Dialectal variation

The most significant dialectal changes regarding stop consonants of English center on the alveolars. As mentioned earlier, the process of flapping is found in American English (also in Irish English (IrE), Australian English (AuE), and New Zealand English (NZE)). Thus, in other varieties of English, /t/ and /d/ are unchanged. In relation to this process, we can point out the differences in aspiration. Since the following syllabic lateral provides a conducive environment for flapping in American English (e.g. bottle [baɾl], little [lɪɾl]), there is no aspiration in this word. However, in varieties without flapping, /t/ may be released with some aspiration. Also noteworthy is the frequent unaspirated realization of the voiceless stops in Scottish English (ScE). In African American Vernacular English (AAVE), final voiced stops may be devoiced (e.g. bad [bæd]– [bæt], pig [pɪg] – [pIk]), or may be deleted (e.g. hat [hæt] – [hæ], bad [bæd]– [bæ]). In addition, /d/ may be deleted before the /z/ of the following plural/possessive morpheme (e.g. kids [kɪdz] – [kɪz]).