this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2023
10 points (77.8% liked)

Languages and Linguistics | Polyglots, Language Learners and Linguists!

611 readers
1 users here now

A community for languages, linguistics and people interested in both!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

A: thEHm B: thUHm C: əm

top 7 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A and C, but entirely dependent on context.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Gimme them taters. I'll fry 'em up real good!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

C sometimes, but other times it's closer to the- UHm.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use all 3 depending on the context

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You can hear examples from native speakers (from different countries) on forvo: https://forvo.com/search/them/en

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

All three.

Stressed /ðɛm/ — often used for emphasis or to distinguish use from mention.

Unstressed /ðəm/ — used in most situations in free variation with 'em /əm/.

(Note: 'em etymologically derives from MidEN hem, not them, but is today often treated as a form of them.)

I feel like I use 'em more often in casual speech and them in more formal or careful speech, though both forms might appear in either register in varying proportions. The rules of when I might favor the one or the other are inconsistent, I feel, though I think it has a bit to do with clarity (i.e. avoiding 'em instead of them, when 'em might be mistaken for him); and ease of articulation.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago