Consonants

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Nasals

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Bilabial nasal

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Environment m
m Some accents Examples
Before /f/ and /v/ ɱ symphony, some value, circumvent
Finally after a consonant m rhythm
Elsewhere m man, hum

Alveolar nasal

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Environment n
n Some accents Examples
Finally after a consonant n button
Everywhere n no, Hun

Velar nasal

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Environment ŋ
Most accents Brummie (and which others?) Examples
Before /k/ and /g/ ŋ ŋ drink, finger
Intervocallically ŋg ringer
Finally hung

Plosives and affricates

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Bilabial plosives

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Environment p b
p Examples b Examples
Initially tʃʰ pit b bit
Medially p spin about
Finally tip web

Alveolar plosives

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Diaphoneme Environment t ord English English American and Australian English Scottish English Hiberno-English Examples
t Initially tin
In certain positions t ʔ better
ɾ ʔ
Elsewhere t sting
d Initially d din
Intervocallically d ɾ d daddy
Finally odd
Elsewhere d mandate

Postalveolar affricates

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Environment
Examples Examples
Initially tʃʰ cheap jeep, gin
Medially nature cagey
Finally teach d̥ʒ̊ edge

Velar plosives

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Environment k ɡ
k Examples ɡ Examples
Initially cut, kill, queen ɡ gut, get
Medially k skin again
Finally unique, thick ɡ̊ beg

Fricatives

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Labiodental fricatives

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Environment f v
f Examples v Examples
After /p/, /b/ and /m/ ([ɱ]) ɸ up-front, Cub fan, tomfoolery β upvote, obviate, Humvee
Finally f enough, leaf, off have, of, curve
Elsewhere fat, photo v vat

Alveolar fricatives

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Environment s z
s Some English English (which?) Examples z Examples
Before /j/ s ʃ assume N/A
Finally s pass rose
Elsewhere sap, city z zap

Dental fricatives

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Environment θ or ð Hiberno-English, Newfoundland English, Indian English, New York English and South Asian English (th-stopping) some varieties of Cockney and African American Vernacular English (th-fronting) some Carribbean Examples
θ Everywhere θ f t thigh, teeth
ð Finally ð̥ d̪̥ breathe
Elsewhere ð v d thy

Postalveolar fricatives

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Environment ʃ ʒ
ʃ Examples ʒ Examples
Finally ʃ leash ʒ̊ beige
Elsewhere shin, sure, session, dilution ʒ genre, pleasure, delusion, seizure

Labiovelar fricative

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Environment hw
hw (wine-whine merger) Scottish English, Irish English, and many American South and New England dialects Examples
Everywhere w ʍ what

Glottal fricative

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Environment h
h Norfolk dialect (yod-dropping) Most British accents Some accents in the Southern Hemisphere Accents with H-dropping Examples
Before /j/ h ç ç hue
Before high front vowels h hit
Elsewhere ɦ ham

Approximants

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Alveolar lateral approximant

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Environment l
l Australian, New Zealand, Scottish, or American English Irish English RP, some other English accents, and South African English New Zealand English and many regional accents, such as African-American Vernacular English, Cockney, New York English, Estuary English, Pittsburgh English, Standard Singapore English Examples
Finally after a consonant l, ɫ? bottle
after a voiceless stop at the beginning of a stressed syllable , ɫ̥? ɫ̥ ɫ ? please
In syllable rimes l, ɫ? ɫ l [ɤ~o] or [ɤ̯~o̯], forming a diphthong with the preceding vowel bell, sable
For l-vocalization ?
Elsewhere l lump

Alveolar and labiovelar approximants

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Environment r w
r some varieties of Scottish, Irish, Indian, Welsh, Northern England and South African English some accents in Southern England Scottish, Welsh, South African and Indian dialects Examples w Examples
After a voiceless stop at the beginning of a stressed syllable ɹ̠̊, ɹ̥ʷ, ɹ̥, ɻ̊ ɾ̥ ʋ̥ probably ʍ queen
Elsewhere ɹ̠, ɹʷ, ɹ, ɻ ɾ ʋ r run, very w wore

Palatal approximant

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Environment j
j Examples
Everywhere j your, Mayan

Marginal consonants

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These consonants are marginal phonemes, meaning that they only occur in a few specific words.

