Now, I understand why Americans would sometimes pronouce the 'd' or 't' in some words differently like in words such as "courtesy", "animosity", "Did I", or "Would I". I think because it makes it easier and faster to say what you want.
But what doesn't make much sense to me is why would they change the 'y' in "did you" or "would you" and in "because you", "gives you", or "use your" into 'j'. So they become "didjo, scared jo, hiredjo" and "becasuejo, givesjo, and usejour".
examples:
"didjo do the homework"
"don't usejour computer"
Anyone got input? thnx
I understand what you mean by "didjo" (it's the sound of the 'd' and 'y' blending), but I haven't the slightest clue what you mean by "becasuejo" or "usejour." "Used your" could sound like "usejour," but not "use your." I can't think of any instance in which "because" would be pronounced that way. Maybe you're thinking of "caused your."
If, as I suspect, General Ricardo is a native Spanish speaker, I think what he might be talking about is the way American Latino-English speakers sometimes substitute a j sound for a y sound.
Am I right?
I don't think that's what he is talking about. We do say did you, and if we say it fast it comes out like didjo (didja for me). I agree with mjd that the d + y sound brings about the "j" when said fast. But I don't every recall saying because you" fast and it coming out like "becausejo" - that would just sound strange.
why when i read pronunciation guides sometimes does it put 'j' when it should really be 'y'? For example I was reading an english-russian phrase book thing and it said that the word for "I" should be pronounced "ja" not "ya". Maybe this has something to do with accents but it seems odd to me and all the russians i have heard pronounce it "ya" not "ja"
mjd, and Tiffany,
I'm quite sure what I said was right. I've heard sooooooo many ppl prounce s+y=sj. Even on TV (so you guys don't think it's only common in my state). But what I have noticed is that Americans themselves don't notice the proucation of some of the letters, as I said above, the 't' in "set it up". Pay close attention to it.
1) my calc teacher "it gives you (givesjo) the answer in radians".
2) my EE teacher "becausjo didn't do the homework".
3) on a commercial among launch videos " don't use your (usjour computer).
Toasté,
I'm an Arab!
I don't hear a "j" sound in any of the 3 quotes you've cited.
If I were to say "because it gives you the answers" in a casual way, it'd probably sound like: "because (or "'cuz" if I were really speaking fast) it gives ya the answers."
General_Ricardo~
Ohhh, I know what you're talking about! It's an informal liason between a word that ends with a hard "s" sound, and a word beginning with a vowel sound. It's very common in American English, and it sounds like "zh" or the French "j." "Gives you" is pronounced "givezhu," and "because you" sounds like "becauzhu." You're right, many Americans pronounce it that way, but I don't know why. I'm sure that I use that pronounciation sometimes, depending on how fast I'm speaking.
thnx Joanne..
hoooo, proved to be right;)
Am I the only one that think that does exactly opposite? Joanne is absolutely right that we sometimes blur the s and y as "zh", but where's the "j" sound? It's not a "j" sound to Americans! I know what "j'taime" sounds like, and the "zh" that sometimes occurs when the words is said fast and the "j" in that sentence sound entirely different.
This phenomenon happens in most language. Shais pas for je ne sais pas (French) , burdao for buzhidao (Mandarin) etc.
Are we talking about the same "zh" sound? Or are you talking about an extended "z" sound before liasing to the "y"? Both ways of saying "gives you" is common in American English. In fact, I think I use the latter way more often.
The "zh" sound I was talking about is midway between "sh" -- as in "shell" -- and "j" -- as in "jump."
...or in a simpler comparison, the "s" in "treasure."
The ''zh'' sound in a voiced version of the ''sh'' sound. That's the only difference between the two sounds.
All of this comes under the heading of coarticulation, a natural phenomenon seen in every language. The yod [j] changes into the voiced fricate [Z] simply because it's easier to pronounce after the voiced stop [d].
