What other dialects besides those of northern England have not experienced the foot-strut split? In an older topic on here, I read an American saying that bull and dull rhymed in his accent. Where could he have been from? I've never heard an American talk like that.
foot-strut split
Now that I think of it, could he have been from Southern California? If so, would this be unrelated to the original split? Because I was watching Paris Hilton (of all people) on TV and I noticed that when she said "skull" it sounded something like "skole"; sort of like "school" but not quite.
<<In an older topic on here, I read an American saying that bull and dull rhymed in his accent.>>
I think that's a poor example: it probably had more to do with influence from the /l/ than with any broad phonemic issue. As far as I know, the foot-strut split is universal in North America.
I think that's a poor example: it probably had more to do with influence from the /l/ than with any broad phonemic issue. As far as I know, the foot-strut split is universal in North America.
I'm from Southern California.
BULL and DULL rhyme.
FOOT and STRUT do not, nor do SKULL and SCHOOL.
BULL and DULL rhyme.
FOOT and STRUT do not, nor do SKULL and SCHOOL.
I'm American. "bull" and "dull" rhyme [bU5] and [dU5] as well as "skull" [skU5]. "foot" [fUt] and "strut" [strVt] however certainly don't rhyme for me.
Does anybody else make "doll" homophones with "dull"? I sometimes do, but I would say there is a very slight difference.
I say [dA5] or [dQ5] for doll and [do5] for dull. Dull, bull and skull all rhyme for me.
The dialect here in Massachusetts treats these words pretty conservatively. I have:
bull ["bU5]
dull ["dV5]
doll ["dQ:5]
skull ["skV5]
school ["sku:5]
There's essentially no allophonic difference between the vowels I use in "dull" and "dub", for example.
bull ["bU5]
dull ["dV5]
doll ["dQ:5]
skull ["skV5]
school ["sku:5]
There's essentially no allophonic difference between the vowels I use in "dull" and "dub", for example.
<<In Ireland, the foot-strut split can be neutralized, especially in rural or lower-class speech, but I think all speakers have a distinction of some sort. Other than that, I think Northern England is the only area without a foot-strut distinction.>>
In working-class Dublin, the difference is minimal to non-existent. Outside of that city, there's usually a slight difference between the two.
In working-class Dublin, the difference is minimal to non-existent. Outside of that city, there's usually a slight difference between the two.
When "skull", "bull", and "dull" rhyme, what about "pull".
(For me, full, pull and bull rhyme, and cull, lull, mull, null, dull, gull, hull rhyme.)
(For me, full, pull and bull rhyme, and cull, lull, mull, null, dull, gull, hull rhyme.)