Lax vowels TRAP/BATH

The TRAP/BATH sets are pronounced identically in NfldE, though their /æ/ vowel may be lengthened before a voiceless fricative, as in BATH. For most residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, /æ/ is more raised and fronted than in StCanE. In certain lexical items (e.g. catch) the vowel may be raised to [ε]. In some English-settled areas of the province, /æ/ tends to be raised and tensed to an -like realization before velars, as in bag, and more frequently, before alveolars and alveopalatals, particularly /n/, as in DANCE. This latter trend appears on the increase among younger residents of these areas, among them the young female speaker on the audio sample. At the same time, a recent innovation - apparent among upwardly mobile younger urban females, particularly in St. John’s – is a lowering and retraction of the /æ/ vowel in the direction of [a], reflecting the influence of the Canadian Shift.