Short vowels

TRAP

Principal variants for TRAP are [a] and [æ], these serving to some extent as markers of north-south variation. [æ] is most characteristic of Ireland, East Anglia and the Channel Islands: it is also characteristic of Southern England, although [a] is becoming widespread in this area also. [a] is usual in Orkney and Shetland, in most of the accents of Scotland (where retraction is usual for Urban Scots), and the North of England, with the English Midlands showing some considerable [a]- [æ] variability. In the non-regional British Creole and RP accents, both [a] and [æ] occur: in RP, [æ] is traditional, whereas [a] is the usual modern realization.