when "t" becomes ~d or glottalized

[Tom Zurinskas]

Someone asked for rules on the letter "t" and when it changed to ~d.  Is the below in the ballpark.


In USA accent, the letter "t" or "tt" becomes ~d when
preceded and followed by a vowel sound *
   *except "non-t sounding" words "nation" "future" etc.
preceded by a vowel sound and followed by "l"
preceded by a "f" and followed by a vowel sound
preceded by a "r" and followed by a vowel sound

Letter "t" is
Never ~d at word end or beginning
Never ~d when "t" starts a stressed syllable
Never ~d for the ending "tude"
Never ~d for the ending "tive"
Never ~d for the ending "tic"
Never ~d for the first "t" in ending "tate"

ending "t" becomes glottalized if
preceded by a vowel sound *
  *applies sometimes to "tt"
preceded by letter n
preceded by letter r
preceded by letter l


Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
see truespel.com phonetic spelling
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live: Make it easier for your friends to see what you’re up to on Facebook.
http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_facebook:082009

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org