[Ads-l] BAG/BEG merger/shift? Linguistics in the comics

[Laurence Horn]

A phonologist would be helpful here; we have a few on call. But if "bag" is
raised, as seems to be the case, it could be raising to the standard (cough
cough) pronunciation of "beg", /E/, or to that of the tensed "bague" (as in
"vague"), /e/. In neither case is it necessarily a merger, if the vowel
position /ae/ raises to itself raises or otherwise moves--think New Zealand
English, where there's a wholesale shift of front lax vowels.  Anyone?

LH

On Wed, Dec 14, 2022 at 8:57 AM Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

> Here's an Amanda the Great featuring a text message exchange between 2
> folks re: raising? backing? of the /a/ in "bag" to /e/? in North Dakotan
> English.
>
> https://www.gocomics.com/amanda-the-great/2022/12/14
>
> For thems wots collects linguistics in the comics . . .
>
> ---Amy West
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org