"claw" (was Re: New at this)

John Cowan wrote:


>
>I make "claw" [k_h5O:], and I bet most Brits do too.  But [aw], no,
impossible.
>
As do I, and millions of mid-westerners....

However, the original poster has clarified matters--

>Michael David Martin, Master Mason
Temecula/Catalina Island Lodge #524
Free & Accepted Masons of California>

Note that address, and--
 >   Well, for what it's worth (and I'm not familiar with the notation
above)
I pronounce the 'a' in claw the same as the 'a' in 'father' or the 'o' in
'dog' or 'clod'.  It's that 'ah' sound you make when the doctor tells you to
open up and say "ah".>

This is our old friend, the modern California dialect, where it seems /A/
and /O/ have merged, at least in a lot of words.  David Peterson, of all
people, should have recognized it.....;-)

For me: claw, clawed, Claude, dog, fog, law etc.have the same vowel, /O/.
father, clod, rod, (medical) ah etc. have the same vowel, /A/.
Other Dialects May Differ.