Velar fricative

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Environment x
x With loch-lock merger Welsh English White South African English Marginal Examples
Scottish loan words x k χ χ h, ɦ? loch
Welsh loan words N/A Amlwch /ˈæmlʊx/
Afrikaans or Xhosa loan words N/A χ gogga /ˈxɒxə/
ugh (read) ɣ, g, k
ugh (spoken) x, ɣ, ʀ̊, ɣ, g, k

Glottal stop

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Environment ʔ
uh-oh ʔ

Alveolar lateral fricatives

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Environment ɬ ɮ
ɬ Welsh English South African English Examples ɮ South African English Examples
Welsh loan words l ɬ l Llangefni N/A
Zulu loan words l ɬ hlala gahle[1] l ɮ ibandla[2]

Vowels

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New order

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whatever it is set
Accent Diaphoneme[i]
Lexical set
Region Subregion Variety Accent Variants Allophones
British Isles Channel Islands Channel Islands English[citation needed]
England Supraregional Received Pronunciation (RP) Conservative[3][4]
Standard Southern British English (SSBE)[5]
English in Southern England Cockney[citation needed]
Estuary English[citation needed]
Multicultural London English (MLE)[6]
West Midlands English Brummie dialect[7]
English in Northern England[citation needed] Cumbrian dialect
Geordie
Lancashire dialect
Manchester dialect
Pitmatic
Scouse
Yorkshire dialect
Ireland Hiberno-English[8] Ulster English Belfast
Mid-Ulster
Traditional
Ulster Scots dialect
South-West Irish English
Dublin English Local
New
Standard Irish English
Scotland Scottish English[9]
Wales Welsh English[10] Abercraf English
Port Talbot English
Cardiff English[7]
North American American English Supraregional African-American Vernacular English (AAVE)[citation needed] Non-Rhotic
Rhotic
General American English[11][12][13]
Good American Speech[citation needed]
Midwest Inland Northern American English[citation needed]
Northeast Boston accent[citation needed] Older
Younger
New York accent[citation needed] Non-Rhotic
Older
Rhotic
Philadelphia English[citation needed]
South Cajun English[citation needed]
Southern American English[citation needed] Older
Non-Rhotic
Rhotic
Miami English[citation needed]
West California English[citation needed] Northern
Southern
Chicano English[citation needed]
Canadian English Supraregional Standard Canadian English[14]
Atlantic Newfoundland English[15]
West Indies Bahamian English[citation needed]
Bajan English[citation needed]
Colonial Southern Hemisphere Australian English[16][17] Cultivated
General
Broad
New Zealand English[18][19] Cultivated
General
Broad
South African English[20][21] Cultivated
General
Broad
World Englishes Africa Cameroonian English[22]
Asia Indian English[23]
Singapore English[24]
Pacific Islands Palauan English[citation needed]
Fiji English[citation needed]
Solomon Islands English[citation needed]

Current representation of sets

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This section contains the section of each set in the large current table. All realizations which are not part of that set (whether internal or merged) are deleted and the cells are merged for clarity.

TRAP

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Dia-

phoneme[ii]

Keyword Examples AmE AuE[25][26] BahE BarE CaE[27] Cameroonian English[28] CIE EnE FiE InE[29] IrE[30] NZE[31][32] Newfoundland English[15] PaE ScE[33] SIE SAE[34][35] SSE WaE[36]
AAVE Boston accent Cajun English California English Chicano English General American[37][38][31] Inland Northern American English Miami accent Mid-Atlantic English New York accent Philadelphia accent Southern American English Brummie[39] Southern England English Northern England English RP Ulster English West & South-West Irish English Dublin English Supraregional southern Irish English Abercraf English Port Talbot English Cardiff English
Non-Rhotic Rhotic Older Younger Northern Southern Non-Rhotic Older Rhotic Older Non-Rhotic Rhotic Cultivated General Broad Cockney Estuary English (EE) MLE[40] West Country Cumbrian Geordie Lancashire Manchester Pitmatic Scouse Yorkshire Conservative[41][42] Contemporary (SSBE)[43] Belfast Mid-Ulster traditional Ulster Scots Local Dublin English New Dublin English Cultivated General Broad Cultivated General Broad
æ TRAP ham ɛː~ɛə̯~eə̯ ɪə̯~eə̯~ɛɐ̯[iii] æ eə~ɛə æ~ɛə̯~eə̯ eə̯~ɛə̯~æ[iii] eə̯~ɪə̯ æ ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯[iii] æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯[iii] æɛæ~eə eə̯~æjə[iii] æː[iv] æː~ɛː[iv] æ̝ː~ɛː~e̞ː[iv] æ~a a æ~ɛə̯[iii] æ a æ~ɛ~ɛɪ æ~a~ɛ̞ ɐ̞ æː~aː a~ä a a~ä a a~ä æ [iv] æ æ~ɛ äː~a æ a æ~a æ ɛ ɛ̝ æ æ ä ɑ~æ æ a~æ æ~ɛ~ ɛ[44] a [iv] ~æː[iv]
bad æ~ɛː~ɛə̯ æ~ɛə̯ æ~ɛə̯ ɛ~æ~a~ä æ~æ̞ æ æ, ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯[iii] æ æ~æɛæ~ɐɛɐ æ~æjə~æ̠ɛæ̠ æ~a̝
lad æ a̝~æ æ~ɛ æ a a a~æ (TRAP-BATH split is variable)
ɑː / æ BATH
ɑː PALM

BATH

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Dia-

phoneme[v]

