Stressed vowels NURSE

A realization of NURSE identified with the southern region of Welsh English is the long, rounded, centralized-front, half-open [œ:] . There is no ready explanation for this realization, although it may mark an intermediate stage between Welsh English stressed /ə/ + /r/ and RP. Parry (1999: 21) shows that this realization is not exclusive to the south, but occurs throughout Wales. However, its main competitor, /ə:/ , which is also widespread, is notably absent from the mid-south-east (that is, the Rhondda Valleys), the area associated in the public mind with [œ:].