What is the most common American way of pronouncing "with"?
I'm asking specifically about "th" combinations – dictionaries give both the unvoiced (wɪθ)
and the voiced (wɪð) ones?
Personally, I've heard it pronounced most of the times as wɪð (note: I'm not American) and this is why
I'm constantly surprised when online pronunciation tutorials encourage students to pronounce it unvoiced.
So, I guess my questions are:
- When a native American speaker pronounce "with", does he usually just "absorb" one pronunciation form
and stick with it for the rest of his life or the pronunciation can vary depending on the context? - If the answer to the last question is "yes" (speakers stick to one pronunciation form) – which regions in the states pronounce it voiced/unvoiced?
- Again – if speakers don't change pronunciation depending on the context, what is the most common way
of pronouncing "with"? - What is the "correct" pronunciation according to the notorious "General American" pronunciation?
Best Answer
In "General American" the pronunciation varies depending on the letter that follows:
In front of consonants, it usually sounds like wɪθ: "go with (wɪθ) Nancy"
with the possible exception of "L", where it usually sounds closer to wɪð: "go with (wɪð) Linda"
In front of vowels, it's usually wɪð: "go with (wɪð) Adam"
I can't speak for any of the various regional accents or dialects, but where I live the regional speech patterns tend to emphasize consonants, so it frequently comes out as wɪð when speaking slowly. But if they're talking normal to fast, they still tend to revert to the above rules.