For Americans....

Hi, I just want to ask You few simple questions :
1) How do you view English speakers with no /u:/ fronting for example: New Yorkers, Irish or Bostonians?
2) Is that high, back vowel the same sound like the one found in Spanish or Italian,( except that it is just longer)?

On #1 I assume you mean speakers who are in the caught-cot merger; Personally it frustrates me to listen to them as they just don't enunciate their words with the same precision as people in my area.

For example, if I go a few hundred miles north the ending 'r' disappears off of many words. Car becomes 'ca' murderer becomes 'murda-ah'. Of course a similar problem happens several hundred miles to my south; wash becomes 'warsh' pool becomes 'poo-ool' and so on.

The problem here is, things are always going to sound wrong to me when they are not from the same area. Once the k was actually pronounced in knight, we drop enunciation all of the time and that is fine, but I am sure an english speaker from the era that pronounced it would think that I don't enunciate the words properly either.

As far as 2. I have no clue on any romance language so I couldn't be of assistance there.

For #1 I was thinking more those of is in the South/Southwest where /u/ is almost like /Y/. When I hear a (typically Midwesterner, often folks from Iowa and Illinois) saying words like "food" /fud/ it sounds a little like they're trying too hard....

Outside the South and Southwest, I think the /u/ in the American dialects ends up being more like /u@/.

Of course, if I'm wrong let me know. Ya'll always do... :-D

>> How do you view English speakers with no /u:/ fronting for example: New Yorkers, Irish or Bostonians? <<

I don't think that the average person (with no interest in linguistics), would really notice it at all *if it were the only feature that was different* in someone's accent.

I don't mind Irish speakers. After all, there are other aspects of their accent that I find charming. I don't care for NY or Bostonian accents particularly, but since I've met people who are very pleasant (despite the accent)-I try to focus on what they say, not their accents.

I'm sure my mix of Socal/midwest/southern isn't their cup of tea either.