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Which one is correct:
Would you mind let me finish, please?
Would you mind letting me finish, please?
In this short video below, a native speaker says "Would you mind let me finish, please?" I'm just wondering about whether or not "Would you mind let" can be used in Common core English, while "Would you mind letting" is formal?
Bright Polyglot
Posted 2013-07-01T21:28:04.657
Reputation: 31
6
I watched/listened to the video. She actually says, "let'm me finish" which is a slurred letting me- she's speaking quickly because she's trying to cut off the other man being interviewed. Couple that with her accent and it almost becomes completely lost.
Prior to watching the video I had surmised that what I'd find was someone saying:
Would you mind? Let me finish, please.
Jim
Posted 2013-07-01T21:28:04.657
Reputation: 8 476
0
I think if you asked the reporter she'd claim to have said "letting".
It is very common for native speakers not to pronounce the "g" sound of words such as letting, coming out with something closer to "letten". In extreme cases the "en" sound is shortened or swallowed so that it's barely audible, as I believe is the case here.
Nigel Harper
Posted 2013-07-01T21:28:04.657
Reputation: 2 311
My guess is that it's primarily the glottal stop that OP doesn't hear, but you're right that she's saying "letting". – FumbleFingers Reinstate Monica – 2013-07-02T03:22:59.677
3+1 But I hear it as /leʔnme/, with the /t/ elided into the /n/ but still "represented" by the glottal stop which accompanies it. – StoneyB on hiatus – 2013-07-02T00:47:53.993
2What @StoneyB said. She definitely produces a glottal stop followed by /n/ between the two stressed components. Probably easier for me to hear because it's very common in British casual speech. In my "mind's ear", I imagine most Americans in such contexts speaking more slowly anyway, and coming out with something more like *"Would you mind leaden me finish"*, but maybe that's just a stereotype. – FumbleFingers Reinstate Monica – 2013-07-02T01:16:59.527