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We discuss the analysis of the vowels of five African American speakers as compared with the vowels of five Anglo speakers fromRoswell, GA. The analysis suggests that the vowel phonology of AA speakers, while sharing local dialect features, has developedalong slightly different lines than those of other residents. We compare the vowel phonology of these groups with those of other areasdiscussed in the symposium and with the vowel phonology for the region presented in Labov, Ash, and Boberg 2006.Becky Childs (Memorial University, Newfoundland)Christine Mallinson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)Jeannine Carpenter (Duke University)Angus Bowers (North Carolina State University)AAE & EAE vowels across North CarolinaWe analyze /ai/, /o/, and other salient vowels for approximately 35 black residents of two Appalachian and two coastal North Carolinacommunities. Comparing their vowel phonology to the regional koinés, we find the black speakers participate in local phonologicalpatterns although this accommodation is subtly affected by a range of social and stylistic factors. We compare the vowel phonologyof these North Carolina groups with other groups in the symposium and with the vowel phonology for the region (Labov et al. 2006).Ben Torbert (Mississippi State University)Phonological variation in East Central MississippiOutside of Pedersen 1991 and LAGS, Mississippi constitutes a relatively underinvestigated territory within southern AmericanEnglish. I present findings from 2006 interviews conducted primarily in Neshoba County, situated in the low hills of the east centralportion of the state and characterized by a tri-ethnic social divide (Whites, African-Americans, and Choctaws). Though technicallywithin the Appalachian Regional Development zone, the area is located transitionally between the Pine Belt in southern Mississippiand northeastern counties currently more associated culturally with Appalachia. I compare these speakers' vowel phonology withothers in the South and elsewhere (Labov et al. 2006).Thea Strand (University of Arizona)Michael Wroblewski (University of Arizona)Sylvie Dubois (Louisiana State University)African American & non-African American vowels in cajun countryWe analyze the vowels and vowel-r combinations for approximately 20 residents of cajun communities. Half of these speakers areAfrican American [+AA] and half non-African American [-AA]. Comparing those phonologies, we find the +AA speakers' vowelsare only subtly influenced by their accommodation to supralocal AA target phonology; this is consistent with evidence from syntacticchange in this community. We compare both vowel phonologies with other phonologies analyzed for the symposium and with that ofspeakers discussed in the Labov et al. 2006.Robin Dodsworth (University of Maryland, College Park)David Durian (Ohio State University)Convergence in urban Columbus AAVE & EAE vowel systemsAlthough the Columbus, OH, metropolitan area has grown increasingly segregated by ethnicity, particularly between AfricanAmerican and European American residents, analysis of local vowel systems suggests the beginning of convergence between urbanspeakers of the two ethnicities. Acoustic analysis of 60 speakers' vowel systems shows urban vs suburban residence to have a strongerdifferentiating effect--in particular on the back diphthongs /ou/ and /au/--than ethnicity, particularly among speakers under 30. Wecompare the results with those from the other geographic areas discussed in this symposium and with the description for Columbusvowels in Labov et al. 2006.Bridget L. Anderson (Old Dominion University)Jennifer G. Nguyen (University of Michigan)A comparison of African American & White vowel patterns in America's most segregated cityMuch research has examined the vowels of African American speakers in Detroit, but no analysis has compared their vowel patternsto those of Detroit Whites. Given the marked racial segregation of metropolitan Detroit, greater than in nearly any other U.S. city, it isimportant to investigate the linguistic connections these groups share. We provide a detailed acoustic analysis of eight vowels foreight White and eight African American Detroiters. Each sample is equally divided by gender and social status, allowing us toexamine the similarities and differences between these two ethnic groups and other AA communities nationwide.94