Keyword Examples AmE AuE[25][26] BahE BarE CaE[27] Cameroonian English[28] CIE EnE FiE InE[29] IrE[30] NZE[31][32] Newfoundland English[15] PaE ScE[33] SIE SAE[34][35] SSE WaE[36]
AAVE Boston accent Cajun English California English Chicano English General American[37][38][31] Inland Northern American English Miami accent Mid-Atlantic English New York accent Philadelphia accent Southern American English Brummie[39] Southern England English Northern England English RP Ulster English West & South-West Irish English Dublin English Supraregional southern Irish English Abercraf English Port Talbot English Cardiff English
Non-Rhotic Rhotic Older Younger Northern Southern Non-Rhotic Older Rhotic Older Non-Rhotic Rhotic Cultivated General Broad Cockney Estuary English (EE) MLE[40] West Country Cumbrian Geordie Lancashire Manchester Pitmatic Scouse Yorkshire Conservative[41][42] Contemporary (SSBE)[43] Belfast Mid-Ulster traditional Ulster Scots Local Dublin English New Dublin English Cultivated General Broad Cultivated General Broad
æ TRAP ham æ eə̯~ɪə̯ æ æ~a a æː~aː a~ä a a~ä a a~ä äː~a æ ä a
bad æ~ɛː~ɛə̯ æ~ɛə̯ ɛ~æ~a~ä æ~æ̞ æ æ~æjə~æ̠ɛæ̠ æ~a̝
lad a a~æ (TRAP-BATH split is variable)
ɑː / æ BATH ä~a ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯[iii] æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯[iii] æɛ~æe äː äː~ɐː ɑː ɑː ɑː~ɑ̟ː~ɑ̹ː ɑː ɑ̟ː ɑ̈ː~ʌ̞ː a~ɑ äː æː~ ɐː~äː æː ɑ ɑ̟ː ɑː ɒː~ɔː ä[45]
ɑː PALM

PALM

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Dia-

phoneme[vi]

AmE AuE[46][47] BahE BajE CaE[48] Cameroonian English[49] CIE EnE FiE InE[50] IrE[51] NZE[52][53] Newfoundland English[15] PaE ScE[54] SIE SAE[55][56] SSE WaE[57] Keyword Examples
AAVE Boston accent Cajun English California English Chicano English General American[58][59][52] Inland Northern American English Miami accent Mid-Atlantic accent New York accent Philadelphia English Southern American English Brummie[60] Southern England English Northern England English RP Ulster English South-West Irish English Dublin English Standard Irish English Abercraf English Port Talbot English Cardiff English
Non-Rhotic Rhotic Older Younger Northern Southern Non-Rhotic Older Rhotic Older Non-Rhotic Rhotic Cultivated General Broad Cockney Estuary English (EE) MLE[61] West Country Cumbrian Geordie Lancashire Manchester Pitmatic Scouse Yorkshire Conservative[62][63] Contemporary (SSBE)[64] Belfast Mid-Ulster Traditional Ulster Scots Local New Cultivated General Broad Cultivated General Broad
æ ä TRAP ham
bad
lad
ɑː / æ ä~a äː äː~ɐː ɑː ɑː ɑː~ɑ̟ː~ɑ̹ː ɑː ɑ̟ː ɑ̈ː~ʌ̞ː äː æː~ ɐː~äː ɑ̟ː ɑː ɒː~ɔː ä[65] BATH pass
ɑː a~ä~ɑ a~ä ɑ ä~ɑ~ɒ ä~a ɑ~ä a~ä ɑ ɑ̟ː ɑ~ä ɑ ɑ ɒ~ɑ ɑː ɒ~ɑ äː ɒː~ɑː äː ~ɑː äː äː~ɑː æ~ɑː ɑː ɑː ~æː PALM father
ɒ LOT not
ɒ / ɔː CLOTH off[vii]
ɔː THOUGHT law
pause

Conditional mergers proposal

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DRESS

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Accent Realizations and sub-sets Mergers
Allophonic splits ? Away from DRESS
pen MERRy length[citation needed] DRESS MURRay-MERRy merger pin-pen merger
AmE Cajun English[citation needed] ɪ ʌr i ɛ~æ  Y  Y
Accent Realizations and sub-sets Mergers
Towards KIT
KIT pen
AmE Cajun English[citation needed] ɪ  Y

NURSE example

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Accent Realizations Splits Mergers
Existing sets which make up Wells' set Phonemic splits Allophonic splits Absent from Wells' sets Present in Wells' sets Towards NURSE Away from NURSE Towards a new realization
FUR FIR FERN WORSE (fictional) BURN (fictional) FUR-HURRy split, FIR-MIRROR split, FERN-MERRy split NURSE-FORCE split (fictional) HURRy-FURRy merger NURSE-SQUAREmerger NURSE-NORTH

merger

NURSE-lettER merger[citation needed] NURSE-START merger (fictional)
AmE General American ɚ~ɝ  Y  N  Y  N  N  Y  N
ScE[66] ʌɾ ɪɾ~ʌɾ ɛɾ  N ( Y)  N
EnE Northern England English[citation needed] broadest Geordie øː(ɹ)~ɪː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ)  Y  N  Y
Various various  Y  N

