The K sound of "Asked him", "Basically".....

[EngFan]

Hi Everyone,

When I listen to native speakers to speak the following words / sentences, sometimes I can't hear they'll pronounce the "k" sound. For instance, "I asked him", I just can hear "I astim" without the k sound, and "basically", sometimes pronounce as "basi-ly" seems the "k" sound is not obviously pronounced.....

I was wondering if the k sound could be silent when we speak these sentences and words....Please advise.

EngFan

 

[Raymott]

Hi Everyone,

When I listen to native speakers to speak the following words / sentences, sometimes I can't hear they'll pronounce the "k" sound. For instance, "I'll asked him", I just can hear "I'll astim" without the k sound, and "basically", sometimes pronounce as "basi-ly" seems the "k" sound is not obviously pronounced.....

I was wondering if the k sound could be silent when we speak these sentences and words....Please advise.

EngFan

No, it shouldn't be silent.

 

[EngFan]

No, it shouldn't be silent.

If so, is it the glottal stop?

 

[Raymott]

If so, is it the glottal stop?

No, it's a 'k'. /k/ as in "cat', khaki, King's College, Cambridge".

Yes, you will hear people who don't articulate their words properly. If someone leaves out a 'k', then I suppose they could insert something else, like a 't' in 'astim' (your example*), or nothing (as in 'ars him'), but does it matter? These are people you shouldn't emulate.

There are some letters that are silent in English, for example the 'b' in doubt, 'gh' in 'night, etc. 'k' in the examples you've given is not one of them.


* "I'll asked him" is not grammatical. "I asked him" is. If someone said "I astim", they probably mean "I as[k]ed him", in which case they have simply dropped the 'k'.

 

[EngFan]

No, it's a 'k'. /k/ as in "cat', khaki, King's College, Cambridge".

Yes, you will hear people who don't articulate their words properly. If someone leaves out a 'k', then I suppose they could insert something else, like a 't' in 'astim' (your example*), or nothing (as in 'ars him'), but does it matter? These are people you shouldn't emulate.

There are some letters that are silent in English, for example the 'b' in doubt, 'gh' in 'night, etc. 'k' in the examples you've given is not one of them.


* "I'll asked him" is not grammatical. "I asked him" is. If someone said "I astim", they probably mean "I as[k]ed him", in which case they have simply dropped the 'k'.

Sorry, it was typo for "I'll asked him"....the correct one is "I asked him".....

 

[thatone]

I wouldn't consider this any less correct than saying internet /inɚnɛt/ or dentist /dɛnɪst/. It's not a matter of inarticulacy.

 

[5jj]

I wouldn't consider this any less correct than saying internet /inɚnɛt/ or dentist /dɛnɪst/. It's not a matter of inarticulacy.

It is indeed no less correct. It is also no more correct.

Things may change but, at present, the pronunciations we are discussing are regarded by some as a sign of imperfect education. Some eminent people may pronounce the words in this fashion but, for learners, Raymott's advice is sound: These are people you shouldn't emulate.