Pronunciation

[nef919]

OK so is there some kinda rule or guideline that explains when certain letters are silent. For example: In the Pimsleur series there are things like imasu that are pronounced imas. Like kaimas.
In making some flash cards I have come across several things like this. Hontou is another one.
Any insight?

[Spaztick]

All the -su endings are silent, so anything that ends in -su is pronounced -ss.

EX: "Watashi wa Chris desu" would be pronounced "Watash wa Chris dess." They aren't really silent for the most part as much as they are just the way they say the word with an accent. Do you say "I don't know" most of the time or do you say "I dunno?" It's the same thing.

[hihlordjp]

That's true, but it may not always be the case. In some cases, the ~su ending can be clearly enunciated. It just depends on the "rhythm" of your speech.

Technically, though, it isn't silent. More like whispered. They (native Japanese speakers) know they're pronouncing ~su, but they sometimes don't make an effort to actually enunciate it clearly. It's much like how (in American English), some sounds are glided over, as presented by Spaztick.