Modest redraft

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Outline

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Set 1: 'a' and 'o' vowels

  • not GOAT–THOUGHT merger, RP salt merger
  • TRAP (trap-ham split, bad-lad split), BATH (TRAP-BATH merger), PALM (PALM-BATH merger), LOT (father-bother merger), CLOTH (LOT-CLOTH split), THOUGHT (cot-caught merger, RP salt merger, THOUGHT split, Cockney THOUGHT split pre-l), GOAT (GOAT-THOUGHT merger)

Set 2: Close front vowels

  • not Meat-meet, Geordie FLEECE split, mitt-meet
  • KIT (mitt-meet with colo(u)r), happY (tensing), FLEECE (meat-meet, Geordie FLEECE split)
  • moved commA to central vowels section

Set 2.1: KIT mergers before nasals

  • DRESS, KIT (pin-pen), TRAP (thank-think)

Set 2.15 pre-l

  • Gulf-golf merger, Hull–hole merger (Doll–dole merger) | Full–fool merger, Fool–fall merger | Fill–feel merger |Salary–celery merger, Fell–fail merger
  • GOAT split, GOOSE split, Vile–vial merger

Set 2.2: commA mergers; central vowels

  • KIT, commA (weak-vowel merger, centralized KIT), STRUT (STRUT-commA)

Set 3: 'u' back vowels

  • not STRUT–commA merger, full-fool merger
  • STRUT (FOOT–STRUT split), FOOT (put-hood split), GOOSE (FOOT–GOOSE merger, full-fool merger, Geordie GOOSE split, cute)
  • moved STRUT-commA to central vowels section

Set 4: non-rhotic diphthongs

  • not coil-curl merger, pride-proud
  • MOUTH, PRICE (pride-proud), CHOICE (line-loin merger), NURSE (coil-curl)

Set 5: Rhotic front and central vowels

  • not mirror-nearer, mare-mayor
  • KIT, NEAR (mirror-nearer), SQUARE (NEAR-SQUARE), NURSE (SQUARE-NURSE), lettER (NURSE-lettER)

Set 5.5:

STRUT, NURSE (Hurry–furry merger)

Set 6: Pre-r back vowels

  • NORTH, FORCE (NORTH-FORCE), CURE (CURE-FORCE), NURSE (CURE-NURSE merger)

extremes of diaphonemes are ɔːr and ʊər. Pre-r back vowels

Set 7: TRAP, DRESS, FACE

met-mat, met-mate, vein-vain, pane-pain

Set 8: TRAP, LOT, COAT

wrath-roth merger, wand-hand, rod-ride, cot-coat, toe-tow

Set 9:

  • PALM, START (father-farther), NORTH (card-cord)
  • god-guard

Set 7: mare-mayor

SQUARE, TRAPr, DRESSr (Mary–marry–merry merger), STRUTr (Merry–Murray merger), KITr-NEAR (mirrornearer)

