inessential by Brent Simmons

Good-bye letter T

Is it just me, or has the pronunciation of English actually evolved noticeably during my lifetime?

It seems to me that we’re pronouncing the letter T less and less. If it’s at the beginning of a word—two, tape, tip—we pronounce it. But if it appears later in the word it’s pronounced less and less often, it’s swallowed—right, eight, select.

(An exception to the swallowing is compound words—sometimes, for example.)

Maybe it’s just me. And maybe it’s okay, and maybe I shouldn’t worry about it so much.