http://www.englishforums.com/English/EnglishAudioSpeechPronunciation/Forum22.htmBritish, American, Scottish accent or using super-fantastic-high-tech software, we'll help you with pronunciation.enXMOD (Build: 3715.30106)http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#805182Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:10:43 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:805182Mister Micawber0http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#805182http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-805182.xmlIt has never been a rule; it is only a tendency of spoken word flow. Many individuals pronounce 'the election' clearly enough without /i:/, especially in the case of rapid speakers.http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#805164Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:54:02 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:805164Anonymous1http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#805164http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-805164.xmlIt has always been my understanding, that "the" should be pronounced with a LONG E before a vowel and a SHORT E before a consonant . However, lately, I hear only the short sound used. This applies to new broadcasters and others who do public speaking. When did " THE" transition occur and where was I? D. Israel, PAhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#714777Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:36:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:714777Anonymous2http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#714777http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-714777.xmlIn general, "the" is pronunced "thee" when it preceeds a word beginning with a vowel or the letter "h" which is silent. "Thee apple", "thee honest person", but "the house", or "the harbour" However, there is no real rule, it is merely a means of making the words flow better. I wouldn't be too concerned about it, thought. Nobody is going to shoot you for saying The apple instead of Thee apple. In fact many people wouldn't even notice.http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#698916Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:36:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:698916Anonymous3http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#698916http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-698916.xmlI have honestly never heard these rules and I am a native speaker. most people I know say either thee or thah which ever way they like to pronunce the. I use thah unless I am going for emphasis on a word like "The ONLY" in that situation I use thee, because I think it makes it stand out from my regular speech. Honestly you could use either one.http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547870Mon, 18 May 2009 08:36:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:547870Zerox4http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547870http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-547870.xmlI wouldn't worry too much about your problem. The more you just use the language, the more you gain confidence and, thus, make fewer of those kinds of mistakes. Once you get a firmer grasp of the language you pronounce 'the' automatically correct in order to maintain the normal flow of speech. What is more, native people will have no trouble understanding you if you make this mistake; they've heard it all, I'd think.http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547661Mon, 18 May 2009 08:36:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:547661yizhivika5http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547661http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-547661.xmlEdit: for 'be problem' read 'be a problem', and for 'the the " theh "' read 'the " theh "'. Thanks!http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547602Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:36:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:547602yizhivika6http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547602http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-547602.xmlHi Mathew, Yes, as Mister Micawber says, native English-speakers instinctively know which pronunciation of 'the' to use before a noun (or an adjective + noun), but I can see that it may be a problem for some people learning the language. As you have yourself noted, we generally use the ' thee ' version before a vowel (as in ' the apple' ), and the " theh ' version before a consonant (as in ' the pen '), and the reason native English-speakers know which version to use, is because they read (or think of) the two words together, not separately! From your name, I would guess that your mother-tongue is probably Mandarin Chinese (Ni shi zhong guo ren ma?), and if so, then you'll know that...http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547420Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:36:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:547420Mister Micawber7http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547420http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-547420.xml. Hello Mathew, and welcome to English Forums. The 2 pronunciations of 'the ' are not grammar rules, but physical effects of the smooth flow of sounds between words-- they are more like laws of physics. Native speakers (lucky us!) do not have to affirm pronunciations-- we just talk without thinking. However, I can tell you that in the native mind, the definite and indefinite articles are mostly already attached to their nouns, so that they are conceived and produced with a single thought. This kind of conversation is common: A: I see you've got a pear for lunch. B: A what? A: A pear . B: Oh no, that's the apple you gave me this morning. A; The what? B: The apple-- you remember?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htmFri, 18 Sep 2009 08:36:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:547320mathewzhao8http://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments22-547320.xmlThe grammer books say 'the' has 2 kinds of pronunciation.I always have a puzzle,when I read a sentence from to right,for example, The apple is red. I first see the word 'The',but I can't affirm its pronunciation.I have to look at the second word 'apple',then I will look at 'The' again.,and will know how to pronunciate 'The'.(Because a is a vowel ) I feel the pronunciation of 'the' is so complicated,so I want to know native speaker how to affirm 'the' pronunciation at the different situations(for instance,the apple,the pen)?