Reference
Habits to avoid, and what to say instead
You will hear these habits in American films, music and online videos. They are normal for Americans, but when a Kinyarwanda speaker copies them, listeners often hear a different word, so say the Standard English version in the last column.
| Habit | Example | Sounds like(American) | Say instead(Standard English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tapping the t between vowels | water, better, little | waa-dər, be-dər, li-dəl | woo-tə, be-tə, li-təl |
| Tapping the t in -ty numbers | thirty, forty, eighty | thər-di, for-di, ei-di | thəə-ti, foo-ti, ei-ti |
| Dropping the t after n | twenty, internet, interview | twe-ni, i-nər-net, i-nər-vyuu | twen-ti, in-tə-net, in-tə-vyuu |
| Stopping the t in the throat before n | button, important, certain | ba'n, im-por'nt, sər'n | ba-tən, im-poo-tənt, səə-tən |
| Dropping the t in can't | I can't go | I kan' go | I kaant go, or I ka-not go |
| Saying aa for o | hot, job, got | haat, jaab, gaat | hot, job, got |
| Saying r after vowels | car, work, first | kaar, wərk, fərst | kaa, wəək, fəəst |
| Joining words together | going to, want to, let me, kind of, don't know | gonna, wanna, lemme, kinda, dunno | Say every word: going to, want to, let me, kind of, don't know |
In the table, ' means the air stops in your throat for a moment, as in the middle of 'uh-oh'. The full t is what keeps pairs like latter and ladder, or metal and medal, apart when you speak.