0

Is 's as a possessive pronounced as /s/ or /z/ at the end of words? Such as in "Muhammad's house".

Void
  • 18,058
  • 7
  • 75
  • 107
Muhammad Hawash
  • 5
  • 1

1 Answers1

1

The plural and genitive suffix /z/ is subject to voicing assimilation, meaning that the voicing of the suffix is dependent on the sound that precedes it: When the preceding sound is voiceless, the suffix must be the voiceless fricative /s/. When the preceding sound is voiced, the suffix must be the voiced fricative /z/.

Therefore, the genitive suffix in Muhammad's is /z/ since the preceding consonant is the voiced alveolar stop /d/. One exception to this rule is when the preceding consonant is a sibilant (ie. a fricative or an affricate). In that case, the alternant has to be /ɪz/: eg. "misses" /mɪsɪz/.

Mohd Zulkanien Sarbini
  • 8,774
  • 6
  • 34
  • 64