“Short” vowels

LOT, CLOTH

AmE LOT is typically a low back unrounded vowel, [ɑ], though rounded [ɒ] may come up in the West and Midwest (henceforth WMwE), in NEngE and CanE, as well as, in the Caribbean, in JamE, Baj and T&TC. On the other hand, Caribbean creoles (e.g. JamC, TobC, SurCs) more typically realize this vowel as a front unrounded [a], a pronunciation which also characterizes AAVE, ChcE and Nfl dE and which can at times also be observed in InlNE and CajE. Offglides with this vowel are reported as normal in Gullah and possible in NYCE and CanE. The vowel of CLOTH, on the other hand, is more commonly rounded than unrounded (the latter variant characterizes NEngE, AAVE, ChcE, parts of the Midwest and TobC). In this case, [a] is found in CajE and NfldE, with restrictions also in ChcE.