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From: rharmsen@knoware.nl (Ruud Harmsen)
Subject: Th - one or two phonemes in English?
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Date: Sun, 15 Jan 1995 20:57:26 GMT
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The (inter)dental sounds dh and th in English are distinguished by all
speakers, but simple rules with few exceptions can accurately predict
which sound is used in any given word. Because grammatical category and
some etymology are needed for the rules, this may not be enough reason
to conclude that there is only one combined th-dh phoneme in English.
Yet there are very few minimally differing pairs.


The rules for prediction of th/dh, with examples, are as follows:

In initial position:
--------------------
  Voiceless [T]:
    Nouns: thing, thorn, thought, thus (meaning incense)
    Verbs: think, throw, thank
    Adjectives: thin, thick, thewy, theoretic
    Adverbs derived from adjectives by suffixing -ly:
      thinly, thoroughly
    Numerals
      Cardinals: three, thirteen, thirty, thousand
      Ordinals: third, thirteenth, thirtieth
    Prepositions: through

  Voiced [D]:
    Adverbs (not made by suffixing -ly): thus, then, there
      (EXCEPTION: voiceless when r follows: thrice)
    Pronouns
      Relative: that
      Demonstrative: this, that, these, those
      Personal: thee, they
      Possessive: thy, thine, their, theirs
    Conjunctions: than, though, thence
    Definite article: the


In medial position:
-------------------
  Voiceless [T]:
    Words of Greek origin: sympathy, mathematics, author, epithet.
      But: rhythm (pronounced by some with [D]), vs. rhythmic!

    Byblical names, mostly of Hebrew or Greek origin:
      Methusalah, Golgotha, Bartholomew

    Proper names (some also because they're form Greek):
      Cynthia, Bertha, Dorothy, Timothy

    Compounds and suffixed words: something, nothing, strengthen, lengthen
      (EXCEPTIONS: worthy, swarthy, Smithy (also with [T]), but earthy,
      stealthy again with [T]).

  Voiced [D]:
    elsewhere: father, farther, gather, brother, brethren, whether, rather.
    (EXCEPTION: brothel)
    (Note: brethren is one of the very rare cases where a voiced [D] and
     an [r] touch in the same word)

In final position:
------------------
  Voiceless [T]:
    Nouns: moth, myth, length, growth, wreath, sheath
      (Note: many of these words' plurals have [Dz], at least with some
       speakers)
      (EXCEPTIONS: scythe, Hythe, booth, tithe)
    Adjectives: loath, uncouth (BUT: see under final [D] too).
    Ordinal numerals: eighth, seventh, fifth

  Voiced [D]:
    Verbs: bathe, loathe, breathe, wreathe, sheathe
      (EXCEPTION: obsolete inflected forms: hath, doth, receiveth)
    Adjectives: lithe (BUT: see under final [T] too).
    Prepositions: with (though some say [wIT]; many others do that
      only in compounds: withhold, withdraw, forthwith)


Note 1:
  Among the very few cases in which the difference between [D] and
  [T] distinguishes two otherwise identical words are:

   loath <> loathe
  wreath <> wreathe
  sheath <> sheathe
    thus <> thus
   ether <> either (US pron.)
   thigh <> thy

  They are, however, all according to the rules mentioned above.

Note 2:
  The rule for final [D]/[T] in nouns, adjectives and verbs also
  apply for [s]/[z] and [f]/[v] in some cases:
  use (noun) <> use (verb)
  loose (adjective) <> lose (verb)
        life (noun) <> live (verb)

