Hear "This"in a Southern Accent

Us Southerners don’t always say this the way the unhillbillies do. You’ll often hear it slide into thee-us /ðɪjəs/ ~ /ðiəs/ - one syllable that almost feels like two. You normally only hear it spoken this way if it's the only word in the sentence. Otherwise you don't hear the beginning at all - or even ee-us /ɪjəs/ ~ /iəs/. Out in the country, it pretty much has two syllables - thu-ee-us /ðʌ.iəs/ ~ /ðə.iəs/. Play the clips to hear each one in real Southern speech, then practice with our tips.