In a number of varieties of Southern States English and African-American English, the diphthong 
becomes monophthongized. For example, words such as right (SAE 
), time (SAE 
), and like (SAE 
) are pronounced with a low vowel monophthong, such as 
, 
, and 
. Note that the length of the diphthong is preserved as a long vowel in the SSE and AAE forms.
In some instances, the diphthong 
is also monophthongized in certain varieties, particularly before liquids. For example, words like boil (SAE 
) and toil (SAE 
) are sometimes pronounced 
and 
.
In British English, Wells (1982b) believes that it is widely agreed that the "mouth" vowel is a "touchstone for distinguishing between "true Cockney" and popular London" and other more standard accents. Cockney usage would include monophthongization of the word mouth
Example:
mouth = [ma:f] (maaf) rather than [mae:f ] mouth
© 2001 The Language Samples Project