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I know that there is a big difference in meaning between "can" and "can't". "Can" is used in a positive statement, and "can't" is used in a negative statement.

However, in casual speech, I notice that sometimes they drop the sound /t/ to say "can't". And other times they want to emphasize an ability, so they stress the word "can" (used in a strong form: /kæn/).

I wonder if I fail to hear the sound /t/ or my assumption is true. If my assumption is true, is there any way to identify them, excluding based on that context? Because sometimes, some content is too complex (ex: academic knowledge), I cannot base on that context to know.

You guys can check out these examples and find the difference:

  1. can't: https://youtu.be/5LQzMlX-rMY?list=PLg4lEYaHO--SDCgjDUP1nQbn3_Fztv4LK&t=625 (at 10:27)
  2. can: https://youtu.be/5LQzMlX-rMY?list=PLg4lEYaHO--SDCgjDUP1nQbn3_Fztv4LK&t=265
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  • In some accents the vowel sounds are quite different, but perhaps not in all. Also the "n" may be cut off before the next sound. Commented 19 hours ago
  • So you mean than my assumption might be true? Commented 19 hours ago
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    I agree that the details depend on regional accent. In this question on the other site we discussed one example, where, as is common, the T being "dropped" does not mean it totally disappears—it still is pronounced, in a subtle way. Commented 19 hours ago
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    Can you give an example of a context in which you have found this confusing? Commented 18 hours ago
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    By the way, this illustrates the difficulty with "transcription" as a task. I can clearly hear something at the end the word "can't" in that example. But I have no idea what exactly it is. I would have guessed that it is some restriction of the airway near or in the throat rather than a dental /t/, and the answer below mentions "glottalization". To transcribe this would require symbols beyond those usually used for English in dictionaries (I doubt your teacher could do this!) Commented 12 hours ago

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In the dialect spoken by the speaker on the YouTube channel, the syllable of "can't" is rather nasalized with the "n" omitted, and closed with a glottalized coda in normal speech. I have this feature in my normal accent and find the glottalization to be more important to realize than the "t," which is usually not pronounced. This glottalization is also used in contractions ending in "n't," like "couldn't," and "wouldn't."

Although I occasionally have difficulty, distinguishing between "can" and "can't" in this accent, I can distinguish it in the video and generally do not have any problems. Differences in the vowels can also help; but because Americans differ in the vowels they use, this is not always reliable.

In this dialect, the pronunciation of "can't" can be emphasized to be mostly unambiguous. It is harder to make "can" unambiguous since it tends not to include sounds that cannot be used for "can't."

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  • Can you check out this example: youtu.be/… and give me your thought? Commented 3 hours ago

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