Vowels SQUARE

A wide variety of variants occur in older Southern speech. Lowering of the nucleus, resulting in  for rhotic speakers and [æə] for non-rhotic speakers, was once widespread, though today it is mainly heard among middle-aged and older speakers in regions far from urban centers, such as the Pamlico Sound area and the southern Appalachians. It never occurred in the South Carolina/Georgia Low Country, however, where [eə] was usual. Breaking was common as well, especially in non-rhotic areas, where forms such as [εiə] and even [æiæ] could be heard. Young white Southerners have abandoned this diversity and uniformly show a quality of approximately .