First section

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Accent Diaphoneme[viii] æ ɑː / æ ɑː ɒ ɒ / ɔː ɔː
Lexical set TRAP BATH PALM LOT CLOTH[ix] THOUGHT
Allophones ham bad lad law pause
American English African-American Vernacular English (AAVE)[citation needed] Non-Rhotic ɛː~ɛə̯~eə̯ æ~ɛː~ɛə̯ a~ä~ɑ ɒ(ɔ̯)~ɔ(ʊ̯)~ɔə̯
Rhotic
Boston accent[citation needed] Older ɪə̯~eə̯~ɛɐ̯[iii] æ~ɛə̯ ä~a ɒ~ɑ
Younger æ~ɛə̯ ä~a
Cajun English[citation needed] æ ɑ a
California English[citation needed] Northern eə~ɛə ɛ~æ~a~ä ä~ɑ~ɒ
Southern æ~æ̞
Chicano English[citation needed] æ~ɛə̯~eə̯ æ ä~a
General American English[67][68][69] æ~ɛə̯~eə̯[iii] ɑ~ä ɒ~ɔ~ɑ[x]
Good American Speech[citation needed] æ ɑ̟ː ɒ ɔː
Inland Northern American English[citation needed] eə̯~ɪə̯ a~ä ɒ~ɑ
Miami English[citation needed] æ ɑ ɑ~ɔ
New York accent[citation needed] Non-Rhotic ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯[iii] æ, ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯[iii] ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯[iii] ɑ~ä ɔə̯~oə̯~ʊə̯
Older
Rhotic
Philadelphia English[citation needed] æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯[iii] æ æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯[iii] ɑ ɔə̯~ɒ̝ə̯
Southern American English[citation needed] Older æɛæ~eə æ~æɛæ~ɐɛɐ æɛ~æe ɔo̯~ɑɒ̯
Non-Rhotic eə̯~æjə[iii] æ~æjə~æ̠ɛæ̠ ɑɒ̯~ɑ
Rhotic
Australian English[70][71] Cultivated æː[iv] æ äː ɒ o̞ː
General æː~ɛː[iv] a̝~æ äː~ɐː ɒ~ɔ
Broad æ̝ː~ɛː~e̞ː[iv] æ~ɛ
Bahamian English[citation needed] æ~a ɑ ɔ
Bajan English[citation needed] a ɒ~ɑ ɒː ɒː~ɑː
Canadian English[72] æ~ɛə̯[iii] æ~a̝ ɒ~ɑ
Cameroonian English[73] ɔ
Channel Islands English[citation needed] æ ɑː ɒ ɒː oː~ɔː
English in England Brummie dialect[74] a ɑː ä~ɒ~ɔ̈~ɔ o̞ː~ɔː
English in Southern England Cockney[citation needed] æ~ɛ~ɛɪ æ~ɛ ɑː ɒ~ɔ ɔː~ɔ̝ə̯~ɔuə̯ oː~oʊ~ɔo
Estuary English[citation needed] æ~a~ɛ̞ ɑː~ɑ̟ː~ɑ̹ː ɒ~ɒ̈ ɔə̯~ɔː~ɔ̝ː o̟ː~o̞ː
Multicultural London English (MLE)[75] ɐ̞ ɑː ɒ~ɔ
West Country English[citation needed] æː~aː ɒ~ɑ ɒː~ɔː
English in Northern England[citation needed] Cumbrian dialect a~ä äː
Geordie a ɒː~ɑː ɒ~ɑ̠ ɔː
Lancashire dialect a~ä äː ɒ~ɔ ɒː~ɔː
Manchester dialect
Pitmatic
Scouse a aː~ɑː ɒ o̞ː
Yorkshire dialect a~ä äː ɒ~ɔ ɒː~ɔː
Received Pronunciation (RP) Conservative[76][77] æ ɑ̟ː ɒ o̞ː
Standard Southern British English (SSBE)[78] [iv] a ɑ̈ː~ʌ̞ː ɔ o̞ː
Fiji English[citation needed] æ a~ɑ ɔ
Hiberno-English[79] Ulster English Belfast äː~a äː~ɑː ɒ~ɑ~ä ɒː
Mid-Ulster
Traditional äː
Ulster Scots dialect ɔː
South-West Irish English æ æː~aː ä aː~ä
Dublin English Local
New a ɑ~ɒ~ɔ ɔː ɒː~ɔː~oː
Standard Irish English æ~a ɑ ɒ ɒː
Indian English[80] æ~ɛ äː ɔ~ɒ~ä ɔː~ɒː
Newfoundland English[15] æ æː æ~ɑː ɑ ɑː
New Zealand English[81][82] Cultivated ɐː~äː ɒ~ɔ
General ɛ
Broad ɛ̝
Palauan English[citation needed] æ ɑː ɑ
Scottish English[83] ä ɔ
Solomon Islands English[citation needed] ɑ~æ ɑ ɑː
South African English[84][85] Cultivated æ ɑ̟ː ɒ̈ ɒ̈, o̞ː o̞ː
General a~æ ɑː ɒ̈~ʌ̈ ɒ̈~ʌ̈,
Broad æ~ɛ~e̞ ɒː~ɔː ɒ̈ ɒ̈,
Singapore English[86] ɛ[87] ä[88] ɔ
Welsh English[89] Abercraf English a ɒ ɒː
Port Talbot English [iv] a
Cardiff English[74] aː~æː[iv] a~æ aː~æː ɑ̟ ʌ̈ː
  1. ^ This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  2. ^ This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r In most of the United States (with high dialectal variation), and to a lesser degree in Canada, special /æ/ tensing systems occur.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l See badlad split for this distinction.
  5. ^ This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  6. ^ This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  7. ^ In American accents without the cotcaught merger, CLOTH words (usually words with a vowel written ⟨o⟩ preceding the fricatives /f/, /θ/ and /s/ and the velar nasal /ŋ/, e.g. off, cloth, boss, long), are pronounced with the vowel of THOUGHT, rather than the vowel of LOT as is the case in most other dialects of English, see Lotcloth split. In American accents with the cotcaught merger (about half of today's speakers), LOT, CLOTH and THOUGHT all have the same vowel.
  8. ^ This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  9. ^ In American accents without the cotcaught merger, CLOTH words (usually words with a vowel written ⟨o⟩ preceding the fricatives /f/, /θ/ and /s/ and the velar nasal /ŋ/, e.g. off, cloth, boss, long), are pronounced with the vowel of THOUGHT, rather than the vowel of LOT as is the case in most other dialects of English, see Lotcloth split. In American accents with the cotcaught merger (about half of today's speakers), LOT, CLOTH and THOUGHT all have the same vowel.
  10. ^ ɒ~ɔ occurs in American accents without the cotcaught merger (about half of today's speakers); the rest have ɑ.

