Whadya do on Valentine’s Day?
Just 2 days ago we celebrated the day of love! And whether you spent it with your family, your partner, or yourself, people will ask, “What did you do on Valentine’s Day?” or maybe “What did you do for Valentine’s Day?”
There is only a small difference between these 2 phrases (on vs. for), but the meaning is almost the same in this case.
Because this is NYC, no one will ask you slowly and clearly, instead it will probably sound like,
“Whatdya do fer Valentine’s Day?”
This is called assimilation ( uh- SIM-uh-lay-shuhn). Assimilation is when two sounds come together and merge into a new sound. It usually happens when people talk fast!
For example: “What did you do?” when spoken by a fast-talking New Yorker becomes “Whatdya do”, mixing or assimilating the letters “t”, “d”, and “y”.
You may also hear people say “Whatcha” as is “What did you”.
There are many other assimilated sounds in English as there are in any language!
Below are some examples in English:
His daughter = “hiz daughter”
Winter Break = “Winner break”
Atlanta = “Atlana”
White paper = “Why paper”
Are there any words or sounds that are assimilated in your language?
And, of course, I must ask, “ Whadya do for Valentine’s day?”
Resources:
Assimilation (Grammar) Definition and Examples (thoughtco.com)