Did you hear

svetlana14

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2013
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Interested in Language
Native Language
Ukrainian
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Ukraine
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Ukraine
How does Gerard Butler say "Did you hear". "Hear" is muffled for me - what is the reason? On ""Did you" - is it like "did-ja/je"?
15-17
 
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I have to agree that most of "hear" is barely audible. The main clue to it being there is that you can hear the "r" from the end of it before he says "about" even though the rest of the word is definitely somewhat swallowed up by the "Djuh" before it.

Native speakers have an advantage in situations like that because it's a very quick sentence and before we've realised that maybe we didn't hear one of the words clearly, we instinctively know what he said. There are few words one-syllable words ending in "r" that would fit in the space between "Djuh" and "[r]about the diamond rip", especially when there's a clear questioning intonation at the end of the sentence. We just know that's what he said.
 
A few minutes ago, I decided to say the sentence aloud in my standard, everyday, conversational English as if I were talking to a friend. I realised that "Did you hear" becomes a single syllable and sounds exactly like "jeer".

Jeer about the diamond rip?
 

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