Second section

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Accent Diaphoneme[i] ə ɪ i
Lexical set commA KIT happY FLEECE
Allophones bit kit
American English African-American Vernacular English (AAVE)[citation needed] Non-Rhotic ə ɪ~iə̯ ɪ~i i
Rhotic
Boston accent[citation needed] Older ɪ~ɪ̞~ɪ̈ i
Younger
Cajun English[citation needed] ɪ ɪ~i
California English[citation needed] Northern ɪ̞ ɪi̯~i
Southern
Chicano English[citation needed] ɪ i
General American English[67][68][69] ɪ~ɪ̞~ɪ̈ ɪi̯~i
Good American Speech[citation needed] ɪ~ɪ̈ ɪ~ɪ̈ i
Inland Northern American English[citation needed] ɪi̯~i
Miami English[citation needed]
New York accent[citation needed] Non-Rhotic
Older
Rhotic
Philadelphia English[citation needed] i
Southern American English[citation needed] Older ɪ ɪ
Non-Rhotic ɪ~ɪjə~iə̯ ɪi̯~i
Rhotic
Australian English[70][71] Cultivated ɪ ɪi̯~iː
General ɪ~i
Broad i ɪi̯~əi̯
Bahamian English[citation needed] ɪ ɪi̯~i
Bajan English[citation needed] ɪ
Canadian English[72] i ɪi̯
Cameroonian English[73] ə~ɪ~ɛ~a̽~ɔ ɪ~i ɪi̯~i
Channel Islands English[citation needed] ə ɪ i~iː i
English in England Brummie dialect[74] ə~ɐ ɪ~i əi̯~i əi̯~ɨi̯
English in Southern England Cockney[citation needed] ɪ i əi~ɐi
Estuary English[citation needed] ə~ə̝ ɪ~ɪ̈ ɪi̯~iː
Multicultural London English (MLE)[75] ə~ɐ
West Country English[citation needed] ə~ɔː ɪ ei~ɪi ɪi
English in Northern England[citation needed] Cumbrian dialect ə i iː, ei̯
Geordie ə~ɐ ɪi
Lancashire dialect ə ɪ~e
Manchester dialect
Pitmatic i ɪi~iː
Scouse iː, ɪ̈i̯~ɪ̈ɪ̯
Yorkshire dialect ɪ~e ɪi~iː
Received Pronunciation (RP) Conservative[76][77] ɪ ɪi̯
Standard Southern British English (SSBE)[78] ɪ̞ ɪi̯~iː
Fiji English[citation needed] ɐ~a ɪ i
Hiberno-English[79] Ulster English Belfast ə ɪ̈~ë e
Mid-Ulster
Traditional ə~ɘ ɪi̯
Ulster Scots dialect ɛ
South-West Irish English ɪ
Dublin English Local
New
Standard Irish English
Indian English[80]
Newfoundland English[15] i
New Zealand English[81][82] Cultivated ɪ̈ ɪi̯
General ə ɪi̯~əi̯
Broad
Palauan English[citation needed] ə ɪ i
Scottish English[83] ɪ~ë̞~ə~ʌ e~ɪ~i i
Solomon Islands English[citation needed] ə~ɐ ɪ i
South African English[84][85] Cultivated ə ɪ
General ɪ̈[ii] ɪ[ii]
Broad ə[ii] i[ii]
Singapore English[86] ə ɪ~i i
Welsh English[89] Abercraf English ɪ
Port Talbot English
Cardiff English[74] ɪ̞
  1. ^ This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  2. ^ a b c d It is not clear whether this a true phonemic split, since the distribution of the two sounds is predictable; see Kitbit split.

General form for English phonology sections on accent pages

edit

The following table should be used, with the relevant distinctions made, and then mergers and splits detailed below.

X English vowels
Lexical set Subset Value
Checked vowels
TRAP
BATH
DRESS
KIT
LOT
CLOTH
FOOT
STRUT
Free vowels
PALM
FACE
FLEECE
PRICE
GOAT
CHOICE
GOOSE
MOUTH
THOUGHT
Vowels + historical /r/
START
SQUARE
NEAR
NORTH
FORCE
NURSE
CURE
Reduced vowels
commA
lettER
happY

