Consonants W/HW distinction

The distinction between word initial <wh> and <w> words, as in which and witch, is retained to some extent in parts of NH, VT, and MA (Labov 2000). This pattern was reported in LANE (Map 163, vol. I, Part 2, and Map 179, vol. I, Part 2, cited in Miller 1989: 108). However, the distinction was not maintained by Miller’s ME speakers. Kurath and McDavid (1961: 178) mention this merger as occurring “in a narrow coastal strip of NE extending from Boston to the Kennebec in Maine.”