Pronouncing "TR" as "CHR" (e.g., tree as chree) occurs because of coarticulation, where the tongue, positioned forward for /t/, moves to the back for /r/ and creates a /ch/ sound in between for ease of speech. This "lazy" pronunciation, or assimilation, simplifies the transition, making the sounds blend together.
@Zac & David words beginning with t are sometimes pronounced with a ch sound because of assimilation where 2 sounds next to each other merge. This is particularly common in British English.
"T" and "Ch" are close to one another in terms of tongue and mouth position. When you have your mouth in position to say the "Y" sound, and you say the "T" sound while speaking casually and relaxed, you sort of naturally say the "Ch" sound.
Short answer: It's a dialectal variant. Different dialects have different sounds. Longer answer: The interdental fricatives, which we represent as "th," are relatively uncommon; most of the world's languages do not have them. The "f" sound is much more common (though still not as common as something like "s").
It is very normal for young children to mispronounce these sounds. The usual error is to say “t” in place of “c/k” and “d” in place of “g” (or sometimes “d” in place of both sounds). So, for example, the child will say “tar” for “car” or “dame” for “game”.
How To Pronounce TR, DR and STR in English | CHRUE Pronunciation of TRY, DRY and STREET
Why do British people say Haitch instead of H?
The name of the letter H comes from the french name "hache" which was /atʃə/ in Old French , which middle english adapted as /aːtʃə/ and which became /eɪtʃ/ in modern english. The pronunciation "haitch" is just adding a [h] sound back to "aitch" because most letters start with their sound.
Rhotacism is identified when a child makes a vowel-like sound or a /w/ sound instead of the /r/ sound. The causes of these types of speech impediments are similar to those of a lisp.
We don't pronounce the t, instead we say these words with a d sound. It's a lot easier to pronounce these words with a D sound. It takes less energy for our lips, tongue, throat, and mouth to say “waDer” as opposed to “waTer.”
And if the lips round early, which they may very well do, then the mouth position will be the same for the ch/jj, and that is why the T/D may sound like the ch/jj. And that's why you might hear some native speakers making a sound that's more like jj than dd in the DR consonant blend.
If the last 'ch' sound comes after a consonant, the ending is usually ch. Look at these examples – sear- ch, chur-ch. If the final 'ch' sound comes after a one-letter vowel, it is usually spelled -tch.
Dropping that t sound is an example of what linguists call glottalization: the sudden coming together of the vocal cords to block the flow of air, and then opening again. In other words, replacing a sound with a pause in the vocal cords.
Overview: Historically, “rhotacism” refers to a speech impediment involving misarticulation of rhotic sounds /r/ (and sometimes /ɚ/ or /ɝ/ in English). Children with rhotacism may use a substitution like [w] (“wed” for “red”) or an incorrect oral posture that yields a distorted /r/ sound.
What are the 21 consonant digraphs? The 21 consonant digraphs include common pairs like sh, ch, th, wh, ph, ck, kn, gn, wr, and gh. Others include sc, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tr, tw, and qu. These are two-letter combinations that make one sound when we read them.
