Phonetic Irregularities in Upstate New York: Indexicality in the Northern Cities Shift and Low Back Merger in Ogdensburg, NY

In a previous study by Aaron Dinkin (2009) speakers in the small town of Ogdensburg have shown linguistic behavior that was not really conform with the dialect group(s) the town is part of. In my study, I would like to examine if the geographic proximity to Canada may play a role in the deviations Dinkin found.

Thus, the study will take a detailed look at language production among residents of Ogdensburg with focus on the vowels involved in the NCS and low back Merger, as well as the conscious perception and evaluation of the sound of these vowels among the participants. The aim is to identify possible associations of the vowels with "Canada" among the speakers, which may help to explain particular phonetic developments in Ogdensburg.