Vowels PALM

In contemporary Southern English, these words are nearly always merged with LOT or, with the l pronounced (as a spelling pronunciation), with THOUGHT–e.g.,  (the latter with vocalized l). In the past, PALM was commonly merged with the TRAP or BATH classes, and occasional survivals of this usage, such as the term slick ca’m ‘unrippled water,’ persist loca lly. In the South Carolina Low Country, even pa and ma were once produced with [æ]. Merger of PALM with START in non-rhotic areas, especially eastern Virginia, also occurred sporadically.