“Long” vowels

BATH

In almost all North American dialects the BATH class is realized as a half-open front [æ] sound. A low [a] counts as a Boston accent shibboleth and tends to be associated with NEngE in general, although it is only one of the variants found in the region and felt to be increasingly conservative; it also predominates in T&TC, Baj, TobC (together with other realizations), and SurC. CanE and BahE have both types variably. A low back [a] is possible in T&TC and some regions of New England. Raising of this vowel, together with TRAP, constitutes an element of the Northern Cities Shift, supposedly an early stage of this chain shift which may have spread from northwestern New England to cities of the Inland North. Lengthening of this vowel is generally found in TobC, JamC/E, Baj, and AAVE, and possible in PhilE, NYCE, Nfl dE, and T&TC. Variants with an offglide, e.g. [æə/æɪ​/εə] , characterize SAmE (less so in younger, urban speech), AAVE, and TobC, and may be observed in InlNE, PhilE, NYCE, and NEngE.