Zompist Bboard Again

I just read an interesting article on sound change from the BBC, centered on Queen Elizabeth and recordings of her over the decades. We think of sound change as happening slowly over generations, but that might only be only an "average" changing for large groups. What happens on a small scale may be much more dynamic.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2022 ... ging-world

In particular, I thought the bit about researchers in Antarctica coalescing to a unique accent was rather fascinating.

Except that Elizabeth II wasn't to my knowledge the world's longest-reigning monarch, this is very interesting.

I like the way the article mentions "trap", "happy", and "goose". That's a curious coincidence.

FWIW, I can rememer my father, who grew up in Kenya, saying "off" with /ɔ/ 45 years ago, whereas now he has /ɒ/.

My wife is from Canada, and early in our relationship I remember her pronouncing dollar as /dələr/, whereas now she says it properly ( ): /ˈdälər/. Back then, I had a hard time hearing a Midwest accent, in particular the flattening of vowels such as economy as /iˈkænəmi/, and she had a hard time hearing an Ontario accent. Now both of us can hear them as a result of being around the other.