Date:    Mon, 11 May 1998 22:55:13 EDT
<br>From:    Dfcoye <Dfcoye[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM>
<br>Subject: Re: been: Ben vs. bin
<br>
<br>This point was part of a survey I did (American Speech 69.3, 1994) of
<br>Princeton freshmen.   Because of the merger before nasals Ron mentioned you
<br>have to screen for that first (this gets rid of much of the South and Indiana,
<br>and some Southern Californians).  I then found that BEN was the pronunciation
<br>of choice in the Great Lakes region and the Northwest, with more additional
<br>support found in New England and Northern California.   As was pointed out you
<br>have to ask it in an emphatic position (How've you been?)--  I think your
<br>student is right, BEN is under-reported in dictionaries, but some include it.
<br>I think.  Believe it or not I also found some people using /i:/- a small
<br>percentage scattered around.
<br>
<br>Dale Coye
<br>The College of New Jersey
<br>