Consonants  FOOT, GOAT, GOAL, GOOSE

As elsewhere in American English, these back vowels may undergo fronting. However, in the Inland North this fronting is generally less extreme than in other varieties. Acoustic data suggest GOOSE is more advanced than either GOAT or FOOT. Fronting is not usual in the context of following liquids, e.g., GOAL. In some areas, GOAT and GOAL appear with long monophthongs as they do in the Upper Midwest and Canada.