Phonology
Caught/Cot Merger
There are many distinctions in the phonology of the Midland American English dialect. The word phonology refers to the sound and pronunciation of words. One of these distinctions is the caught/cot merger. The caught/cot merger causes that words caught and cot to become homophones, which means that they are pronounced in the exact same way. This type of speech is observed all across the United States, and especially in North America. Since this type of speech is called the caught/cot merger, it might cause the misconception that those are the only words effected by this type of speech, but that is untrue. It causes other words like dawn and don and merry, Mary, and Marry to sound identical. It also causes the words bet, but, bought, got, and bat to sound alike as well. This type of speech, however, does not effect vowels that follow the letter r, causing words like barn and corn to remain unchanged (Majors 168).
Velar Nasal
There are also certain distinctions with the velar nasal in the Midland Dialect. The velar nasal is the ng sound at the end of words like sing (Burkette 65). Typically the consonant at the end of the word sing is /ŋ/ , giving it the ng sound. However, in some American English dialects, specifically Midland American English, that consonant is replaced with the consonant /n/, causing words like saying to sound like sayin'. This type of speech just started becoming popular during the nineteenth century, so this is heard most prominently in the younger generations.
Schwa Deletion
Schwa deletion is another variation in the phonology of many Midland cities. In American English, a schwa is an unstressed neutral vowel sound, such as the i in the word pencil and the e in the word taken (Hooper 191). Schwa deletion is simply not acknowledging those unstressed vowels at all, causing the word suppose to sound like suppose.
Relaxed Pronunciation
Relaxed pronunciation, also known as the slurring of words, is another variation that we hear in the Midland dialect. This causes the words could have into coulda and the words sort of into sorta. This type of speech is almost always heard in the common conversation, so often that it is not even noticed. It is not only seen in the Midland American English dialect, but also many other American English dialects.
There are many distinctions in the phonology of the Midland American English dialect. The word phonology refers to the sound and pronunciation of words. One of these distinctions is the caught/cot merger. The caught/cot merger causes that words caught and cot to become homophones, which means that they are pronounced in the exact same way. This type of speech is observed all across the United States, and especially in North America. Since this type of speech is called the caught/cot merger, it might cause the misconception that those are the only words effected by this type of speech, but that is untrue. It causes other words like dawn and don and merry, Mary, and Marry to sound identical. It also causes the words bet, but, bought, got, and bat to sound alike as well. This type of speech, however, does not effect vowels that follow the letter r, causing words like barn and corn to remain unchanged (Majors 168).
Velar Nasal
There are also certain distinctions with the velar nasal in the Midland Dialect. The velar nasal is the ng sound at the end of words like sing (Burkette 65). Typically the consonant at the end of the word sing is /ŋ/ , giving it the ng sound. However, in some American English dialects, specifically Midland American English, that consonant is replaced with the consonant /n/, causing words like saying to sound like sayin'. This type of speech just started becoming popular during the nineteenth century, so this is heard most prominently in the younger generations.
Schwa Deletion
Schwa deletion is another variation in the phonology of many Midland cities. In American English, a schwa is an unstressed neutral vowel sound, such as the i in the word pencil and the e in the word taken (Hooper 191). Schwa deletion is simply not acknowledging those unstressed vowels at all, causing the word suppose to sound like suppose.
Relaxed Pronunciation
Relaxed pronunciation, also known as the slurring of words, is another variation that we hear in the Midland dialect. This causes the words could have into coulda and the words sort of into sorta. This type of speech is almost always heard in the common conversation, so often that it is not even noticed. It is not only seen in the Midland American English dialect, but also many other American English dialects.