this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2024
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[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Younger New Yorkers do have the father-bother merger, but older New Yorkers don’t.

Also, Run DMC probably speak African-American English, which, as this map says, is generally independent of other dialects and not included on this map.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This just doesn’t jibe with my experience, and I still have family there.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

The Run DMC lyric actually sounds like the (previously unmerged) father vowel /ɑ/ went toward the bother vowel /ɒ/ than the other way around. I might even put it as /ɔ/ or /o/ when listening to the sounds on the IPA chart.

Whereas if you listen to the pronunciations on Merriam Webster father and bother it actually lists them both as /ä/, which is apparently a near-back vowel instead of back. I don't know which one NY does though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

I'm 41. Mary, Merry, marry, are completely different words.