'Tie, tied and tight': The expansion of /ai/ monophthongization in African-American and European-American speech in Memphis, Tennessee

This paper explores the distribution of /ai/ monophthongization in African‐American and European‐American speakers in Memphis, Tennessee. While often considered a feature characteristic of White Southern speech, /ai/ monophthongization has also been recorded in Black speech, both within and outside the South. However, expansion of glide‐weakening to the less common pre‐voiceless contexts has been considered unique to European‐American dialects. Evidence of extensive glide‐weakening in the African‐American community in Memphis will be presented and compared to the degree and contexts of glide‐weakening in the European‐American community. The results will show that not only is /ai/ monophthongization a feature of Memphis speech generally, regardless of ethnicity, but that African‐Americans in fact lead in glide‐weakening in all contexts. The role of Southern identity in the expansion of /ai/ monophthongization is discussed as a critical component in the selection of features in both Black and White speech in the Memphis area.