Why do a lot of millennial types not pronounce words like 'button' with a noticeable 't' sound? It seems to be a widespread thing. Is it regional? Two news analysts discussing the whole nuclear button fuckery that Dumpf is involved in pronounced it like, 'Buh-un'. I find it annoying and babyish, like vocal fry and upspeak. It's like they don't want to press their tongues against their palates to make a 't' sound.

by Anonymous

reply 63

January 5, 2018 12:16 PM

Thought that was a Jersey thing.

by Anonymous

reply 1

January 3, 2018 4:31 PM

That is how some English accents are, not all but some. I notice, Valerie Harper often did that too, but not always.

by Anonymous

reply 2

January 3, 2018 4:31 PM

It does seem regional and not limited to one generation. Vocal fry really bothers me more than word pronunciation, mostly because it sounds like the speaker is attempting to intentionally damage the vocal cords. One of the receptionists at my doctor's office is a very sweet, kind, helpful 20 something with the worst vocal fry I have ever heard. It's painful to listen to her. I've not heard her say button but now I'll be listening for it, OP.

by Anonymous

reply 3

January 3, 2018 4:54 PM

In CT it's more like Buh-in. Wilton = Wil-in, Shelton = Shel-in. I don't find it to be a millennial thing at all, but regional and uneducated.

by Anonymous

reply 4

January 3, 2018 4:59 PM

I’ve heard this in people from Long Island. As a side note, they pronounce it “Lonk Eye-lund”.

by Anonymous

reply 5

January 3, 2018 5:00 PM

R7, we can read about it on The Datalounge?

by Anonymous

reply 8

January 3, 2018 5:12 PM

Connecticut reeks with glottal stop. Hideous.

by Anonymous

reply 11

January 3, 2018 5:29 PM

"Popping" your p's and t's into a microphone is not a good idea.

by Anonymous

reply 14

January 3, 2018 5:34 PM

Do what I do when Im confronted with vocal fry or whatever speech pattern annoys me ,"Im sorry,what did you say?" or "I dont understand what you're saying" . Then I pretend to still not understand them if they continue to speak in the same way. Then I end it by saying " Oh! You're saying buTTon !" They hate it,and I feel pleasantly bitchy. Ive had bitches completely drop vocal fry when I use that! Try it,it works.

by Anonymous

reply 15

January 3, 2018 5:38 PM

I was a poli sci major at UCONN when Bill Clinton was president. I thought if I heard one more New Englander say "Bill CLIN-IN" I was going to SCREAM!!

by Anonymous

reply 17

January 3, 2018 5:58 PM

OP here: Thanks for the input. Regarding the comment about popping 'p's' and 't's' into a microphone -- Yeah, I get that. But the majority of commentators, etc. that I hear pronounce them both without causing an issue. The swallowed 't', in particular, sounds idiotic and when I hear an otherwise intelligent person use that pattern, their credibility and their likeability goes down several notches. They sound baby-ish, to me. Maybe I'm just a cunt.

by Anonymous

reply 18

January 3, 2018 6:15 PM

Every time Karina Longworth says that this episode was "writ-ten" I want to rip her tongue out.

by Anonymous

reply 19

January 3, 2018 6:23 PM

I say Manha-in as I think it sounds weird to say ManhaTTAn

by Anonymous

reply 20

January 3, 2018 6:40 PM

R15 You're right. These idiots probably had hippie parents or Marxist school teachers who were too lazy to do their job.

Anytime any millennial shop assistant tells me "No Problem" or "No Worries" I say to them that they are PAID to fix problems.

by Anonymous

reply 21

January 3, 2018 6:45 PM

It’s particular to Connecticut, mah-Hah-en, and parts of New Jersey. I identified a girl at work as being from CT because of buh’in,” and she confirmed she’s from the region by saying “I’m born in Connecticut.” People from CT/NY/NJ were never born; they are always in the state of being born.

by Anonymous

reply 22

January 3, 2018 7:13 PM

OP, it's called a glottal stop, not a "swallowed 't'"--it sounds babyish not to use precise terminology for a thing when the terminology exists and has been given to you.

by Anonymous

reply 23

January 3, 2018 7:48 PM

r22, I've lived in NY my whole life, and know thousands of people from CT and NJ and I have never heard anyone say "I'm born in ...."

by Anonymous

reply 24

January 3, 2018 8:01 PM

R24 Everyone I know from CT and NY and even people I see on TV from NY and CT and sometimes NJ says “I’m born in 1978,” for example.

by Anonymous

reply 25

January 3, 2018 8:06 PM

Altaras also emphasizes a sense of pride that many other Jews in the United States share, which he said further discourages him from seeking out Spanish citizenship. “I’m American; I’m born in New York.”

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 26

January 3, 2018 8:09 PM

I'm an Italian American, I'm born in New York, my heritage is Italian. There are not a lot of restaurants that represent that and the ones that exist are getting very old ...

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by Anonymous

reply 27

January 3, 2018 8:10 PM

I’m born in New York...

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 28

January 3, 2018 8:11 PM

And, I mean, particularly because I'm born in New York, I can see potentials and options. You know, it's tough when you're born here, and most of these people in this ...

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 29

January 3, 2018 8:13 PM

Today is the first day that I’ve ever heard “I’m born in.”

