What the hell is "zee" instead of "the"

Guido   Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:47 am GMT
Why? Where did it originated?
Most times I've heard it from British people.
Dude Who Knows   Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:22 am GMT
I've only heard people say when speaking in a French accent.
Liz   Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:47 am GMT
It was mentioned in Guy Ritchie's film "Snatch", too, when one of the characters was mocking the German accent. ("Protection from what? Zee Germans?")
It is also true what Dude says - it can be a French accent, too.
furrykef   Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:08 am GMT
The French/German accent thing is the only ones I know of, but I'll add that it's just as common here in the United States. If you want to do a funny imitation of a Frenchman or a German, saying "zee" instead of "the" is all but obligatory. :)

- Kef
Travis   Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:20 pm GMT
One will get [z@:] or [zi:] here for "the" in many cases where it follows a word which ends in /z/, simply as /D/ assimilates to the preceding /z/ rather readily. However, though, in interdental hardening here /D/ tends to harden more to [d_d] or [d] here.