the american T

[belly_ttt]

Are we supposed to prounounce T as D on a word that comes after a vowel and unstressed?
So what about Princeton, people pronounce it as PrinceDon or PrinceTon inAmerican English? I heard some do the latter already but haven't found any for the former

[Ouisch]

It's pronounced "PRIN-sten" (or "PrinceTon") in AmE.

Here are a few "rules" about when the T is pronounced like a soft D in AmE:

When T is between vowels and the preceding vowel is in a syllable that's stressed: city, party, forty, water. (In AmE, they're prounounced SIDee, PARdee, FORdee and WAHder.)


When T comes before a syllabic /l/ sound in words such as petal, metal, and settle. (In AmE: PEDull, MEDull, SEDull.)

In past tense verbs that end in T: educated, excited, defeated (EDyoukayded, exSYded, deFEEded).

I hope my homemade pronunciation guides make some sense!

[susiedqq]

prince - tun

ed/yuu/caa-ted

[belly_ttt]

I guess Princeton falls in case 1, Ouisch. Because before and after it is two vowels
But I wonder why people don't pronounce it as PrinceDon? (It's on case 1?)

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by belly_ttt

I guess Princeton falls in case 1, Ouisch. Because before and after it is two vowels
But I wonder why people don't pronounce it as PrinceDon? (It's on case 1?)

But Ouisch has given you a rule:
"When T is between vowels and the preceding vowel is in a syllable that's stressed"
And you have applied only the first half. This is why you're getting it wrong.
Perhaps the rule should should read "and the preceding vowel is stressed", since technically, the "e" is in a syllable "Prince" that is stressed.
But the "e" isn't stressed (or even pronounced). The pronunciation "PRIN-sten" should have made that clear.