New England "a"

[Nathan H Brown]

I'm doing a paper for an independent study course on New England dialect.
One thing I want to focus on is the New England use of a sound close to
/a/, instead of the General American flat "a" of "pat" and "back," in
some words. If anyone on the list is either from New England or has spent
enough time in New England to know, please tell me which sound you
(and/or other people you know from New England ) would use in the
following words (include where in New England you heard it):

1. half
2. bath
3. ask
4. last
5. can't
6. aunt
7. dance
8. rather
9. handsome
10. and
11. hammer
12. matter
13. bathroom
14. pass
15. plant

Thanks for helping.