Vowels FACE AND FLEECE

In general, there is nothing remarkable about these tense front vowels. However, Duckert (1986: 141) reports diphthongs in words like [maʃi'jan] machine and [dreijan] drain as a feature of rural New England dialects. Laferriere (1979: 431) lists the variable pronunciation of FACE as [iə] or [eə] as a marker of Boston speech.