Pronounciation of "poem"

MaintiensLeDroit   Mon May 08, 2006 3:12 pm GMT
What does cot/caught merger mean? Does it mean that you pronounce cot and caught the same?
Lazar   Tue May 09, 2006 12:10 am GMT
<<What does cot/caught merger mean? Does it mean that you pronounce cot and caught the same?>>

Yes, it means you pronounce those two words the same. In North America, the cot-caught merger comes in two distinct versions.

In the first, more common version (found in Canada, the Western United States, and some other places), the pair "cot-caught" becomes homophonous, and the pair "father-bother" rhymes.

cot - ["kAt]
caught - ["kAt]

father - ["fAD@`]
bother - ["bAD@`]

Basically, the three phonemes that in RP are /A/, /Q/, /O/, have all merged into one vowel.

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In the second version (found in Massachusetts and Northern New England - and this is how I happen to speak), the pair "cot-caught" becomes homophonous, but the vowels in "father-bother" remain distinct.

cot - ["kQt]
caught - ["kQt]

father - ["fAD@(`)]
bother - ["bQD@(`)]

Basically, the phonemes that in RP are /Q/ and /O/ merge into one vowel, but the phoneme that in RP is /A/ remains distinct.
Johnathan Mark   Tue May 09, 2006 12:21 pm GMT
I am from Southern Minnesota (Owatonna if that means anything to anyone) and for me father/bother have the same vowels, but caught is usually distinct from cot, although the distinction is sometimes only marginal.


father - ["fAD@`]
bother - ["bAD@`]

cot - ["kAt]
caught - ["kQt]

I have a few acquantances from the Fargo/Moorehead area and I have noticed that this is one of the principal differences between their accent and mine. Also interesting to me is the treatment of the a in "flag" or "bag." My Fargoan friends pronounce it [fleg], I use a subtle [ae] dipthong while I've noticed suburbanites use an [ia] dipthong. (I'm sorry if I use incorrect symbols--I'm kind of new at this stuff).
MaintiensLeDroit   Tue May 09, 2006 3:30 pm GMT
Kool. Thanx for explaining that Lazar. It's really interesting. I think I might have to practise that a lot before I manage to get it sound right though. I'll work on that before I even begin to try and work out the canadian raising. That looks really complicated!
Jammi-Kate   Wed May 24, 2006 1:53 am GMT
i say po-am. im from chattanogga, TN soo maybe I have in aksent
Pepper Rony   Wed May 24, 2006 3:44 am GMT
I don't say 'oh-uh for oe in Joe but I do in poem. Pome does not exist in writing but does in some miscultivated speakers.