" ▁is ▁sometimes ▁heard ▁as ▁pe jor ative , ▁indicating ▁a ▁lack ▁of ▁s oph istic ation , ▁although ▁the ▁term ▁is ▁now ▁used ▁in ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁ways . ▁Old er ▁men ▁are ▁more ▁likely ▁to ▁use ▁the ▁acc ent ▁than ▁women , ▁"... poss ibly ▁because ▁of ▁a ▁stronger ▁interest ▁in ▁displaying ▁local ▁identity .... " ▁ ▁Ph on ology ▁and ▁ph on et ics ▁ ▁A ▁defining ▁feature ▁of ▁Western ▁Pennsylvania ▁English ▁is ▁the ▁cot – caught ▁mer ger , ▁in ▁which ▁ ▁( as ▁in ▁ah ) ▁and ▁ ▁( as ▁in ▁aw ) ▁mer ges ▁to ▁a ▁rounded ▁v owel : ▁. ▁As ▁in ▁most ▁other ▁American ▁dialect s , ▁it ▁occurs ▁together ▁with ▁the ▁father – b other ▁mer ger . ▁Therefore , ▁cot ▁and ▁caught ▁are ▁both ▁pron ounced ▁; ▁Don ▁and ▁dawn ▁are ▁both ▁. ▁While ▁the ▁mer ger ▁of ▁these ▁low ▁back ▁v ow els ▁is ▁also ▁w ides p read ▁elsewhere ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁the ▁rounded ▁realiz ations ▁of ▁the ▁merged ▁v owel ▁around ▁ ▁is ▁less ▁common , ▁except ▁in ▁Canada , ▁California , ▁India ▁and ▁N ort he astern ▁New ▁England . ▁ ▁The ▁ ▁sound ▁as ▁in ▁oh ▁begins ▁more ▁front ed ▁in ▁the ▁mouth , ▁as ▁in ▁the ▁Southern ▁U . S . ▁or ▁Southern ▁England . ▁Therefore , ▁go ▁is ▁pron ounced ▁. ▁Similarly , ▁ ▁as ▁in ▁food ▁and ▁r ude ▁is ▁front ed , ▁and ▁often ▁di ph th ong ized , ▁as ▁in