Re enunciating the 't's' in words?

[JimbosJetSet]

My accent isn't the best but I generally enunciate the t's at the end of my words. DH doesn't, never has done, and it's never bothered me before.

However, DD (3.5) is now dropping her t's, including the t at the end of her baby sister's name. It drives me crazy, I hate it, and I am constantly correcting her (and mostly being ignored).

DH thinks I'm being absolutely ridiculous to be constantly correcting her, and to get so wound up by it. AIBU and a snob? And if I try to let it go, is there any chance her enunciation will get better in time anyway (clutching at straws)?

Thanks!

Katy pronounced K-ee is my bug-bear.

Do not let it go. A general accent is one thing, but sloppy speech marks people out, rightly or wrongly, as less educated, less caring, less intelligent in many peoples minds. Dropped letters are the latter, not the former.

We deliberately didn't choose a name I love for ds2 because dh can't say it properly. I also refuse to respond to the children when they drop letters, and wait with a raised eyebrow until they speak properly.

You have to work this out with your DH. I don't notice (foreign raised) but DC drop ts & it drives DH crazy.

The youngest's name was Dh's choice, not mine. I only agreed to it if he promised to say it properly, and to be fair, he does remember most of the time. I hadn't factored in other people not saying it correctly though - I like the name now but I regret agreeing to it

I am correcting dd at the moment, whaa?

It's the cry at school of have you got your waer bo_le that makes me mad.

No advice but my three-year-old pulls everyone up on this. On Friday we were in the local shop and one staff member was going home and saying her goodbyes. Cue my DD saying, "It's not 'see you la-er', it's 'see you laTer'"

oh yes puppyfat, that and li-le, bu-ons

How is speaking this way any less valid than a different regional accent?

I think it's the judging of people for their accents which has to change, TBH.

I could of wrote this myself!
DP does it and it drives me bonkers. DD started to pick it up. I corrected her every time.
Wa-er (water) is my biggest bug bare. I now just say excuse me and she corrects herself

Agree, this is not about accent but enunciation. For example, years ago I worked with an ex-policeman with a very strong Cockney accent. He was easier to understand than most because he spoke slowly, always pronounced his T's and also pronounced the last consonant in any word he said. He was told he was trained to talk this way in the police.

Li-le is the one that grates on my nerves.

The Cockney accent as was has all but died out- this is a discussion about Estuary English, no?

I just don't understand why it is not a valid way of speaking in the same way as the Geordie accent, for example.

I may be biased, as it is how I speak, but I'll be buggered if I'm ashamed of it.

Ah the glottal stop.

Don't you mean the glo-ul stop?

There are pleasanter accents than Estuary English but I am with Tethers on this one. Language is constantly evolving and there is nothing wrong with or new about this. I think it's one of the reasons the English language is so rich.

As long as people can understand you why should it ma--er?

Derek are you in/from Yorkshire by any chance? I only ask because I say cunt for couldn't, wunt for wouldn't, int for isn't etc. and miss out the word 'the' as well as the 't' sound.
I try not to do this at work though.

My glottal stops are very noticeable. I am able to "code switch" (and do so for work), but I'll be damned if I'm changing my accent at home!

If your DD listens to you talking and pronouncing the Ts in your words, chances are she'll pick up on it as she gets older anyway. Even if your DH doesn't.

If you really truely enunciated all the "t"s as written, then your speech would sound very odd. Quite stilted, and robotic. We naturally drop or soften "t"s all over the place, or replace with other sounds such as the glottal stop - it happens as a natural process as words run together.

I would be wary of making your daughter feel self conscious about her speech. Far more important for her to feel that what she says is listened to and important, rather than focussing on the correctness of the sounds, particularly when part of a perfectly acceptable regional dialect.

Teenager's ages irritate me the most

He's seveneen or foureen

I'm nineeen or thireen or worst of all fir_een

My 3 year old wants to ride his 'scoo'er'
Drives me up the wall!

I agree with the pps who have said that estuary English, with all it's glottal stops, is a valid regional accent. I am sick of being told I sound stupid, I'll educated, 'commin' or anything else for the having the accent of where I was born, raised, and still live. If the way your dd pronounces dd2's name, why not have a conversation about that, not dismissing an entire accent (not that you have if you can 'cope' with your dh).