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"can" and "can't" don't have the same vowel. "can" has a short vowel sound as in "cat", whereas "can't" has a diphthong as in "pad". I've heard people pronounce "can" with the diphthong in "pad" which I have often misheard as "can't".
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When I was living in Indiana I could identify fellow Upper Midwesterners (Minnesota, Wisconsin) as those who pronounced can as [kEn].
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<<"can" and "can't" don't have the same vowel. "can" has a short vowel sound as in "cat", whereas "can't" has a diphthong as in "pad". I've heard people pronounce "can" with the diphthong in "pad" which I have often misheard as "can't">>
Are you from New York?
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<<Are you from New York?>>
Indeed I am. How did you guess so accurately? Are you superman or something?
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The thing is, I've often gotten confused when hearing the response "I can" with the "pad" diphthong, thinking that they were really saying "I can't".
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<<Indeed I am. How did you guess so accurately? Are you superman or something?>>
No (I wish). It's just that New York and Philadelphia are the only parts of North America I can think of that have a diphthong for some TRAP words, but not in 'can'.
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I have to say that I myself am often confused when people pronounce "can't" as ["k_h{~:n] or ["k_hE{~:n], since "can't" normally lacks [n] unless pronounced quite carefully, where then it has [t] either. As a result, people who use such pronunciations of "can't" sound like they are saying "can".
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<<No (I wish). It's just that New York and Philadelphia are the only parts of North America I can think of that have a diphthong for some TRAP words, but not in 'can'.>>
"can" actually has two pronunciations for me. "Can" meaning "able to" has a short "a", whereas "can" meaning the container has a diphthong. So, in the sentence "Can I have a can of soda?" the two "can"s are pronounced differently.
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I meant to say "since 'can't' normally lacks [n] here" above.
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I pronounce "can" as [ka~] and "can't" as [kja:~].
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<<I pronounce "can" as [ka~] and "can't" as [kja:~].>>
Are from the Caribbean?
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<<Are from the Caribbean?>>
Yes. Specifically Jamaica.
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<<Yes. Specifically Jamaica.>>
That's what I suspected. Is there any difference in intonation between those words?
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<<Is there any difference in intonation between those words?>>
Yes.
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What about "don't"? I have [o:~]. The /d/ totally disappears.
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