Sound of words "can" and "can't"

This words sometimes could be a headache for many people who start to learn English or as in my case, the hear is not trained enough yet or accustomed to them. The thing goes worst with the word "can't" if the next word begins with a letter "t". I like to hear music in English to try to get some of training putting of course the slang aside but sometimes it's necessary to get the context in the song to "find out" if it was a "can" or a "can't". An example is that MC Hammer's song "You Can't Touch This"

Is there a "trick" or something to get the difference more easily than by context ?

<Is there a "trick" or something to get the difference more easily than by context ? >


LEARN BRITISH ENGLISH !!!

In British English the difference is very contrasty !

Can is pronounced as in CANada
Can’t is pronounced Ca as in ( Calm ) + nt (ka: n't)

I don’t recommend to anyone American English , by the way!

In London calling someone a "cant" could get you a punch in the face!

<In London calling someone a "cant" could get you a punch in the face>

cunt and can't are not pronounced the same !

you're a troll

For many speakers of North American English (me included), there is a clue you can listen for. "Can" often has a reduced vowel (this also applies to British English) which can even be syllabic [n=] in unstressed or unemphatic positions while "can't" always has [{]. It is often nasalized and followed by a glottal stop, so [?]. Thus, this is how I'd say the following:

"I can see it" [aI k_hn= si It]

"I can't see it" [aI k_h{~? si It]

It doesn't it any way to me sound like the MC Hammer's song is saying ''can'' in ''Can't touch this''.

<<LEARN BRITISH ENGLISH !!!

In British English the difference is very contrasty !>>

I speak British English and I have the same vowel in both ''can'' and ''can't'' when ''can'' is not reduced.

<<I wouldn't recommend that anyone listen to ENG either.>>

Neither would I.

<<I speak British English and I have the same vowel in both ''can'' and ''can't'' when ''can'' is not reduced.>>

Good point, maybe you are from North England, where English accents don't usually have the "broad A" feature.

<<LEARN BRITISH ENGLISH !!!

In British English the difference is very contrasty !>>

I suppose you're talking about Received Pronunciation, where they have this "broad A" stuff and the difference is, really quite noticeable.

Subjective judgments about the relative merit of this or that version of a language are meaningless and should be summarily dismissed in any serious discussion.

<<If he were saying "can," it would not be as open of a sound...the A would have more of a schwa sound to it, especially since it is said so fast. >>

That is the problem ! since I always thought that both words sound the same adding just a "t" for negation.
Let's try with a comparation: for example does the A in "can" sound similar the A in "cat" ? What about the A in "can't" ? which word could work as reference ?

I tried the Babylon Pro program and I put both words side by side but I couldn't hear the difference may be it can go that far OR it's me rather !

Thanks

Aldo,
The vowel in "can" and "can't", as far as I know, is the same in General American when these words are pronounced in isolation, forgetting strings of words which causes vowel changes and schwas to pop up.

In simple terms, the "t" in "can't" is often pronounced as a glottal stop (even in my AusE dialect), so you will hear "ca(n)?" where (n) is a nasal and ? is a glottal stop.

As for "can", instead of a glottal stop there is a true "n" consonant, so it is pronounced "ca(n)n".

Compare "ca(n)?" and "ca(n)n".

The vowel of "can" is a schwa if it is not emphasized, same as the "kon" in "reckon".
The vowel of "can't" is the a in apple. It is always stressed.

Normally, they are pronounced quite differently. Problems appear when people want to stress the word "can".

I myself have the following pronunciations, in order of decreasing formality/emphasis, for "can" and "can't":

"can" : [k_h{~:n], [k_hE~:n], [k_hn=]
"can't" : [k_h{~nt], [k_h{~?]

In most everyday speech, the last of the pronunciations listed for each is that which is used most commonly.