Monophthongal mid vowels in the Upper Midwest

For most speakers in the West and Midwest (as in other areas), the vowels of GOAT and FACE involve an upgliding diphthong; i.e., [oʊ] and [eɪ] . In the Upper Midwest, however, these vowels are often produced as monophthongs, sometimes with lengthening: [o] ~ [o:] and [e] ~ [e:]. Data from the Linguistic Atlas of the Upper Midwest (Allen 1973-76) suggest that monophthongal variants are more common in GOAT items than in FACE items, and also that they are more common in coat than in ago or road, which may indicate phonological conditioning.

Regionally, monophthongal mid vowels are more common in the northern tier of states. Linguistic Atlas records show them to be frequent in Minnesota and the Dakotas but much rarer in Iowa and Nebraska. The appearance of monophthongs in this region is sometimes explained as a consequence of the high degree of Scandinavian and German immigration to these northern states in the late nineteenth century. Thomas (2001) argues that these monophthongs are the product of language contact and notes that other areas where they occur are places where speakers of other languages have had an influence such as the Pennsylvania “Dutch” region. An alternative account posits that these monophthongal variants represent historical retentions. Diphthongization of the mid vowels seems to have been a relatively recent phenomenon, appearing within the last few centuries, and did not affect all dialects in the U.K. The monophthongs heard in the Upper Midwest may stem from the influence of Scots-Irish or other British dialects that maintain such forms. The fact that the monophthongs also appear in Canadian English may lend support to this account since Scots-Irish speech is known as an important influence in Canada.