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Seriously though, it would probably depend on the individual word. Some accents have complex rules about when and when not to pronounce certain letters.
So Americans are the most likely of all English-speaking groups to drop the "T"s in many words but was wondering which regions in particular are people most likely to pronounce the following the way it sounds in the brackets:
denTist (sounds like den-nist)
renTal (sounds like ren-nal)
prinTer (sounds like prin-ner)
winTer (sounds like win-ner)
cenTer (sounds like cen-ner)
I find that alot of Southerners actually pronounce the Ts in many words when one may think it will be a "Drop-T" pronunciation
Are we talking about white southerners or black southerners? Because while the T usually gets pronounced among whites, it's less likely to among blacks. Important distinction.
Are we talking about white southerners or black southerners? Because while the T usually gets pronounced among whites, it's less likely to among blacks. Important distinction.
I dont think I've ever heard a white Southerner say "DenTist" It doesn't even sound right.
The way the lady says "dentists" at :40 in this video is how the overwhelming majority of people here pronounce it. Later, she says "dentistry" without the T.
All these people have typical white Memphis accents. Even when they're trying to be professional, they dont pronounce the T. I'd imagine that most other white Southerners would have similar pronunciations
I dont think I've ever heard a white Southerner say "DenTist" It doesn't even sound right.
The way the lady says "dentists" at :40 in this video is how the overwhelming majority of people here pronounce it. Later, she says "dentistry" without the T.
All these people have typical white Memphis accents. Even when they're trying to be professional, they dont pronounce the T. I'd imagine that most other white Southerners would have similar pronunciations
Depends on the area, given how there's no monolithic Southern accent. In my section of Alabama, the T does get pronounced. Not in a particularly articulate way, but it is discernible.
denTist (sounds like den-nist)
renTal (sounds like ren-nal)
prinTer (sounds like prin-ner)
winTer (sounds like win-ner)
cenTer (sounds like cen-ner)
Most people around here do not pronounce the "T" in any of those words in casual conversation. There are exceptions though... but I would have a hard time articulating what the exceptions are.
One example might be if someone is clarifying something. If someone says, "I'm going to the dentist," and the listener does not understand what was said, the speaker might clarify by clearly saying, "I'm going to the denTist." This leads me to believe that people are aware of what they are doing, at least on some level.
I dont think I've ever heard a white Southerner say "DenTist" It doesn't even sound right.
The way the lady says "dentists" at :40 in this video is how the overwhelming majority of people here pronounce it. Later, she says "dentistry" without the T.
All these people have typical white Memphis accents. Even when they're trying to be professional, they dont pronounce the T. I'd imagine that most other white Southerners would have similar pronunciations
She pronounced the "T". You have mistaken syllable inflections for the lack of a T sound.
The lady did pronounce it like most white southerners.
DENT-IST
not
DEN-TIST (Since the T is at the beginning of a second syllable the T is more noticable. However, it doesn't mean in the first pronunciation that the T was not said).
In the second video, the man says DENT-AL spa and full service DENT-I-STRY. Again, it seems less noticeable because it's on the end of the first syllable, not the beginning of the last syllable.
Most people around here do not pronounce the "T" in any of those words in casual conversation. There are exceptions though... but I would have a hard time articulating what the exceptions are.
One example might be if someone is clarifying something. If someone says, "I'm going to the dentist," and the listener does not understand what was said, the speaker might clarify by clearly saying, "I'm going to the denTist." This leads me to believe that people are aware of what they are doing, at least on some level.
Yeah, I was going to comment that dropping the "t" in these words is very common in Michigan. My thought is that this phenomenon would happen in accents where people tend to clip words, which wouldn't necessarily be in the South.
Actually, with /n/ the tongue is slightly advanced towards the front of the mouth to articulate that sound at the alveolar ridge just above the top front teeth. And the following vowels (which are really mostly schwas) are "neutral" vowels articulated with the tongue in a fairly central position.
I stand corrected. That'll teach me to write in a hurry. Those linguistic classes were a while ago, but that's still no excuse.
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That'll teach me to write in a hurry. 
Those linguistic classes were a while ago, but that's still no excuse.
