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Boston accent
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===Non-rhoticity=== The traditional Boston accent is widely known for being [[Rhoticity in English|non-rhotic]] (or "''r''-dropping"), particularly before the mid-20th century. Recent studies have shown that younger speakers use more of a rhotic (or ''r''-ful) accent than older speakers.<ref name="Irwin Nagy 2007">{{Cite journal|url = http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=pwpl|title = Bostonians /r/ Speaking: A Quantitative Look at (R) in Boston|last1 = Irwin|first1 = Patricia|year = 2007|journal = University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics|last2 = Nagy|first2 = Naomi | volume = 13| issue = 2}}</ref> This goes for black Bostonians as well.<ref>Browne, Charlene; Stanford, James (2018). "[https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2019&context=pwpl Boston Dialect Features in the Black/African American Community]." University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: Vol. 24 : Iss. 2 , Article 4. p. 19.</ref> Non-rhoticity means that the [[phoneme]] {{IPA|/r/}} does not appear in [[syllable coda|coda position]] {{crossref|(for where in English [[phonotactics]] {{IPA|/r/}} precedes other consonants, see [[English phonology#Coda|English phonology § Coda]])}}, as in most dialects of [[English language in England|English in England]] and [[Australian English|Australia]]; ''card'' therefore becomes {{IPA|/kad/}} "cahd" and ''color'' {{IPA|/ˈkʌlə/}} "culluh". Words such as ''weird'' {{IPA|/wɪəd/}} and ''square'' {{IPA|/skwɛə/}} feature centering diphthongs, which correspond to the sequences of close and mid vowels + {{IPA|/r/}} in rhotic AmE. The phonemicity of the centering diphthongs {{IPA|/ɪə, ʊə, ɛə, oə/}} depends on a speaker's rhoticity. Also, the stressed sequence {{IPA|/ɜr/}} inside a closed syllable, as in {{sc2|NURSE}}, is most likely to take on a rhotic {{IPA|[ɝ]}} pronunciation among Bostonians.<ref name="Irwin Nagy 2007"/><ref>{{cite thesis|last1=Fish|first1=Jody|date=Spring 2018|title=Gende(r) in the Boston Accent: A linguistic analysis of Boston (r) from a gender perspective|url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1483072&dswid=-1441|degree=BA|pages=4, 8|publisher=Malmö University, Faculty of Culture and Society|id={{URN|nbn|se:mau:diva-23112}}|access-date=May 15, 2023}}</ref> A famous example of non-rhoticity (plus a fronted {{sc|START}} vowel) is "Park your car in [[Harvard Yard]]", pronounced {{IPA|[pʰak jə ˈkʰaɹ‿ɪn ˌhavəd ˈjad]}}, or as if spelled "pahk yah cah(r) in Hahvud Yahd".<ref>{{cite book|last=Vorhees|first=Mara|title=Boston. Con Pianta. Ediz. Inglese|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a0sQ5UzkiQUC&pg=PA52|year=2009|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74179-178-5|page=52}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2015/08/25/blame-harvard-for-this-annoying-boston-accent-test/rvyip8zcAnwNmj1qpHtZqM/story.html|title=Blame Harvard for this annoying Boston accent test|author=Randall, Eric|date=August 25, 2015|work=The Boston Globe}}</ref> The ''r'' in ''car'' would usually be pronounced in this case, because the Boston accent possesses both [[linking R|linking R and intrusive R]]: an {{IPA|/r/}} will not be lost at the end of a word if the next word begins with a vowel, and an {{IPA|/r/}} will be inserted after a word ending with a central or low vowel if the next word begins with a vowel: ''the tuner is'' and ''the tuna is'' are both {{IPA|/ðə ˈtunər‿ɪz/}}. This example has been used since at least 1946, to the point where some locals find requests to say the phrase annoying.<ref name="Wickedpedia">{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/wickedpedia/2024/01/02/could-you-ever-actually-park-your-car-in-harvard-yard/ |title=Wickedpedia: Could you ever actually 'pahk yah cah in Hahvahd Yahd'? |author=Abby Patkin |date=January 2, 2024 |publisher=[[Boston.com]]}}</ref> Actual parking in Harvard Yard is prohibited, except by permission in rare cases for loading and unloading, contractors, or people needing accessible transport directly to [[Harvard Memorial Church]].<ref name="Wickedpedia" />
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