Flap T Exceptions?

Special thanks to Lin L for this question:

Question:

Are these words exceptions to the Flap T rule (T’s between vowels are Flap T’s):  Secretary, cemetery, tentative

Are there patterns to exceptions? 

Answer:

First, let me clarify the rule.  The T between vowels (of after an R before a vowel) will be a Flap T, unless the T begins a stressed syllable.  I have explained this in my video T pronunciations (this part of the rule is discussed around 7:25) but I reference it a lot in other videos, and when I do I usually don’t take the time to go through the whole rule.

With the suffix –tary or –tery, the second-to-last syllable has secondary stress.  When you look it up in a dictionary, it is marked by this symbol:  [ˌ] (primary stress uses this symbol [ˈ]).  So even though the syllable doesn’t have primary stress, it is still a stressed syllable, and therefore will be at True T in words like ‘secretary’ and ‘cemetery’.
This is also true of the first T in the suffix ‘tate’:  hesitate, annotate.
And the first T in the suffix ‘tude’:  attitude, gratitude.

It’s quite possible that there are other suffixes like this that I can’t think of right now.  🙂

As for ‘tentative’, and other words that end in vowel/diphthong + tive:  negative, positive:  there is no stress on that syllable, and I would make that T a Flap T.  I think most people in casual conversation would do the same.

There is one exception that I can think of:  politics.  The last syllable isn’t stressed, and yet it is a True T.  However, it is not a rule to be applied to the –tic ending:  critic, fanatic, mathematics, etc., would sound more natural and casual with a Flap T.