within the united state, linguists distinguish a number of major regional varieties, or dialect (see Figure 1), including Upper North (which encompasses the area between New England and eastern edge of the Dakotas), Northwest, Lower North, and Upper and Lower south. Eastern New England and many of the southern dialects frequently omit r when it occurs after a vowel, in words like far, farm. Speakers in the Lower North area tend to pronounce don and dawn identically. Southern speakers tend to reduce diphthongs to single vowels, pronouncing time somewhat like tam. In the midwest and west many speakers pronounce merry,Mary,marry, and even Murray alike, all with[3]. Vernacular speakers in the Appalachian region prefix progressive verb with a-, we're going-shooting.