– split American accents that have not undergone the cot–caught merger (the lexical sets and ) have instead retained a – split: a 17th-century distinction in which certain words (labeled as the lexical set) separated away from the set. The split, which has now reversed in most British English, simultaneously shifts this relatively recent set into a merger with the (caught) set. Having taken place prior to the unrounding of the cot vowel, it results in lengthening and perhaps raising, merging the more recently separated vowel into the vowel in the following environments: before many instances of , , and particularly (as in Austria, cloth, cost, loss, off, often, etc.), a few instances before (as in strong, long, wrong), and variably by region or speaker in gone, on, and certain other words.
– split American accents that have not undergone the cot–caught merger (the lexical sets and ) have instead retained a – split a 17th-century distinction in which certain words (labeled as the lexical set) separated away from the set The split which has now reversed in most British English simultaneously shifts this relatively recent set into a merger with the (caught) set Having taken place prior to the unrounding of the cot vowel it results in lengthening and perhaps raising merging the more recently separated vowel into the vowel in the following environments before many instances of   and particularly (as in Austria cloth cost loss off often etc) a few instances before (as in strong long wrong) and variably by region or speaker in gone on and certain other words