Vowels BATH

As an essentially Northern accent, the WM dialect generally lacks a TRAP/BATH distinction. According to the BCDP data, BATH is typically [a]. Some speakers (in more formal registers) may have long realizations. According to Painter (1963: 30) BC has /a/, realized as [a]. Heath (1980: 87) has Cannock [a], while Chinn and Thorne’s (2001: 20) analysis similarly suggests that for Bm speakers, BATH is typically [a], e.g. in fast, mask, grass, bath, daft, after, chance, command. However, he suggests that this is a relatively recent development, since older speakers often produce a long sound similar to Cockney [a:].

Mathisen (1999: 108) notes [æ] predominantly for Sandwell, with typically Northern [a] occurring less commonly, perhaps associated especially with older males. Middle-class users (especially females in monitored speech) sometimes use [a:].

There is evidence that some speakers (particularly in Birmingham rather than in the Black Country) may have a TRAP-BATH contrast. Chinn and Thorne (2001: 20) provide written evidence for long vowels in Bm <larst> last ([a:]? [a:]), <cor/cawn’t> can’t (  ); also <arter> after (although compensation for /f/- loss could also be implicated here). They claim that many working-class Bm speakers vary between a “short and long vowel sound” for after <arfter>( [a:ftə] ) and <after> ( [aftə] ), also <barstud> vs <bastard> . Such a distinction may be what is intended in the spelling BC <aste> asked. However, there is also written evidence for a short, rounded realization (  ) in <loff(in’)> laugh(ing).