Vowels NORTH

NORTH remained distinct from FORCE in most parts of the South until recently. Usual pronunciations were  in rhotic speech and  in non-rhotic speech. In certain areas–the Delmarva Peninsula, parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and Texas–many speakers merged NORTH with START as  . On the Delmarva Peninsula, this merger dates from the 19th century and may have been a majority variant, but in Texas, it mainly comprises speakers born between the World Wars and was never a majority variant. Its demographics in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys are unclear. Over the course of the 20th century, the NORTH/ FORCE merger gradually spread throughout the South. Very few Southerners born after World War II distinguish NORTH and FORCE. The result of this merger is a value of approximately .