The Stability of the trap-bath Split in the East Midlands

Abstract

This article reviews the status of the trap-bath split in the counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. The East Midlands forms a linguistic transition zone between northern English varieties which lack (part of) the trap-bath split, and southern English varieties which have this split. We examine the acoustic properties of trap and bath in the region to determine whether this pattern is stable over time or diffusing. Reading-passage data, stratified by age group, sex, and location are used to provide an apparent time and multilocal view on the distribution of the two vowel categories. Results suggest there is no complete overlap between these vowel sets in the region, although it varies across the East Midlands. Furthermore, we find the East Midlands apparently occupies a stable middle ground between northern and south-eastern varieties.