Other projects

edit
Dia-

phoneme[i]

r / ɛə(r) / eɪ.ə(r) aɪl / aɪ.əl æ æ(r) ɑː / æ ɑː(r) ɑː ɒ ɒ / ɔː ɔː ə ɪ ɪ(r) i ɛ ɛ(r) ʌ ʌ(r) ʊ juː ɔɪ ɪə(r) ɪə(r) ɛə(r) ɜː(r) ə(r) ɔː(r) ʊə(r) jʊə(r)
Wells' Lexical Set Rhoticity Mare-mayor merger Vile-vial merger TRAP BATH START PALM LOT CLOTH THOUGHT commA KIT FLEECE happY FACE DRESS STRUT FOOT GOOSE PRICE CHOICE GOAT MOUTH NEAR SQUARE NURSE lettER NORTH FORCE CURE
Extended Lexical Set TRAP MARRy KIT MIRRor MEET MEAT PANE PAIN FACE DRESS MERRy[ii] STRUT HURRy THROUGH THREW GOOSE TOE TOW GOAT NEAR NEARer FUR[iii] FIR FERN
Allophonic Contrast ham bad lad THOUGHT pause fall roses KIT bit (OS) think[iv] feel free fail pen length[citation needed] DRESS celery STRUT hull gulf put? full ruler cute PRICE pride hole/dole[v] MOUTH proud lettER donor[citation needed] tour pure
AmE AAVE Non-Rhotic ɛː~ɛə̯~eə̯ æ~ɛː~ɛə̯ ɑ~ɒ a~ä~ɑ ɒ(ɔ̯)~ɔ(ʊ̯)~ɔə̯ ə ɪ~iə̯ i ɪ~i eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯ ɪ~iə̯, ɛ~eə̯ ɛ~eə̯ ʌ~ɜ ʊ~ʊ̜̈~ɵ~ø̞ ʊu̯~u (j)ʊu̯~(j)u äɪ̯ äː~äe̯~aː oɪ̯ ʌʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ æɔ̯~æə̯ æɔ̯~æə̯ or äː~äe̯~aː iə̯~iɤ̯ ɛə̯ ɚ ə oə̯~ɔə̯~ɔo̯ juə̯~jʊə̯
Rhotic ɑɹ~ɒɹ ɛɹ ɚ ɚ juɹ~jʊɹ
Boston accent Younger ɪə̯~eə̯~ɛɐ̯ æ~ɛə̯ a(ɹ)~ä(ɹ) ä~a ɒ~ɑ ɪ~ɪ̞~ɪ̈ i eɪ̯ ɛ ʌ~ɐ ʊ u~ʊu̯~ɵu̯ (j)u~(j)ʊu̯~(j)ɵu̯ ɐɪ̯ äɪ̯ ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ oʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ ɐʊ̯ ɑ̟ʊ̯ ɪə̯(ɹ)~ɪɐ̯(ɹ) ɛə̯(ɹ)~ɛɐ̯(ɹ) əː(ɹ) ɔə̯(ɹ)~ɒə̯(ɹ)~ɒ(ɹ) ɔə̯(ɹ)~oɐ̯(ɹ) ʊə̯(ɹ)~ʊɐ̯(ɹ) jʊə̯(ɹ)~jʊɐ̯(ɹ)
Older æ~ɛə̯ ä~a əː(ɹ)
Cajun English[citation needed] æ ɑ(ɹ)~a(ɹ) ɑ a ɪ ɪ~i ɪ i ɛ~æ ʌ u ɑɪ̯~aː ɔɪ̯ aʊ̯~aː i(ɹ)~ɪ(ɹ) ɛ(ɹ)~æ(ɹ) ʌə(ɹ)~ʌɹ əɹ ʌə(ɹ)~ʌɹ ɔə(ɹ)~ɔɹ uə(ɹ)~ʊə(ɹ) juə(ɹ)~jʊə(ɹ)

Consonant table from General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages with IPA symbols (surely the table's classifications are enough evidence for broad transcription to be useful?)

