Regional variation in Canadian English vowel backing

This study examines the linguistic and regional variation of the low, unrounded vowel, referred to here as (a), in Canadian English. Casual observation suggested that the vowel pronounced [æ] by English speakers in Ontario may be retracted and pronounced [a] in certain linguistic environments by British Columbian English speakers. In order to investigate this variable, data was gathered from eight subjects, four from Toronto and four from Vancouver, across a range of speech styles. Analysis of the rates of vowel retraction of both groups showed that Vancouverites exhibit more overall vowel retraction than those from Toronto, and that certain environments favour vowel retraction by these speakers: before anterior nasals, before sequences of anterior nasal + obstruent, and before anterior voiceless fricatives. Thus, the data showed that this variable is linguistically and regionally conditioned, and that the [a] variant appears to be becoming a regional marker of West Coast English