"water"
<<When you use [@'], don't you really mean [@`] not [@']? I don't know what [@'] would be.>>
Yes, sorry, I'm not too familiar with X-SAMPA. Thanks for letting me know. Whereabouts in Jamaica are you from? Have you lived there your whole life?
What actually is the difference between [@`] and [@r]?
[@r] is two phones [@] + [r] while [@`] is one phone which is a rhoticized schwa.
<<Whereabouts in Jamaica are you from?>>
I'm originally from Kingston.
I'm very interested in Carribean English and Jamaica in particular. I have to admit that I've never heard of unmerged fir-fern-fur in Jamaica. Is it possibly just allophonic variation in closed vs. unclosed syllables that gives these words different vowel qualities for you? For example, do you rhyme 'curve' and 'swerve' or 'earth' and 'worth'?
<<I have to admit that I've never heard of unmerged fir-fern-fur in Jamaica. Is it possibly just allophonic variation in closed vs. unclosed syllables that gives these words different vowel qualities for you? For example, do you rhyme 'curve' and 'swerve' or 'earth' and 'worth'?>>
"curve" and "swerve" rhyme for me, as do "earth" and "worth". All have the vowel in "fern" as opposed to the vowel in "fir" and "fur". I'd say your explanation is right.