Accent in Doubt

[Matthew Gordon]

Larry's posts about positive anymore in Maine reminded me of a question I
had about the accent of one of the main characters in the play Doubt.

The play is set in the Bronx but the lead actress, the one playing Sister
Aloysius, uses a Northern Cities Shifted accent. Most striking to me was the
raising of /ae/ before voiceless consonants (e.g. happy) which does not
normally happen in NYC. I haven't seen or read the play - I've only seen
clips on, e.g., the NewsHour - so I don't know if the character is supposed
to be a native New Yorker or not. Does anyone know if she's supposed to be a
transplant from Chicago or some other northern city?

The actress, Cherry Jones, is a Tennessee native. Many of the reviews talk
about the authentic Bronx accent that the male lead, who's Irish, had to
acquire, but I haven't seen any comments on Jones' accent.