Pronunciation of 'the' before 'u'

Status
Not open for further replies.

khanhhung2512

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Vietnamese
Home Country
Vietnam
Current Location
Vietnam
I was taught to pronounce 'the' in the weak form as ðə (thuh) before a consonant sound (the house, the year), and ði (thee) before a vowel sound (the umbrella, the hour). But what's the pronunciation of 'the' in the following words: 'the university', 'the University of California', 'the UN', 'the United States', 'the United Kingdom?' The sound after 'the' in these words is juː and according to the rule, 'the' should be pronounced as ðə. However, because my Longman Dictionary has pronunciations of the example sentences, I tried to listen and noticed that the pronunciation of 'the' in these cases seems more similar to ði than ðə.
I'd like to know how you pronounce 'the' in the cases I just proposed.
PS: If there are any errors in my post, please let me know.
Thanks very much.
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
The rule as you understand it applies in most cases, but context can allow differences. I might say 'Cambridge is THE University for studying modern languages'; in this case the pronunciation would be /ði: ju:.../.

b
 

khanhhung2512

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Vietnamese
Home Country
Vietnam
Current Location
Vietnam
The rule as you understand it applies in most cases, but context can allow differences. I might say 'Cambridge is THE University for studying modern languages'; in this case the pronunciation would be /ði: ju:.../.
b
Do you mean the strong form of 'the' to emphasize? I already knew the strong form of 'the'. I just wonder about the weak form of 'the' in the cases above.
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Yes. The example was badly chosen. (But the point about context holds good. Also, it differs from speaker to speaker; the headmaster at my primary school (a northerner or Scot - I was too young to note which) always used the strong form.

b
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
Also, it differs from speaker to speaker; the headmaster at my primary school (a northerner or Scot - I was too young to note which) always used the strong form.
I worked with a colleague from southern Africa who always used the schwa-form even before vowels. She used a glottal stop between the schwa and the initial vowel of the following word.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I would use the same form of "the" before "university" as I do before "year" because the word sounds as if it starts with the "y" sound.
 
Last edited:

Natalie1991

Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2012
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Actually, both are correct. I am a native English speaker... and this is a very good question. After saying both types of 'the', I could not say which one I would use. To be completely honest, 'the' is pronounced somewhere in between 'thu' and 'thee', but slightly closer to 'thu'.
 

birdeen's call

VIP Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
To be completely honest, 'the' is pronounced somewhere in between 'thu' and 'thee', but slightly closer to 'thu'.

Do you mean in general or before /ju:/? In any case, "'the' is pronounced" is too general. You should have written "I pronounce 'the'" instead. The pronunciation of "the" varies.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top