Santa Claus

[Glizdka]

How do you pronounce Santa Claus?

Especially the sound represented by au, is that the same sound as in claws and clause?

I heard about an English teacher who teaches it's the same sound as in out, cloud, mouth. Is that correct(, too)?

 

[jutfrank]

There will be some variation in how exactly the vowel is pronounced but you should say it as you say claws and clause.

There's a US movie series called The Santa Clause, which makes a play on this homophony.

 

[Glizdka]

Do I have your blessing to emulate this, manster?

 

[GoesStation]

That's a typical American pronunciation. Nobody here pronounces it with the vowel in cloud.

 

[jutfrank]

Do I have your blessing to emulate this, manster?

Dropping the /t/ in Santa is a distinctly American way to pronounce the word. I wouldn't recommend you do that unless your speech already adopts that particular feature of dropping /t/ after /n/.

 

[emsr2d2]

BrE speakers say "Claus" exactly the same as "claws" and "clause".

 

[Glizdka]

Dropping the /t/ in Santa is a distinctly American way to pronounce the word. I wouldn't recommend you do that unless your speech already adopts that particular feature of dropping /t/ after /n/.

But I like my stop t's and flap t's. I'll keep them.

By the way, Shane from coachshanesesl has a beautiful mnemonic as a piece of advice in terms of strong sounds, weak sounds, and sound cancellation.

"Shane never lies. Don't trust that."

Do you approve of his message?

 

[jutfrank]

If you want to sound like an American, yes.

 

[GoesStation]

If you want to sound like an American, yes.

The horror!

I don't understand Shane's mnemonic. Can you shed some light?

 

[jutfrank]

I don't understand Shane's mnemonic. Can you shed some light?

I don't understand why anybody would need to remember anything with a mnemonic, but the idea is about which sounds cancel which other subsequent sounds in American English.

As an Englishman, perhaps I'm not the best person to comment on your rather eccentric colonial way of attempting to pronounce the Queen's English.

 

[GoesStation]

As an Englishman, perhaps I'm not the best person to comment on your rather eccentric colonial way of attempting to pronounce the Queen's English.

To be fair, we only do that when she's not using it.

 

[Glizdka]

I don't understand Shane's mnemonic. Can you shed some light?

I think Shane's the best person to talk about Shane's mnemonic. There's a link.

The idea is that s, n and l are "true", and d, t and th are "suspicious". The former cancel the latter.

 

[GoesStation]

I think Shane's the best person to talk about Shane's mnemonic. There's a link.

The idea is that s, n and l are "true", and d, t and th are "suspicious". The former cancel the latter.

I watched the video earlier. Still don't know what he's talking about.