Pronunciation of 'the'.

[campion]

This has been driving me increasingly mad for a couple of years. Instead of saying 'the' as ' thee' before a vowel it now seems fashionable to say ' thuh'. I first came across it in a carol service reading - thuh Angel Gabriel - and I just thought the girl was a bit insensitive. However, it seems to be happening everywhere - TV, radio, everyday conversation. I was finally driven to post this after watching a programme last night about Apollo 13 where the ( otherwise unremarkable) commentary kept talking about 'thuh Apollo astronauts/ mission' until I was quite distracted by it.

Maybe I need to get a life but am I the ( thuh!) only one to have noticed this?

SES - I feel your pain!

I've just realised I say 'thee' in front of vowels if I am trying to speak well, and 'thuh' if I am not concentrating on how I sound. So for me, it is the diference between a posh voice and my common voice.

Thuh in front of consonants, thee in front of vowels and when emphasising something e.g. it's THEE place to be seen blah blah etc.
And I suppose I do it automatically as well, either that or it was ingrained at a very early age [could hijack here and ask whether people say eyether or eether as well )

I'm with you on the 'movie' front Stillenduringsurrey. It's almost as annoying as 'pants' instead of trousers. I've just totally contradicted what I said about how I don't mind the fact that language is always changing! Never mind. I don't mind the fact that language is always changing unless it's in an American direction !

Ok and another one, this one fills me with a sort of contorted rage:

'It's a big ask' Since when did 'ask' become a verb?? And it always sounds so much to me like 'it's a big arse'

Ok, so how did you pronounce the eighties group The The....? Tricky int it?

Um, I've never given "the" any thought, seems I've always said it wrong!

My dc can't say "th". "one two free four"

It used to annoy me a bit when he was tiny but he's 14 and still does it, so I guess he always will.

So we're all "thuh" in our house.

Or, as dh would say, in his w London accent, "Are ouse"

"I blame chesney hawks - 'I am thuh one and only'"

Ah, BBBee, I would say 'thuh one' as 'one' is pronounced as though it begins with a 'w' not an 'o'.
But we can blame him if you really want

actually you are right - maybe there is some other reason for my dislike of the boy

stillenduringsurrey, "ask" is a verb. I wouldn't mention it but since we're in pedants' corner

I would say "thuh thuh" for the 80s band.

Doh! Noun. You can see I'm not with it today but thank you for that RR I'm afraid I would have had to do the same to you had you so erred

I have never thought about it before - but I say thee before a vowel and thuh before a consonant.

Ah, the great Chesney hawkes was up our end of woods last night in a new musical based on the hits of Barry Manilow...

review

I'm from Yorkshire... it's all t'

I am also having to endure 'movie' and 'pants' - Australian DH - they seem to have acquired a more American-flavour English over there. Plus 'singlet' for vest - argh.

I know this one is a bit silly but I get a bit irritated by him saying he is going to work on the pushbike as well. It's just a bike, fgs. But that might just be me.

At least he's Australian though. Dh now says it on purpose to annoy me. Will do straw poll on MN (scientific)

This is the first time that I have heard about a rule for thuh and thee. I am southwest London born and bred and sound like it but can't remember anybody ever telling me how to say the. I even took an exam called "Use of English" and got a distinction and went to a private school.

Thuh Old Vicarage/Thee Old Vicarage? Hmm. I think I probably say Th'old Vicarage or Theh Old Vicarage.

Dahn Theee Old Kent Road. Thuh Old Kent Road. Hmm. Thuh almost sounds more posh.

thumbwitch, pushbike would annoy me too. 'Singlet' on the other hand would just make me laugh . Does he say it for all types of vest (like a nice summer strappy vest) or just underwear vests?

RR< I haven't quite worked it out - it seems to be for any type of male vest-wear, but I don't know if it refers to my vest tops as well - he has been in the UK long enough now to call them vests (or just tops).

I'd enjoy taking the p* out of him if I were you I've got a good Aussie friend and I enjoy making a fool out of myself by doing a dodgy Home and Away accent and using Alf Stewartisms like "you great gallah (sp?)!".