Short-A Tensing

NYC English has a complex "short-a split" where /æ/ tenses and raises before certain consonants but stays lax before others.

Tense (raised) /æ/ before: m, n, f, s, θ (th)

• "bad" → tensed /beəd/
• "man" → tensed /meən/
• "bath" → tensed /beəθ/
• "pass" → tensed /peəs/

Lax (regular) /æ/ before: t, d, g, p, b

• "bat" → regular /bæt/
• "back" → regular /bæk/
• "cap" → regular /kæp/

This creates a split that doesn't exist in any other American dialect.