The words ''can'' and ''can't'' and the words ''boy'' and ''buoy'

Guard   Monday, December 20, 2004, 01:06 GMT
How are these words pronounced in American and British English?

can
can't
boy
buoy
Smith   Monday, December 20, 2004, 01:11 GMT
In American English,

can- [k@n] or [ken] or [k..n] depending on speed or carefulness.
can't- [k@nt].
Someone   Monday, December 20, 2004, 02:53 GMT
boy [boi]
buoy [bu: 'i:]
Smith   Monday, December 20, 2004, 02:59 GMT
In American Accents,

boy-[boi]
buoy-[bu:-i:]
Ryan   Tuesday, December 21, 2004, 02:53 GMT
I always clip "can" to sound like /k'n/ no matter where I say it in the sentence. I think this is a general colloquial American trait among young people. I don't think it's clipped in the South quite as much, though. To me, it still sounds like /kayn/ when Southerners say it.

Note, none of this applies to the word "can" that means metal container that holds something. In my Michigan/Great Lakes dialect, I would say "C'n I have a can of pop?" if I were thirsty. Of course, can the container sounds almost like "keyan" when people in the Great Lakes states say it.

I pronounce ''boy'' as /bOI/ and ''buoy'' as /buI/ (in X-sampa). The difference between them is that ''boy'' has the diphthong /OI/ and ''buoy'' has the diphthong /uI/ but some people pronounce both as /bOI/ (in X-sampa).