I sometimes read rhyming poetry where "again" and "rain" are clearly meant to rhyme. However in my accent they don't rhyme at all. I am now wondering in which accents they do rhyme.
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1Perhaps in some regions of Great Britain. I've definitely heard it before in media, and it's no surprise at all. – May 01 '15 at 20:38
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@GeorgePompidou Do you know where in Great Britain? It doesn't rhyme in my British friends' accents. Also, the fact that it appears in published poetry suggests to me that it must be in a common accent. – Simd May 01 '15 at 20:39
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2I dunno. Scotland? – May 01 '15 at 20:42
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6It rhymes everywhere in the Anglosphere in poetry. In normal speech, again is /əˈɡen/ while rain is /reɪn/ in most dialects I can think of—but in exaggerated, quaint, archaic, or poetic speech/writing, again can frequently be /əˈɡeɪn/ if needed. – Janus Bahs Jacquet May 01 '15 at 20:53
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Possibly related: What do you call “rhymes” which are spelt but not sounded the same way?, Was the pronunciation of “symmetry” different in the past?, Rhyme in Elizabethan sonnets, and Rhyming conventions of Early Modern English. – choster May 01 '15 at 21:21
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In My Fair Lady, I believe. – Hot Licks May 01 '15 at 21:56
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2I've always thought that again has two pronunciations, much like either. Living in Canada, I frequently hear both. – Anonym May 01 '15 at 22:20
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Poetry often uses near-rhymes. How can you be sure they are meant to be true rhymes? – Edwin Ashworth May 01 '15 at 22:33
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The rain again falls mainly in Britain. – Sven Yargs May 02 '15 at 06:30
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@SvenYargs I am not sure of the point you are making :) The related sentence I know is "The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain.". – Simd May 02 '15 at 06:33
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@JanusBahsJacquet Do you have any evidence to back up the claim "It rhymes everywhere in the Anglosphere in poetry." My suspicion is that in fact you could draw a pronunciation map of Britain and it would show that in some parts it rhymes and in others it doesn't. I just don't know where exactly. – Simd May 02 '15 at 06:35
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I pronounce to rhyme mostly. Brought up in the East Midlands. But I'm not sure but that context and mood doesn't affect the vowel quantity. I think I might be different in "Again, again, the bloody rain" versus "Oh no, he did it again".
David Pugh
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OED has this pronunciation: Brit. /əˈɡɛn/ , /əˈɡeɪn/ , U.S. /əˈɡɛn/
Not mentioning "quaint" or "archaic" at all.
GEdgar
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Thank you. I know it is possible but I was hoping for some sort of pronunciation map. – Simd May 02 '15 at 06:23