in some areas, or if those are just alternate pronunciations? I've always wondered...
Guest   Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:48 am GMT
I pronounce it [twEnti].
Guest   Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:07 am GMT
tweeny

I'm an Aussie mate.
Milton   Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:43 am GMT
Twenny.
(Innernet, Winnertime, Cenner)
Lazar   Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:23 pm GMT
I pronounce it ["t_hwEni], with ["t_hwEnti] as a more careful variant. I don't think "twunny" is common in my region.
Damian in Edinburgh   Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:42 pm GMT
TWEN-tee Always - no matter whether I'm talking "carefully" or not. That second T is always there, as it should be, or else why have it there in the word in the first place? I think that's the case with most Scots, even in dialectal Scots. I know for sure that it's a different situation in Estuarised Londonspeak and Estuarised South Eastern English English....the the T has gone the way of the American version.....into oblivion. Many of the callers on national radio phone-ins who ring in from those areas of the South sound absolutely 'orrible, in my opinion. One the other night, from Epping, in Essex, was rabbiting on about his "daow-urrh" and I wondered what the (BLEEP) he was on about until I realised he was speaking about his daughter.
Lazar   Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:53 pm GMT
John Wells has said that the [t]-less version has become increasingly common in Southern England.
guest   Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:25 pm GMT
<,TWEN-tee Always - no matter whether I'm talking "carefully" or not. That second T is always there, as it should be, or else why have it there in the word in the first place?>>

Oh? like the 't' in 'hustle' and 'bustle'...
Johnny   Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:47 pm GMT
I see. Well, the T is not a problem, since I leave it out in those kinds of words (Innernational, Windows niny-eight...). I was just wondering whether the pronunciation of "Twunny" with a "uh" was somehow related to a particular area or group of people, but it seems it isn't.
Of course I use American English, I know in the UK "Twenty" is the common one. Ass for the T, I often hear it as a glottal stop or something, from non-American people. It looks like several people in the UK talk like that (...a li(t)ul bi(t) of wa(t)er...), but I am not an expert of British Accents ;-). I wonder about too many things though, so one day I might open a thread about that.
Johnny   Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:49 pm GMT
<<Ass for the T, I often hear it>>
Wow, I make lots of typos, but that was a good one! LoL :-)
...As for the T...