# Reluctantly — Fuck Texas **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 19, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289 "2021-02-19T14:59:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![Nightaudit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightaudit/32/17181_2.png) [@Nightaudit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightaudit)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/481 "2023-02-04T01:04:57Z")
But this time around it looks more like the cause of this winter’s shit show is the idiots that run Austin Energy and the City itself… nobody has been trimming the tree around the power lines. My neighborhood on the north side up by McNeil / Jollyville rd and 183 looks like a hurricane came through… but a lot of the problems could have been avoided if the Austin Energy and the city had trimmed the trees around the power lines… They used to but back around 2007 apparently a bunch of rich fuckers lobbied city council to relax the tree trimming rules… therefore they have not been very diligent about enforcing the tree trimming regulations. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/482 "2023-02-06T22:28:46Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > > [@Kimstu](#): > > > > Yeah, what I learned was “poisonous is bad when you bite it, venomous is bad when it bites you”. > > If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. > > If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. > > If it bites you and it dies, you’re Chuck Norris. If you bite you, and _it_ dies, that’s voodoo. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/483 "2023-02-06T22:43:32Z")
If it dyes and you bite it, it’s an Easter egg. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/484 "2023-02-06T22:52:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’ve lived the vast majority of my life in the Seattle area and I have the “Pacific Northwest accent”. (Which apparently is a thing, though it’s subtle, and I didn’t know it existed until recently.) We lived in POR for 12 years. The only thing I really noticed was the tendency of people (especially younger) to say “thaht” instead of “that” and “torist” instead of “tourist”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/485 "2023-02-06T22:54:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The only thing I really noticed was the tendency of people (especially younger) to say “thaht” instead of “that” and “torist” instead of “tourist”. Weird, those aren’t typical of the accent. It’s more like how we pronounce words like “egg” (we pronounce it as if it started with a long “a”), or how “caught” and “cot” are pronounced identically. (I always thought everyone spoke that way.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/486 "2023-02-06T22:57:30Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > how “caught” and “cot” are pronounced identically They’re not? Or naught? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/487 "2023-02-06T23:00:04Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > They’re not? Or naught? LOL, that’s what I say. 😆 ETA: Here is a video where a language teacher is explaining how to pronounce “cot” and “caught”, and she says that she is saying they are pronounced the same which is “controversial”. Note how in the video comments, some people say that they pronounce them differently. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/95uOl8-gRRU/maxresdefault.jpg "How to Pronounce COT & CAUGHT - American English Homophone Pronunciation Lesson - CAUGHT COT merger") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95uOl8-gRRU) Again, I took it for granted for most of my life that you can’t pronounce them differently, they are always pronounced the same, but apparently that’s not the case everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/488 "2023-02-06T23:20:13Z")
I can’t even figure out _how_ to say cot and caught differently. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/489 "2023-02-06T23:23:03Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I took it for granted for most of my life that you can’t pronounce them differently, they are always pronounced the same, but apparently that’s not the case everywhere And I’m almost the opposite. They’re obviously pronounced differently, and anybody who pronounces them the same has an accent. I wonder if there exists an accent where “cot” and “caught” are pronounced the same, but “ant” and “aunt” are pronounced differently. Not being off topic: I grew up in Texas, so that’s where I learned about accents? I never picked up a Texas accent, but I will use the diction. So in my bland national news anchor accent I might say, “Put your toys up and come inside, we’re fixin’ to eat. What kind of Cokes do ya’ll want?” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/490 "2023-02-06T23:25:03Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > I wonder if there exists an accent where “cot” and “caught” are pronounced the same, but “ant” and “aunt” are pronounced differently. Some people in the PNW pronounce “ant” like “ant” and “aunt” like “ont” (rhymes with “font”). Not myself, but a number of people I’ve known who grew up in the same area. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/491 "2023-02-06T23:26:44Z")
Massachusetts resident here. I’d pronounce “cot” and “caught” very close to the same, but “ant” and “aunt” very much not the same. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/492 "2023-02-06T23:27:44Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I can’t even figure out _how_ to say cot and caught differently. I pronounce “caught” as “cawt” and “cot” as “caht”, and I always thought the people I knew did the same. I’ve never pronounced them the same way. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/493 "2023-02-06T23:55:20Z")
Ditto. Caught rhymes with “ought” and “cot” rhymes with “pot”. If in your dialect the vowels in “ought” and “pot” are the same I don’t know what to tell you. 'cept that you’re mongo ignorant sounding. (Just kidding. Dialect is what it is, and there aren’t really gradations of right or wrong, just different.) ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/494 "2023-02-07T00:02:14Z")
I would pronounce all of those the same. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/495 "2023-02-07T00:14:02Z")
As written, I don’t see a difference. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/496 "2023-02-07T00:35:11Z")
Oh? Do you people pronounce _taught_ and _tot_ the same, too? ---
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/497 "2023-02-07T01:42:42Z")
I’m with wolf333 and chefguy. And, yes, for me, taught and tot a pronounced the same. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/498 "2023-02-07T01:46:26Z")
I pronounce caught and cot differently, such that Google voice was able to properly translate both words in this sentence. For those who pronounce them the same, does the vowel sound the same when you say crawl and crop? Or stall and stop? In both cases I use the same vowel sounds as caught and cot. EDIT: It occurs to me that I also pronounce cough and caught with the same vowel sound. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/499 "2023-02-07T01:53:57Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@Chefguy](#): > > > > They’re not? Or naught? > > LOL, that’s what I say. 😆 > > ETA: Here is a video where a language teacher is explaining how to pronounce “cot” and “caught”, and she says that she is saying they are pronounced the same which is “controversial”. Note how in the video comments, some people say that they pronounce them differently. > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95uOl8-gRRU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95uOl8-gRRU) > > Again, I took it for granted for most of my life that you can’t pronounce them differently, they are always pronounced the same, but apparently that’s not the case everywhere. It most certainly is not. The “caught/cot” merger is a significant marker of American dialectical boundaries. The vowels are distinct in most Southern accents, for example. A similar marker is “Mary/merry/ marry” (homophones in some accents, slightly different in others) and “pen/pin”. Dialecticians use these variations, along with rhoticity and different pronunciations of “on”, to mark the transitions from on dialect area to another. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289/500 "2023-02-07T02:01:03Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > A similar marker is “Mary/merry/ marry” (homophones in some accents, slightly different in others) and “pen/pin”. Funny enough, I pronounce Mary/merry/marry the same way (and I don’t even know how you’d differentiate them), but “pen/pin” differently, with “eh” and “ih” vowels. > [@EllisDee](#): > > For those who pronounce them the same, does the vowel sound the same when you say crawl and crop? Or stall and stop? Yes, they are the same vowel sound to me. I don’t even know how they would be pronounced differently; is there a “w” slipped in or something? Never mind, this video explains it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dtO0s7pXkaE/hqdefault.jpg "Cot-Caught") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtO0s7pXkaE) I found myself trying to replicate what he was doing, and it was difficult, like I was exercising mouth muscles I never used. I wouldn’t even be able to tell he was pronouncing them differently if he wasn’t accentuating the vowels and speaking them one after another like that. So funny how our experiences change how we perceive things. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reluctantly-fuck-texas/933289.md?page=26)