Vowels before /r/ MARRY, MERRY, MARY

While the MERRY/MARY sets are merged for virtually all Newfoundlanders, many preserve the MARRY ([æɹ​]) vs. MERRY/MARY ([əɹ] or [εɹ]) distinction. Younger, particularly urban, Newfoundlanders, however, are losing this contrast, since many are innovating in the general North American direction of raising of [æ] in MARRY words, e.g. guarantee. Some conservative and older speakers display a retracted [ɝ] or [Λɹ]-like realization in the MERRY set (e.g. berry, very, bury); retraction to a [ɐ/Λ]-like vowel may occur in the MARRY set, though much more rarely. However, centralization and retraction are increasingly recessive in NfldE.