The 'ae' sound More properly known as “Æ,” it’s a diphthong — a high “ay.” This sound tends to shift according to local dialect. Some examples of “ae” include:• Tag• Bag• Bad• Lag• AndThis melding of people and cultures is shifting the Prairie accent; particularly, as Rosen’s studies points out, with the “ae” sound. The same thing is happening to “beg” and “bag.”Nicole Rosen gives an audio example and explanation of the shift in pronunciation“The ‘ae’ sound is changing,” she said. Rosen and her graduate student, Lanlan Li, have compared the “ae” shift in rural areas such as Winkler, Man., with that in urban areas. While each word retains its spelling and meaning, the vowel sound in the middle has merged to form a homophone.

Source: National Post June 03, 2016 19:40 UTC