In the past it was always enough to be connected to humanity in a more
abstract way, by the glint of possibility. (Kathy Holwadel) [her pronunciation]abstract /æbˈstrækt/
Although there is the difference between first /æ/ and second /æ/ by accentuation, the first seems quite different from the second one. So I hear even /ɛ/ or /ə/ instead of /æ/. I want to know if she really pronounces /æ/. If yes, what is the difference from the second one?
Answer
From StoneyB’s comment:
This is partially a matter of the difference in phonetic context: the vowel before a continuant or voiced stop is different than the “same” vowel before a voiceless stop. (The difference is generally more strongly marked in US English than in British; often, as here, the vowel before a voiced stop or continuant is tenser and diphthongalized.) The other part is idiolectal variation: note Ms. Holwadel’s pronunciation of past, in which the /æ/ is likewise close to /ɛ/.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Listenever , Answer Author : J.R.