bilabial labio-

dental

inter-

dental

dental/

alveolar

post-alveolar palatal velar labio-

velar

glottal
Stop voiceless p ⟨p⟩ t ⟨t⟩ k ⟨k⟩ k͡p ⟨kp⟩ ʔ ⟨ʼ⟩
voiced b ⟨b⟩ d ⟨d⟩ g ⟨g⟩ ɡ͡b ⟨gb⟩
Implosive ɓ ⟨ɓ⟩ ɗ ⟨ɗ⟩ ƴ ⟨ƴ⟩
Affricate voiceless p͡f ⟨pf⟩ t͡f ⟨tf⟩ t͡s ⟨ts⟩ t͡ʃ ⟨c⟩ k͡f ⟨kf⟩
voiced b͡v ⟨bv⟩ d͡v ⟨dv⟩ d͡z ⟨dz⟩ d͡ʒ ⟨j⟩ g͡v ⟨gv⟩
Fricative voiceless f ⟨f⟩ s ⟨s⟩ ʃ ⟨sh⟩ x ⟨x⟩ x͡f ⟨xf⟩ h ⟨h⟩
voiced v ⟨v⟩ z ⟨z⟩ ʒ ⟨zh⟩ ɣ ⟨gh⟩ ɣ͡v ⟨hv⟩
Nasal m ⟨m⟩ n ⟨n⟩ ɲ ⟨ny⟩ ŋ ⟨ŋ⟩ ŋ͡m ⟨ŋm⟩
Lateral approximant l ⟨l⟩
voiceless fric. ɬ ⟨sl⟩
voiced fric. ɮ ⟨zl⟩
Vibrant ʙ ⟨ ⟩** ⟨vb⟩ ɾ ⟨r⟩
Approximant w ⟨ẅ⟩ j ⟨y⟩ w ⟨w⟩
  1. ^ Dictionary Unit for South African English (2023). "‖hlala kahle". Dictionary of South African English. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  2. ^ Dictionary Unit for South African English (2023). "ibandla". Dictionary of South African English. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  3. ^ Roach (2004:241–243)
  4. ^ "Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds". British Library. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  5. ^ "The British English vowel system". 8 March 2012.
  6. ^ Fox, Susan (2015). The New Cockney: New Ethnicities and Adolescent Speech in the Traditional East End of London.
  7. ^ a b Wells (1982:387)
  8. ^ Wells (1982:422)
  9. ^ Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006:7)
  10. ^ Coupland & Thomas (1990:93–136)
  11. ^ Kenyon & Knott (1953)
  12. ^ Kenyon (1950)
  13. ^ Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
  14. ^ Boberg (2004)
  15. ^ a b c d e f Wells (1982), p. 499.
  16. ^ Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
  17. ^ Cox & Palethorpe (2007)
  18. ^ Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
  19. ^ Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)
  20. ^ Bekker (2008)
  21. ^ Lass (2002:111–119)
  22. ^ Todd, Loreto (1982). Cameroon. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 9789027286703.
  23. ^ Sailaja (2009:19–26)
  24. ^ Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN 981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.
  25. ^ a b Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
  26. ^ a b Cox & Palethorpe (2007)
  27. ^ a b Boberg (2004)
  28. ^ a b Todd, Loreto (1982). Cameroon. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 9789027286703.
  29. ^ a b Sailaja (2009:19–26)
  30. ^ a b Wells (1982:422)
  31. ^ a b c d Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
  32. ^ a b Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)
  33. ^ a b Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006:7)
  34. ^ a b Bekker (2008)
  35. ^ a b Lass (2002:111–119)
  36. ^ a b Coupland & Thomas (1990:93–136)
  37. ^ a b Kenyon & Knott (1953)
  38. ^ a b Kenyon (1950)
  39. ^ a b Wells (1982:364)
  40. ^ a b Fox, Susan (2015). The New Cockney: New Ethnicities and Adolescent Speech in the Traditional East End of London.
  41. ^ a b Roach (2004:241–243)
  42. ^ a b "Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds". British Library. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  43. ^ a b "The British English vowel system". 8 March 2012.
  44. ^ Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN 981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.
  45. ^ Deterding, David (2007). Singapore English. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978-0-7486-3096-7.
  46. ^ Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
  47. ^ Cox & Palethorpe (2007)
  48. ^ Boberg (2004)
  49. ^ Todd, Loreto (1982). Cameroon. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 9789027286703.
  50. ^ Sailaja (2009:19–26)
  51. ^ Wells (1982:422)
  52. ^ a b Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
  53. ^ Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)
  54. ^ Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006:7)
  55. ^ Bekker (2008)
  56. ^ Lass (2002:111–119)
  57. ^ Coupland & Thomas (1990:93–136)
  58. ^ Kenyon & Knott (1953)
  59. ^ Kenyon (1950)
  60. ^ Wells (1982:364)
  61. ^ Fox, Susan (2015). The New Cockney: New Ethnicities and Adolescent Speech in the Traditional East End of London.
  62. ^ Roach (2004:241–243)
  63. ^ "Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds". British Library. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  64. ^ "The British English vowel system". 8 March 2012.
  65. ^ Deterding, David (2007). Singapore English. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978-0-7486-3096-7.
  66. ^ Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006:7)
  67. ^ a b Kenyon & Knott (1953)
  68. ^ a b Kenyon (1950)
  69. ^ a b Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
  70. ^ a b Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
  71. ^ a b Cox & Palethorpe (2007)
  72. ^ a b Boberg (2004)
  73. ^ a b Todd, Loreto (1982). Cameroon. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 9789027286703.
  74. ^ a b c d Wells (1982:387)
  75. ^ a b Fox, Susan (2015). The New Cockney: New Ethnicities and Adolescent Speech in the Traditional East End of London.
  76. ^ a b Roach (2004:241–243)
  77. ^ a b "Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds". British Library. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  78. ^ a b "The British English vowel system". 8 March 2012.
  79. ^ a b Wells (1982:422)
  80. ^ a b Sailaja (2009:19–26)
  81. ^ a b Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
  82. ^ a b Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)
  83. ^ a b Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006:7)
  84. ^ a b Bekker (2008)
  85. ^ a b Lass (2002:111–119)
  86. ^ a b Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN 981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.
  87. ^ Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN 981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.
  88. ^ Deterding, David (2007). Singapore English. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978-0-7486-3096-7.
  89. ^ a b Coupland & Thomas (1990:93–136)


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