T-glottalization

Some years ago, when I managed communications for the division that houses the supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, I noticed a verbal tick from our young intern.

In those days, the World's Most Powerful Supercomputer was Titan. But, instead of pronouncing that second T, she referred our our supercomputer as Ti-ahn. 

I always thought that was an interesting quirk but I didn't dwell on it. I wonder if she also used that approach when mentioning the NFL team in Nashville? Come to think of it, I don't recall that she was very sportsminded.

Points to ponder.

Fast forward to last week when I was at ICON. I heard a number of the young professionals doing the same thing. Some of the words I heard

• Button (but-ahn)
• Peyton (Pey-ahn)
• Kitten (Kit-ahn)
• Important (Impor-ahnt)

I heard it so much last week I made a note to go find out what was going on. If you, too, have ever wondered about this pattern of speech, today, #CoachJeff has got ya covered.

The term of dropping Ts is called T-glottilzation. Linguists must be doing overtime on researching the practice as I found a number of references to it online. The articles reference tongue positioning to make the hard T as well as the swallowed softer sound in the aforementioned example.

Maybe this is the 2026 version of vocal fry or uptalk of a few years ago. Anyway, the more I noticed (no-uhced) it last week, the more I heard it. So, I went online to read more about (abouh) it.

As a guy who has made a living with words, I am fascinated by little (lit-uhl) sidebars like this. And I can think of numerous examples.

In my high school group of friends, for instance, we'd say we "dud" something we didn't like. And for something we thought was outstanding, we'd say it was "heap cool." 

Also, I wrote a few weeks back about my dad's noted malaprops.

Then, in Paul's high school theater era, when FHS did "My Fair Lady" we were all in when Professor Henry Higgins taught Eliza Doolittle proper English, especially the pronunciation of the solid H. "In Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen."

And I could do an entire volume on some of the family phrases and tongue-twisters our family of four wordsmiths have produced over the years. 

I once had a deep discussion with a young writer about the term "myriad" vs. "myriad of." I opt for dropping the "of." Another writer once stumped for the use of the oxford comma. I shrugged and let that one go as you can only pick so many battles (bah-uhls). 

Language–especially its subtleties and sub-parts–is a fascination in our family. 

So, that is why, I think, I perked up when the flight attendant dropped her T as we were making the journey home. "Here's your wa-hur," she told the guy in the row in front of me.

Almost like the silent T was on-board as a fellow traveler.

JG