Abstract This study investigates the speech characteristics of the American South and of Mexican American English by focusing on /aɪ/-monophthongization, the prenasal /ɪ/-/ɛ/ merger (pin-pen merger), and the /æ/ nasal split. The analyses are based on the speech of 58 speakers who are native to South Texas. The results show that South Texas is partially Southern in its vowel production regardless of ethnicity. The study also finds that Mexican Americans in South Texas retain speech characteristics of Mexican American English, making their speech both Southern American and Mexican American. While ethnicity does surface as a predictor of the /æ/ nasal split, the study observes a strong apparent-time convergence between Mexican Americans and White Americans with respect to the examined variables. The results are discussed in the context of the relationship between Southern English, a dialect that is inherently regional, and Mexican American English, a variety that is historically ethnic.
Sinae Lee (Fri,) studied this question.