Btw, I’m 45, grew up in N/E Ohio, and have lived in Manhattan for 20 years.

by Anonymous

reply 30

January 3, 2018 8:15 PM

I've noticed this over the past decade as well, and it's annoying as hell. I'm not surprised in the least that the article points out it's predominantly younger white american women doing this - that's what I've noticed personally as well. I always took it as some annoying way to try and make themselves sound cutesy, infantile, and twee.

by Anonymous

reply 31

January 3, 2018 8:24 PM

Huh. Clearly, I don't know the right people!

by Anonymous

reply 32

January 3, 2018 8:29 PM

I have a friend who teases me when I say the word "dentist" because I enunciate the T. I thought everyone did - who knew? I'm from New York, she's from the Southwest.

I say den-tist She says den-ist

by Anonymous

reply 33

January 3, 2018 8:42 PM

Do people really enunciate the “t” in “button”?

I’m trying it and it sounds forced. I did know a very old man from Brooklyn who used the glottal stop for the world “bottle”; “boh-ull”. It was almost Cockney-sounding.

by Anonymous

reply 34

January 3, 2018 8:42 PM

I heae a lot of black people say "Happy Born Day" instead of "Happy Birthday" What's up with that?

by Anonymous

reply 35

January 3, 2018 8:42 PM

Its everywhere. Moun-ains Impor-ant

by Anonymous

reply 37

January 3, 2018 8:47 PM

My Dad was from the Bronx, Bottle = Boh Uhl, Italy= It-lee, Orange = Are inge. Sandwich=Sangwidge. I speak nothing like that, I drag my words out and pronounce every letter. Go figure!

by Anonymous

reply 38

January 3, 2018 8:47 PM

I heard Stephanie Ruhle say this twice on MSNBC today.

by Anonymous

reply 39

January 3, 2018 8:53 PM

When I lived in France, I read a "guide de la prononciation americaine" that addressed the issue of mumbled t's and n's in the middle of words. "Twenny" for "twenty" was an example provided.

by Anonymous

reply 41

January 3, 2018 8:59 PM

r41 another example is Innernet.

by Anonymous

reply 42

January 3, 2018 9:11 PM

If you don’t pronounce the first T in dentist, it sounds like you’re saying Dennis. Which is fine if your dentist is named Dennis.

Otherwise, why did you make an appointment with Dennis about your tooth ache??

by Anonymous

reply 43

January 3, 2018 9:34 PM

Do you remember the tv series, "Martin"? from 1992? There were saying, "Ma-enn". It drove me crazy.

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 46

January 3, 2018 10:00 PM

They don't know or never heard/learned how to dentalize their ts.

by Anonymous

reply 47

January 3, 2018 10:19 PM

People who do that are desperate for attention. I don't think it's specific to millenials, I think it's more about those people who grasp at any tiny thing they can to get little snippets of attention at any opportunity.

by Anonymous

reply 48

January 3, 2018 10:30 PM

It’s not a fault. It’s just a manner of speaking that can be traced back to the UK; various dialects (such as Cockney) involve gluttal stops. It’s no different than the Rhotic R—most Americans pronounce the letter R, but some New Yawkas, some suthanuhs and of course people who pahk the cah at hahvahd yahd don’t pronounce Rs.

by Anonymous

reply 49

January 3, 2018 10:32 PM

Anderson Cooper pronounces "button" as "buddin", which also drives me insane!

by Anonymous

reply 50

January 3, 2018 10:40 PM

Are all the girls doing vocal fry going to sound like Bea Arthur when they are 30 because they damaged their vocal cords?

by Anonymous

reply 51

January 3, 2018 11:13 PM

Well certainly not the rich part of CT in the SW?

by Anonymous

reply 52

January 3, 2018 11:17 PM

I hate it when people say "mou' in" instead of mountain. It sounds ignorant.

I've never heard "I'm born in" either. I was born in San Francisco.

by Anonymous

reply 53

January 3, 2018 11:35 PM

A whole lot of people in North Carolina pronounce the word Doctor as if it were dot.der

by Anonymous

reply 54

January 4, 2018 12:47 AM

R14 when I began in radio we were taught how not to pop P's and T's. Now there are screens made out of pantyhose in front of the mike to prevent those sounds.

by Anonymous

reply 55

January 4, 2018 12:51 AM

A woman I work with who is from Southern California says "Good Morneen." Othershave noticed it, but we don't want to mention it.

by Anonymous

reply 56

January 4, 2018 12:57 AM

R35 I've heard blacks and Puerto Ricans say "Happy Birfday."

by Anonymous

reply 57

January 4, 2018 1:02 AM

Please just make it stop. It's hideous!!!

by Anonymous

reply 60

January 4, 2018 2:09 PM

Makes me nuts when people pronounce "strength" by dropping the "g" so it's "strenth".

by Anonymous

reply 61

January 4, 2018 2:52 PM

Or schtrength, schtraight, schtrangled, schtoopid. I know, that’s different from glottal stop, sorry to sidetrack.

by Anonymous

reply 62

January 5, 2018 12:10 PM

This is a lower middle class/working class southeast England thing.

It probably crossed the Atlantic in the last ten years.

Like 'sick'.

by Anonymous

reply 63

January 5, 2018 12:16 PM