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Voiceless TH phoneme /θ/
/θ/ is a consonant phoneme that occurs in English.[1]
Naming[edit | edit source]
Like other consonant phonemes, naming this is problematic. It could be called theta after the letter theta, or thuh after its sound when initial. Or lengthened like thhhh /θ:/.
Classification[edit | edit source]
This can be classified as Consonant phoneme > Fricative phoneme > Dental fricative phoneme.
Representation[edit | edit source]
In phonemic notation using the International Phonetic Alphabet, the voiceless TH phoneme is represented by lowercase theta, ⟨θ⟩ as its IPA symbol. This has the IPA number 130. In SAMPA and X-SAMPA, the symbol is T. In IPA Braille, ⠨ ⠹ (46+1456) is used. The first letter marks the sound as a fricative; the second is the standard representation of theta in English in scientific English Braille.
Phonotactics[edit | edit source]
This forms consonant clusters. The initial consonant clusters are:
The final consonant clusters are:
Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Standard pronunciation of this is as a voiceless dental fricative [θ]. This is not, however, present in the speech of all individuals. Those with th-fronting pronounce this phoneme as a voiceless labiodental fricative [f]. Those with th-stopping pronounce it similar to phoneme /t/, although they may distinguish it.
Non-native English speakers often find the standard pronunciation of the voiceless dental fricative difficult, unless it is also found in their language. French and Chinese speakers tend to substitute, as th- alveolarisation, with the voiceless alveolar fricative [s], which is not native can generally be understood, but contributes significantly towards foreign accent.
Spelling[edit | edit source]
The spelling of this phoneme is consistently ⟨th⟩, though that digraph can also represent other sounds.
| Phonogram | Subset | Example words | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⟨th⟩ | ⟨thr-⟩ spells /θr/ | through, three, thread, throat, throw, , etc. | /ðr/ is not permitted by phonotactics |
| ⟨thw-⟩ spells /θw/ | thwart, thwack, Thwaite, Thwaites | /ðw/ is not permitted by phonotactics | |
| Ordinal numbers | fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, thirtieth, fortieth, fiftieth, sixtieth, seventieth, eightieth, ninetieth, hundredth, thousandth, etc. | ||
| Content words | atheist, Athens, author, bath, Beth, both, breath, Catherine, cloth, death, earth, ethereal, faith, forth, heath, Kath, Keith, length, math/maths, moth, month, myth, north, oath, path, philanthropy, Ruth, sheath, smith, south, teeth, thanks, thick, think, thirteen, thirty, thorn, tooth, truth, width, wrath. | ||
| ⟨eigh⟩ as /i:θ/ | Keighley | ||
| ⟨z⟩ | Ibiza | From Spanish |
