this is how a girl gets a reputation

[the_siobhan]

I was standing by the elevators at work with the_axel just a half hour ago, talking about caulk.

I swear it just this minute registered why we were getting so many weird looks from the people walking past.

Comments

[sonjaaa.livejournal.com]

Ah yes but cock and calk are only pronounced the same in Canadian English. Axel should have been fine...? :)

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

True. I think he throws a couple of extra 'r's in there.

[sonjaaa.livejournal.com]

Haha, no I meant it's actually a different vowel sound. It's the same difference between cot and caught, which Canadians have merged into the same sound.

[excess-and-oohs.livejournal.com]

hm. i have merged them too (NYC). if i were to talk about caulk in an elevator, people would laugh. very very slight differences.

[sonjaaa.livejournal.com]

Yes, some but not all American varieties of English have merged them too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonological_history_of_English_low_back_vowels#Cot-caught_merger