Jingtian  +  693508 Thu, 02 Apr 09 09:19 AM Are "trader" and "traitor" pronounced the same way in American English? Do they have the same pronunciation? It seems to me that the Americans pronouce "ter" "tor" at the end of a word as "der" or "dor." Jingtian Joined on Sun, Aug 14 2005 Full Member 197 American English, Pronunciation, Speaking, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States, American, Languages

	Avangi  +  693509 Thu, 02 Apr 09 09:23 AM The "er" is the same in both.  Some of us try to articulate the "t," but not if we're in a hurry.  I don't think anybody says "dor." Avangi Joined on Mon, Nov 19 2007 Veteran Member 8,207 ". . . le plaisir delicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile." - Henri de Regnier

	Jingtian  +  695158 Tue, 07 Apr 09 06:47 AM Hi Avangi, thank you for your reply. Do you mean that when you speak very fast, you will not pronounce "t" very clearly, instead, you will pronounce it like "d?" Jingtian

	Avangi  +  695195 Tue, 07 Apr 09 10:34 AM Yes, that's correct.  Avangi

	Jingtian  +  695450 Wed, 08 Apr 09 03:03 AM OK. Great!  Suppose there is a word spelt as "trater." If we pronounce "t" as "d", then how can we distinguish it from "trader" if you hear such a word? Would these two words be pronounced the same way? Jingtian

	Avangi  +  695588 Wed, 08 Apr 09 12:00 PM Hypothetical questions about what people's habits might be if things were different than they are don't often produce useful answers. But generally speaking we use context to assign meanings to real homonyms, (like "reed," "read," "read," and "red");  so why not use context to decode hypothetical ones? The bassoon player just told me he accidently broke his reed, and he doesn't have a spare for the concert tonight.   - A. Avangi Speaking, Chat, Friendships, Context, Colours

	Adrenochrome  +  695618 Wed, 08 Apr 09 01:25 PM Must admit that I'm English, not American, but some American states citizens do have a slight drawl to their accents, and, in this case, the two words may sound very similar. However, the context in which the word is being used would generally help you know which of the two words they mean. eg it is unlikely that a person would be called 'a market traitor', or 'a trader to the cause'. Adrenochrome Joined on Wed, Apr 8 2009 Full Member 138 Accents, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States, American, Languages, Context

	Kooyeen  +  695663 Wed, 08 Apr 09 06:18 PM I pronounce them the same. Like "writer" and "rider", there's no difference for me. As far as I know, it's common in the US to pronounce them the same, but some (or several?) Americans do distinguish one from the other because of a difference in the vowel before T or D. I guess it's called Canadian raising, but I am not completely sure. So, "traitor" and "trader" would be different because the vowels are slightly different. I am not a native speaker, but I learned to pronounce them the same, so I don't bother. Kooyeen Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005 Italy Senior Member 4,984 Parental Advisory / Explicit Posts Vowels, United States, American

	Jingtian  +  695841 Thu, 09 Apr 09 04:25 AM I think the vowel sounds in "traitor" and "trader" are the same. Last time, I said to a colleague of mine (I was joking): "Someone says that you are a traitor." And he asked me, "Do you mean traitor or trader?"  I also think that "writer" and "rider" are pronounced the same in American English. Jingtian Vowels, American English, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States, American, Languages