slot vs slut

abc   Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:51 pm GMT
wuts the difference
Travis   Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:59 pm GMT
If you're asking about pronunciation, at least here in southeastern Wisconsin, the two are pronounced differently as:

"slot" : /slAt/ -> [slA?]
"slut" : /sl@t/ -> [slV?]

In simpler terms, for those who cannot read X-SAMPA, "slot" is pronounced here with a long "a"-sound as in "father", and "slut" is basically pronounced here with the stressed version of a schwa. Of course, one's milage may vary for said pronunciations for any dialect other than that here. Specifically, the pronunciation of "slot" only applies to "father"-"bother"-merged dialects, and the use of glottal stops at the ends of both words is a rather locally-specific feature, within the context of North American English that is.
Trawick   Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:10 pm GMT
Insterestingly enough, I'm from a part of New England where a lot of people actually merge the two--both as /slAt/.
Kirk   Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:54 pm GMT
Trawick, so maybe we can call it the "slot-slut" merger in official linguistic research?

:)

I had not been aware of that merger before. I clearly differentiate the two and haven't heard anyone merge them.
Trawick   Fri Aug 05, 2005 6:10 pm GMT
It's not something you would really notice, because the context of the word wouldn't make you think twice about it's meaning. It's probably mostly heard around parts of the Naragansett Bay area (that is, in Rhode Island and some of the surrounding areas). That's because the /V/ vowel tends to be fronted to /A/ (a very slight change that isn't very noticeable), while the vowel in "slot" remains fixed at the standard American /A/.

Another Rhode Island merger that your find in some speakers (with strong accents) is "cot" and "cart"--with both are expressed as /kAt/.
Kirk   Fri Aug 05, 2005 6:22 pm GMT
<<That's because the /V/ vowel tends to be fronted to /A/>>

Do you mean the /V/ moves back to /A/ or gets fronted to /a/ ?
Guest   Sat Aug 06, 2005 3:36 pm GMT
"Insterestingly enough, I'm from a part of New England where a lot of people actually merge the two--both as /slAt/."

"Trawick, so maybe we can call it the "slot-slut" merger in official linguistic research?"


And a "Fucker-Focker" merge => The inspiration behind Meet the Fockers...
SpaceFlight   Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:33 am GMT
Here's a joke with someone with an Italian accent that relates to the ''Meet the Fockers'' thing.

Quote-''(read it with Italian accent) I am an Italiano. One day ima gonna L.A. to bigga hotel. Ina morning I go down to eat breakfast. I tella waitress I wanna two pisses toast. She brings me only one piss. I tella her I want two piss. She say go to t he toilet. I say you no understand, I wanna two piss onna my plate. She say you better no piss onna plate, you sonna ma bitch. I don't even know the lady and she call me sonna ma bitch. Later I go to eat at the bigga restaurant. The waitress brings m e a spoon and knife but no fock. I tella her I wanna fock. She tell me everyone wanna fock. I tella her you no understand. I wanna fock on the table. She say you better not fock on the table, you sonna ma bitch. So I go back to my room ina hotel and there is no shits onna my bed. I call the manager and tella him I wanna shit. He tell me to go to toilet. I say you no understand. I wanna shit on my bed. He say you better not shit onna bed, you sonna ma bitch. I go to the checkout and the man at the desk say: "Peace on you." I say piss on you too, you sonna ma bitch, I gonna back to Italy!''
Hah... hah.   Sun Aug 07, 2005 2:21 am GMT
:-)
Tiffany   Sun Aug 07, 2005 4:26 am GMT
The accent you are refering to is the accent that became widespread among Sicilian immigrants that settled in New York, not the actual Italian accent. The only place I remember hearing that accent was in the vicinity of New York - round Long Island.
abc   Fri Aug 12, 2005 8:43 am GMT
I was actually asking about the difference in meaning. too lazy to look em up
Paul   Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:29 am GMT
Slot - a narrow opening, often intended for the insertion of objects.

Slut - A promiscuous woman. A prostitute.

:)
abc   Wed Aug 17, 2005 10:02 am GMT
thnx paul
Melissa   Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:28 pm GMT
It's a SOCKS/SUCKS thing.
Some NYC accents have plain [a] here [saks]/[saks].
Of course, [a] in SOCKS is a bit longer, but not always...

V and [a] merged in General Australian...both DANCE and DUNCE are [dans] ([a] in DANCE is longer)...And British English V is moving towards [a] (fronting)...So, they say Sun [san], Wonder [wand@].



I wonder as I wander

British English [ai wand@ aez ai wond@]
Californian English [ai w@nd@r aez ai wand@r]

[wand@r]
1. = wander in L.A.
2. = wonder in London :)


PS
Say HOT TUB [hat t@b] in my accent, but I've heard it
as [hat tab] (East Coast?).
Jenny   Wed Aug 24, 2005 4:41 am GMT
"It's a SOCKS/SUCKS thing.
Some NYC accents have plain [a] here [saks]/[saks].
Of course, [a] in SOCKS is a bit longer, but not always... "

- The NYC pronunciation of SOCKS/SUCKS sound identical and SOCKS often is not longer...neither is consistent. In TV shows, it gets confusing when they talk of "cups" meaning "cops" and "heart" meaning "hot" , etc.

"V and [a] merged in General Australian...both DANCE and DUNCE are [dans] ([a] in DANCE is longer)..."

- However, more and more Australians these days pronounce DANCE: [dæns], using the long vowel. In General New Zealand English, [dance] is DANCE and DUNCE. What exactly is [V] in Australian English?