--- In phoNet@egroups.com, "Juozas Rimas" <bong@i...> wrote:

> Does "wa" sound differently in AmE and BrE? I've chosen AmE as my
> English phonetic basis but this
>
> http://bong.quakecity.net/walk.wav
>
> way to pronounce "walk" did surprise me. To me it now seems the "o"
> sound is the same in "clock", "walk" and "want" in the "average"

AmE.

> Am I right?
>
> Juozas Rimas
> Lithuania

They always contrast in RP and RP-like accents, _walk_ having a long,
mid-high and strongly rounded vowel, that of _clock / want_ being
shorter, very open and only slightly rounded. In various American
accents a contrast may or may not exist. If it does, it isn't *the
same* phonetic contrast as in British English, since the American
_clock_ vowel is unrounded and not always fully back, and the _walk_
vowel, if distinct, is much lower than in RP. American phoNet members
will no doubt comment on their own preferences and provide us with
some valuable first-hand evidence (as Mark already has). I can only
speak as an observer.

You can also consult the online atlas of American English produced by
Labov and his collaborators:

http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/home.html

Here's an example of a British-like range of contrasts in St. Louis,
MO:

http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/tsdata/TS167.html

And here's a total merger in Denver, CO:

http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/tsdata/TS137.html

There are some interesting complications, e.g. some Southerners merge
_stock_ with _stalk_ and _caller_ with _collar_ (before /k/ and /l/),
but have distinct vowels in other environments:

http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/tsdata/TS402.html

My impression, strengthened by the data presented by Lavbov's team,
is that the general merger of the vowels in _walk / clock / sauce /
dog / lost_ is very common and still on the advance in "General
American", as has long been the case in Canadian English. That's also
what John wells claims in his "Accents of English".

Cheers,

Piotr