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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steampunkette" data-source="post: 9413173" data-attributes="member: 6796468">I'm from Georgia. I think of Maryland as New England 'cause you're all North on the East Coast. >.> (Yes, I admit this is a geography fail on my part)So yeah. On the East Coast and generally North of the Mason-Dixon line, cot and caught are often said with the same sound. But Father and Bother are kept distinct in New England in particular, where in the Southeast they tend to be the same. (This trend continues into the Inland North until you hit the Lakes which tend to go French-ish with some Ojibwe notes)The Cot-Caught merger is largely because of Scottish and Irish influence on American English. As is the Father and Bother distinction. Just try to imagine an Irishman talking to a priest and saying "I don't mean to be a bother, Father" and hear that near open front unrounded vowel in your head with the a in "Father" sounding like the a in "Have".(Bonus points for you with Marry also having the near open front unrounded vowel! Again, English/Irish/Scottish pronunciation.)But if you keep a distinction between Cot and Caught -and- Bother and Father? I diagnose you "Caught in the Middle". Which makes extra sense with Maryland being the northern edge of the Mason-Dixon line.Still don't give Lanasa a pass 'cause:1) His accent seems to be fully artificially constructed using pronunciations from every which way but where he's from.2) Screw that guy in general.</blockquote>

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