Standard American accent?

[Matthew Gordon]

Many of us native Nebraskans have the low back vowel merger (cot = caught; Don
= dawn).
Does that disqualify us from being "Standard"?

Frank Abate wrote:

> Not to be contrary, but in my view the most "neutral" American dialect is
> that heard from those raised in, or longtime denizens of Nebraska.
>
> I myself (from northern Ohio/SE Michigan) find the northwest dialect marked,
> at least in terms of intonational patterns.
>
> Examples of native Nebraskans in the media are Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett
> (influenced, no doubt, by his NE education and long habitation), and Tom
> Brokaw (overlooking his trouble with saying the letter L).
>
> Frank Abate
> Dictionary & Reference Specialists (DRS)
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