Diphthongs

GOAT

Somewhat in parallel with the situation in FACE, a basic distinction here is between monophthongal realizations in the North of the region and diphthongal realizations in the South. [o(:)] occurs in Shetland, Scotland, (rural) Ireland, Wales, and the North of England (where innovative ‘GOAT-fronting’ to ɵ: is occurring), and in British Creole. Orkney has [ɔ]. Besides monophthongal realizations, Ireland has the RP-like [əʊ​] in Fashionable Dublin and supra-regional Southern accents, [Λʊ] in Popular Dublin speech, and the traditional RP [oʊ] also across Southern accents: this is also a feature shared with many speakers in Northern and West Midland England, and in Wales. In Northern England, the North-east traditionally has [ʊə​] , to be compared to [ɪə​] in FACE.

Principal vernacular diphthongs in Southern Britain are [Λʊ] in the South-east, [ɔʊ] in the South-west and Channel Islands, and [oʊ/εʊ/aʊ/Λʊ] in the West Midlands. East Anglia has [ɐu/ʊu], and British Creole narrow diphthongs in the range [uo/ʊə/əo].