Q: There appears to be a growing trend of using the glottal stop in America in recent years. For example, the word “important” is pronounced as “impor-unt.” To me, it sounds deliberate and awkward rather than a natural evolution of speech. Can you provide insight into the history of this trend?
A: The glottalization of the letter “t” has been observed in English since the mid-19th century. This phenomenon involves the airflow stopping at the glottis, skipping over the “t,” and then being released. It is often likened to the abrupt pause in the middle of the expression “Uh-oh!”
This pronunciation is now common in both American and British English. It was first documented in the UK in the mid-19th century and in the US in the late 19th century.
While the glottalization of “t” has been on the rise in American English, there hasn’t been a recent significant surge that we are aware of.
The perceived increase in “t” glottalization that you’ve noticed may be an example of the “recency illusion,” a term coined by linguist Arnold Zwicky to describe the belief that recently observed phenomena are actually recent in origin.
The earliest mention of “t” glottalization that we have found is in “Visible Speech” (1867), where Scottish phonetician Alexander Melville Bell notes the glottal pronunciation of “bu’er for butter (west of Scot.).”
This observation by Bell was later cited in “On Early English Pronunciation” (1875) by Alexander John Ellis and “A Handbook of Phonetics” (1877) by Henry Sweet.
In British English, the use of a glottal stop for the “t” sound in words like “better” is now prevalent in many urban accents, especially in London (Cockney), Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and among educated young people, as noted in the Cambridge Pronouncing Dictionary (17th edition, 2006).
In American English, the “t” sound in words like “butter” or “better” is typically pronounced as a “flap” or “tap” when it follows a vowel and precedes an unstressed syllable. This results in a softened version of the “t” sound, similar to a mix of “t” and “d.”
The use of a glottal stop for the “t” sound is most common in American English when the “t” comes before an unstressed nasal syllable in words like “mitten,” “button,” “mountain,” or “important,” which are pronounced as mi’n, bu’n, moun’n, and impor’nt.
The earliest mention of “t” glottalization in American English that we have seen is from a late 19th-century article by American philologist Charles Hall Grandgent, who noted the use of the glottal stop for emphasis.
According to “English in America” (Die Neueren Sprachen, February-March 1895), Grandgent observed that Americans used the glottal stop for emphasis on certain words.
While glottalization was not a prominent feature of American English in the early 20th century, it has become more prevalent over time. A recent study on glottalization in Vermont suggests that the use of glottal stops for “t” began as a way to reinforce the sound of “t.”
In the study “What Goes Around: Language Change and Glottalization in Vermont” (American Speech, August 2024), linguists Julie Roberts and Monica Nesbitt found that the use of glottal stops for “t” has become more common, particularly among younger speakers.
Today, the glottalized “t” is widespread in the US, with studies indicating that it is more prevalent in the West and among women. Research has shown that younger females use glottal stops more frequently than older speakers and males, suggesting that they may drive linguistic innovations.
Overall, the glottalization of the “t” sound is a notable trend in American English, with its origins dating back to the 19th century and evolving over time to become a common feature in contemporary speech.
Help support the Grammarphobia Blog with your donation. And check out our books about the English language and more.
