Dialectal variations

The following are commonly found in AAVE: word-final consonant clusters ending in a stop may delete the final member when both members of the cluster are either voiced (e.g. send [sεn], gold [gol]) or voiceless (e.g. act [æk], fist [fɪs]). This process is not restricted to a single morpheme and may apply across morpheme boundaries (e.g. sipped [sɪp], dressed [dɹ̣εs]). Also, the sequencing of final ‘/s/ + stop’ may be transposed, as in ask [æks], grasp [gɹ̣æps]. Finally, the /t/ of initial /stɹ̣/ clusters may move back to /k/ (e.g. street [skɹ̣it]). In the deep South, this process may be extended to initial /tɹ̣/ clusters (e.g. tree [kɹ̣i]).