/ʧ/ instead of /t/

[TheNewOne]

When I listen to American or British songs I often hear that singers pronounce/t/ in the end of the words as /ʧ/ if it's followed by the word "you", for example [leʧ] you, forge[ʧ] you, abou[ʧ] you...
Is it a marker of any accent? Should a non-native speaker pronounce it like this or is it better to pronounce as it's written in a dictionary (that is just the [t] sound)?

 

[thatone]

t + y = tʃ
d +y = dʒ
s + y= ʃ
z + y= ʒ

Is a completely natural phenomenon that occurs very frequently, and is not idiosyncratic to any particular accent. It's rarely avoided deliberately, but when it is, it's mainly for emphasis purposes.
I do think using them contributes to getting a native-like accent.

 

[TheNewOne]

thatone

I do think using them contributes to getting a native-like accent.

So should I pronounce it always like t + y = tʃ d +y = dʒ s + y= ʃ z + y= ʒ to sound native-like? I also hear "normal" pronunciation. How can I know when I should say [tʃ] and when I should say [t]? I notice that the same native speaker pronounces this sound in both ways and this fact really confuses me...

 

[thatone]

thatone

So should I pronounce it always like t + y = tʃ d +y = dʒ s + y= ʃ z + y= ʒ to sound native-like? I also hear "normal" pronunciation. How can I know when I should say [tʃ] and when I should say [t]? I notice that the same native speaker pronounces this sound in both ways and this fact really confuses me...

You can always use the "merged" form if you like. Use the "unmerged" form if you want to give a particular emphasis, or simply sounds better to you (of course, you will need some practice and input to judge what sounds better). But for instance:

(Emphatized part in bold)

*Depends on what you want. (/wɑtʃə/)
*Depends on what you want. (/wɑt ju/)

*I guess you didn't like it. (/gɛʃu/)
*I guess...you didn't like it. (/gɛs ju/) (You're pausing after saying "I guess")

*...but I didn't 'cause you know how that works. (/kəʒu/)
*...but I didn't 'cause, you know how that works. (/kəz ju/) (Brief pause after saying "'cause")

 

[Tdol]

When you hear the same speakers or speakers with a similar pronunciation saying things two different ways, there's normally a reason like emphasis behind it, so it makes sense to try to look for that difference.

In addition to what Thatone said about emphasis, there are also regional forms- the /t/ can be replaced by a glottal stop in some regions of the UK. Pronunciation is a complex area in English, as in most languages.

 

[TheNewOne]

thatone
Tdol
Thank you for explaining! I think I got it

Pronunciation is a complex area in English, as in most languages.

It is true!!!