1. Rhoticity: The Salisbury accent is rhotic, meaning that the letter "r" is pronounced in all positions, including at the end of words. For example, "car" is pronounced as "cah" and "four" is pronounced as "foah."
2. Diphthongs: The Salisbury accent has a number of distinctive diphthongs, including:
- "oi" as in "boy" is pronounced as "oi" or "oy."
- "ai" as in "five" is pronounced as "ai" or "ay."
- "au" as in "out" is pronounced as "ow" or "aow."
3. Vowel sounds:
- The short "a" sound, as in "cat," is pronounced as a broad "ah," similar to the sound in the word "father."
- The long "a" sound, as in "face," is pronounced as a broad "ah," similar to the sound in the word "father."
- The short "i" sound, as in "sit," is pronounced as an "ih," while the long "i" sound, as in "feet," is pronounced as a pure "ee."
- The short "u" sound, as in "put," is pronounced as an "uh," while the long "u" sound, as in "boot," is pronounced as an "oo."
4. Glottal stops: Glottal stops, which occur when the airflow is completely cut off in the throat, are common in the Salisbury accent. They can replace the "t" sound in words such as "bottle," which would be pronounced as "boh-l."
5. Accent variation: The Salisbury accent can vary slightly within the region. For example, in some areas, the "l" sound can be pronounced as a dark "l," giving words like "milk" a more guttural sound.
It's important to note that the Salisbury accent, like other regional accents, is constantly evolving and can vary among different speakers.