better bedder

Hello!

Are "better" and "bedder" pronounced the same way in American English?

Yes, for the most part. There may be some people who distinguish them, but most Americans pronounce them the same.

And in Devon as well!

Probably where we got it from.

"Yes, for the most part. There may be some people who distinguish them, but most Americans pronounce them same. "

If so, why does Merriam-Webster give /ˈbe-dər/ for "bedder" and /ˈbe-tər/ for "better"?

See the pronunciation:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedder
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/better

>>Guest Tue Dec 15, 2009 4:09 pm GMT
>If so, why does Merriam-Webster give /ˈbe-dər/ for "bedder" and /ˈbe-tər/ for "better"?

That's because "better" still CAN be pronounced with [t] and "bedder" still CAN be pronounced with [d] even though they're usually not (but with [4] instead).

[4] = alveolar tap
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_tap

This phenomenon is also found in Australian and New Zealand English, isn't it?

yes, and in Canada too.

<<And in Devon as well!>>

How do they pronounce it in Devon? Like Americans do?

More common in Devon is the "glottal stop" /'be?-ər/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glottal_stop

For 'better', it's more common to pronounce it as 'd'.

My sample of Devon accent then standard pronunciation of the phrase 'I'm better'.

http://www.quickfilepost.com/download.do?get=3b9f83e50705b65b80f9fab242118363