Why are americans constantly degrading their English? The biggest one i see with everyone these days is then they pronounce "s" like "sh". For example S-trength->SH-trength, Stress -> SH-tress, S-tream -> SH-tream.. and so on.. it is bizarre.
@Justicar For example, it is easier to say "she shells she shells by the she shore" than to say "She sells sea shells by the sea shore."
@DoubleD i do not care if there is a scientific term for it, it's just horrible on my ears. Listening people, native English speakers, talk about "doctor shtrange", and going to to the gym to get "shtrong" and "shreaming" online....aaaargh
@Justicar If you've never investigated the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet not India Pale Ale), I recommend it. It's fascinating reading.
New International Version
they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.
Judges 12:6
https://biblehub.com/judges/12-6.htm
I am going to guess they are foreigners, have a disability or speech impediment or that is the accent in the community they grew up in or the accent they hear on media
I can not understand a lot of English accents from certain parts of the USA and certain parts of England and English speaking African countries and India and Indian adjacent countries
I only understand the English accent used on the national news in the USA which is the same accent that middle class White people use where I live. I can also understand it when Chinese, Korean and Japanese people speak that type of English but with a Southeast Asian accent
@Justicar
The "s" is the Voiceless alveolar sibilant, but the "sh" is the Voiceless alveolar retracted sibilant.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_alveolar_fricative)
Languages change. The cause may be cultural such as happened with the Norman invasion of Britain under William the Conqueror when English gained many influences from Latin. The cause could be a shift in commonly used phrases that make the change of the tongue from one shape to another more difficult or easy.