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Rayan Khan
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Short answer

Some people pronounce Don't be as dombe because the t is sometimes deleted and the n is assimilated to an m in anticipation of the following b.

Explanation

In Don't be, the /t/ is flanked by two consonants (/n/ and /b/) and in normal or casual speech, some people tend to drop some consonants (such as /t/ and /d/) when they come between two other consonants. The process of deletion is called elision. So when pronouncing don't be in casual speech, the /t/ is sometimes elided:

  • Don't be [ˈdəʊntbiː] → don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

Another process involved here is assimilation which makes nearby sounds similar. Adjacent sounds often influence each other so they become more similar (assimilated). For instance, the n in ten pies is likely to be pronounced /m/ in anticipation of the following bilabial stop—/p/.

After the elision of the /t/, we're left with:

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

The nasal /n/ in don be is likely to assimilate to a /m/ in

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː] → dombe [ˈdəʊmbiː]

That's why some people pronounce it dombe.

Other examples of assimilation include:

  • handsome → pronounced hansom
  • mission, vision, treasure etc
  • assume pronounced ashoom
  • handbag pronounced hambag etc.

Short answer

Some people pronounce Don't be as dombe because the t is sometimes deleted and the n is assimilated to an m in anticipation of the following b.

Explanation

In Don't be, the /t/ is flanked by two consonants (/n/ and /b/) and in normal or casual speech, some people tend to drop some consonants (such as /t/ and /d/) when they come between two other consonants. The process of deletion is called elision. So when pronouncing don't be in casual speech, the /t/ is sometimes elided:

  • Don't be [ˈdəʊntbiː] → don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

Another process involved here is assimilation which makes nearby sounds similar. Adjacent sounds often influence so they become more similar (assimilated). For instance, the n in ten pies is likely to be pronounced /m/ in anticipation of the following bilabial stop—/p/.

After the elision of the /t/, we're left with:

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

The nasal /n/ in don be is likely to assimilate to a /m/ in

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː] → dombe [ˈdəʊmbiː]

That's why some people pronounce it dombe.

Other examples of assimilation include:

  • handsome → pronounced hansom
  • mission, vision, treasure etc
  • assume pronounced ashoom
  • handbag pronounced hambag etc.

Short answer

Some people pronounce Don't be as dombe because the t is sometimes deleted and the n is assimilated to an m in anticipation of the following b.

Explanation

In Don't be, the /t/ is flanked by two consonants (/n/ and /b/) and in normal or casual speech, some people tend to drop some consonants (such as /t/ and /d/) when they come between two other consonants. The process of deletion is called elision. So when pronouncing don't be in casual speech, the /t/ is sometimes elided:

  • Don't be [ˈdəʊntbiː] → don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

Another process involved here is assimilation which makes nearby sounds similar. Adjacent sounds often influence each other so they become more similar (assimilated). For instance, the n in ten pies is likely to be pronounced /m/ in anticipation of the following bilabial stop—/p/.

After the elision of the /t/, we're left with:

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

The nasal /n/ in don be is likely to assimilate to a /m/ in

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː] → dombe [ˈdəʊmbiː]

That's why some people pronounce it dombe.

Other examples of assimilation include:

  • handsome → pronounced hansom
  • mission, vision, treasure etc
  • assume pronounced ashoom
  • handbag pronounced hambag etc.
Source Link
Rayan Khan
  • 18.1k
  • 7
  • 76
  • 108

Short answer

Some people pronounce Don't be as dombe because the t is sometimes deleted and the n is assimilated to an m in anticipation of the following b.

Explanation

In Don't be, the /t/ is flanked by two consonants (/n/ and /b/) and in normal or casual speech, some people tend to drop some consonants (such as /t/ and /d/) when they come between two other consonants. The process of deletion is called elision. So when pronouncing don't be in casual speech, the /t/ is sometimes elided:

  • Don't be [ˈdəʊntbiː] → don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

Another process involved here is assimilation which makes nearby sounds similar. Adjacent sounds often influence so they become more similar (assimilated). For instance, the n in ten pies is likely to be pronounced /m/ in anticipation of the following bilabial stop—/p/.

After the elision of the /t/, we're left with:

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː]

The nasal /n/ in don be is likely to assimilate to a /m/ in

  • don be [ˈdəʊnbiː] → dombe [ˈdəʊmbiː]

That's why some people pronounce it dombe.

Other examples of assimilation include:

  • handsome → pronounced hansom
  • mission, vision, treasure etc
  • assume pronounced ashoom
  • handbag pronounced hambag etc.