Vowels before /r/ START

The low vowel in words like START – like the low vowels in non-pre-/r/ position (e.g. TRAP, LOT) – typically displays a considerably more fronted articulation in NfldE than that found in mainland Canadian varieties. For many speakers, representing the full social spectrum, the realization is . Some urban, younger and more educated Newfoundland residents, however, utilize a lower or more retracted vowel, in the region of [a], .