How do I get rid of my cot-caught distinction

Try this pronunciation:

http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=519

it's perfect

in CC merged dialects A and Q are allophones of the same vowel, right?
but how to describe/write that vowel...is it /A/ or /Q/?
I guess, since /A/ is the older pronunciation /A/, it would be more appropriate... I think most CCunmerged speakers are ok with /A/ in ''dog, talk, dawn, hawk cawed, calk '' (for them its a West Coast thing...) but /Q/ in ''Don, hottie, pod, cock'' sounds a bit off to them (very dialectal... New England, Canadian or even British). the pronunciation dictionaries /by Wells and Jones/ don't even give the /Q/ pronunciation of words that have /A/ in unmerged General American...

Canadian Oxford dictionary has /Q/ for the stressed vowel in Don, Dawn, father, bother, talk...This pronunciation sounds a bit ValleyGirlish, don't you think? shouldn't CanOXDic be less exclusive and give the /A/ pronunciation too, since it is STILL used by many people?


reviews of some dictionaries:


Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hot: Western General American US pronunciation, IPA, cot caught merged with /A/ as the merged vowel
not hot: Southern US pronunciation of 'lawyer' - with /A/, oldfashioned/regional pronunciation of 'sorry, tomorrow' - with /Q/



Longman Pronunciation Dictionary

hot: General American, IPA, both unmerged /1st entry/ and merged /2nd entry/ - /A/ is the merged vowel

not hot: some alternative/regional pronunciations not included, for exampe bury /b@ri/; 1st pronunciation given is sometimes the EastCoast GA one, sometimes WestCoast GA one, it shoud be more consistent; shifted pronunciations not incuded /either Californian vowel shift or Northern Cities.../


Cambridge Dictionary of American English

hot: General American IPA, unmerged

not hot: where are the merged pronunciations


M-Webster Dic

hot: regional pronunciation of some (less common) words
not hot: alternative/western pronunciation of many words missing - it has caught /kAt/, and dog /dAg/ but not lost /lAst/ or dawn /dAn/; notIPA

Oxford Canadian Dic

hot: IPA
not hot: /Q/ as the only pronunciation of the Father, Cot, Coffee... well, strange...shouldn't the /A/ pronunciation (used in Gage Canadian Dictionary) be given as well?

I don't understand the point of losing the distinction. I think the only people likely to notice the distinction are those who have it themselves. After all, they only merged in the first place because speakers couldn't hear the difference.

Hi kef is Oklahoma merged or not?

It's merged for me, at least. I can hear the distinction, but only after it was brought to my attention.