how is the beginning cosonant of the words "that, the, there " like?

Question

is the "th" part pronounced as
1. simply say it like θ but voiced (which is closer to f)
2. say a voiced θ with a sound like d (which is closer to d)
3. something else?

i like in hong kong.
Since English is my second language, and for the past years i had been taught English inaccurately, with the English pronunciation system being a mixture of American and British English and of course, with a lot of Chinese accent. This is to a great deal due to the teachers having all those problems mentioned.

for the past two months i have been correcting the pronunciation hardly with dictionaries.

Answer 1

It's difficult to answer this one as there is no way to phonetically describe "th"! The sound is made by putting your tongue against your top teeth in a similar way to "S" but further forward.

Answer 2

I've heard that to get the pronunciation right with the Inuit language, you have to learn it before you're three.

Chinese people learn to pronounce their sounds in a different way to those of us in the West, but even some of us have problems with some English sounds, like the 'r' which can sound like a 'w'.

For the 'th' in 'that', etc., the tip of your tongue is forward, up under your front teeth, with the mouth open. (Very different from 'd'.) It's hard to explain - the best way would be to find a British or American friend and get them to show you. But don't worry about it - your English seems very good, and I've no doubt you will make yourself understood - an accent is usual.

Answer 3

It's unclear to us humans, but "words" or I suppose thoughts in a tangible form are of great and significant value in the Kingdom of God. People fail to realize how incredibly powerful speaking something out is, and to write something down seems to have an even stronger power to it. It goes beyond "magic"; yet to some level it really is that simple. Words have far more weight and meaning then we'll ever understand in this life.

Answer 4

There are two sounds for the words beginning with "th." One is in "the, they, etc.," and another is in "than, thank." To pronounce both sounds you open your mouth a little bit and put your tongue under the front upper teeth and not behind them like you do when you pronounce "d" or "t." To pronounce "than or thank," you force an air stream to go between your teeth and tongue making sss sound before you pull your tongue away to complete the whole syllable. To pronounce "the or they," you make sound without forcing much air stream and not before you pull your tongue away. Do both ways alternatively. After you can control your tongue and jar better, you'll see the difference and you'll know your way home. Emphasis is the tongue placing under the biting end of the teeth and not and not and not behind the teeth.

Answer 5

Always pronounced as the sound you identify as close to 'f'. The tongue protrudes through the front teeth as the voiced air is pushed out. 'Th' is never correctly sounded as 'd'.

Answer 6

In the words you have given, "that, the, there" the sound is a voiced "th".