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* The [[w:cot-caught merger|cot-caught]] merger, through which the vowel sounds /ɑː/ and /ɔː/ merge. This feature is common throughout most of North America besides the Upper Midwest, South, and Northeast. The resulting quality is something like [ɑ~ɒ]. | * The [[w:cot-caught merger|cot-caught]] merger, through which the vowel sounds /ɑː/ and /ɔː/ merge. This feature is common throughout most of North America besides the Upper Midwest, South, and Northeast. The resulting quality is something like [ɑ~ɒ]. | ||
* The [[w:pin-pen merger|pin-pen merger]], through which /ɪ/ and /ɛ/ merge before /n/ and /m/. The merged quality also participates in the California Shift, and may be realized anywhere from [ɛ̝] to [æ]. This feature is best known as part of [[w:Southern American English|Southern American English]], but also exists elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest - see [[w:Pacific Northwest English|Pacific Northwest English]]. | * The [[w:pin-pen merger|pin-pen merger]], through which /ɪ/ and /ɛ/ merge before /n/ and /m/. The merged quality also participates in the California Shift, and may be realized anywhere from [ɛ̝] to [æ]. This feature is best known as part of [[w:Southern American English|Southern American English]], but also exists elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest - see [[w:Pacific Northwest English|Pacific Northwest English]]. | ||
* /ʊ/ is fronted to something like [ʊ̈], and /ʌ/ to [ɜ~ə]. This is common elsewhere in the Western and Southern United States. | * /ʊ/ is fronted to something like [ʊ̈], and /ʌ/ to [ɜ~ə]. This fronting is common elsewhere in the Western and Southern United States. | ||
* /uː/, however, stays fairly backed in the mouth, around [u] or [ʊu] at the furthest front. Within the United States, this feature is mostly reserved to the Upper Midwest and Northeast and to certain ethnicity-specific dialects such as [[w:African-American Vernacular English|African-American Vernacular English]] and [[w:Chicano English|Chicano English]]. | * /uː/, however, stays fairly backed in the mouth, around [u] or [ʊu] at the furthest front. Within the United States, this feature is mostly reserved to the Upper Midwest and Northeast and to certain ethnicity-specific dialects such as [[w:African-American Vernacular English|African-American Vernacular English]] and [[w:Chicano English|Chicano English]]. | ||
* The sew-so split, a feature unique to Whitsoot English, which involves /oʊ/ splitting into two phonemes: | * The sew-so split, a feature unique to Whitsoot English, which involves /oʊ/ splitting into two phonemes: | ||
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* Some raising of /æ/ before nasals and /g/, but unlike most of the Western United States, it only raises to about [æə] or [ɛ̞ə] at the highest. | * Some raising of /æ/ before nasals and /g/, but unlike most of the Western United States, it only raises to about [æə] or [ɛ̞ə] at the highest. | ||
* Limited to nonexistent raising of front vowels before /ŋ/ - for example, ''sing'' is just [sɛ̝ŋ] instead of [siŋ]. | * Limited to nonexistent raising of front vowels before /ŋ/ - for example, ''sing'' is just [sɛ̝ŋ] instead of [siŋ]. | ||
* Limited to nonexistent [[w:Canadian raising|Canadian raising]] of either /aɪ/ or /aʊ/. | * Limited to nonexistent [[w:Canadian raising|Canadian raising]] of either /aɪ/ or /aʊ/. | ||
* Initial /θ/ voices to /ð/ when the consonant after the next vowel is also voiced. For example, ''thanks'' is pronounced [ðaŋks], which is often written "the-anks" in [[w:eye dialect|eye dialect]] as a hallmark of Whitsoot English. ''Thick and thin'' [ | * The Whitsoot Diphthong Shift, a clockwise chain shift of rising diphthongs: | ||
:* First, /eɪ/ loses its glide and may raise slightly, to [eː~ɪː]. Second, /aʊ/ raises to [æʊ~eo]. Both of these features are typical in the Western United States. | |||
:* Third, however, /aɪ/ fronts to [ai~æɪ]. This feature is rare outside the Upper Midwest. | |||
:* Fourth, and most unusually, /ɔɪ/ is unrounded and often lowered to [ʌɪ~ɑi]. A well-known billboard near the edge of Whitsoot, which greets new residents and is a common location for photographs by tourists, says "Movin' to Whitsoot? Ya made a good chice!" | |||
* Initial /θ/ voices to /ð/ when the consonant after the next vowel is also voiced. For example, ''thanks'' is pronounced [ðaŋks], which is often written "the-anks" in [[w:eye dialect|eye dialect]] as a hallmark of Whitsoot English. ''Thick and thin'' [θɛ̝k ən ðɛ̝n] is another common [[w:shibboleth|shibboleth]]. | |||
==Grammar== | ==Grammar== |
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