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How come I often hear native speakers say "the (/ðiː/) US" as if "US" started with a vowel? It starts with a consonant /j/, right? Or are they using a strong form of "the"?

Thank you.

Laurel
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Ana
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  • Are you sure that's what you're hearing? Certainly the strong form is possible for marked emphasis, but that requires unusual circumstances. If you had some sound clips to illustrate this with, it would help. – tchrist Nov 26 '19 at 04:09
  • I don't have any at the moment. I remember hearing it from Trump a couple of times. – Ana Nov 26 '19 at 05:31
  • Different people pronounce it differently. – Jason Bassford Dec 01 '19 at 14:25

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'the' is pronounced as /ðə/ when the word after 'the' begins with a consonant sound. But when 'the' come before vowels, it can be pronounced as --> /ði/ --> /ðiː/ strong

Si Thu Hein
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