"The Secret History," p.33 :
"I glanced at him quickly....about to walk into the hall when he said, "Wait." His voice was cool and Bostonian, almost British."
Really? From a single diphthong ?
I suppose it is possible to tell from the flat Midwest and the rest, but only if you are paying attention.
What do y'all think ?
( But the answer is most definitely no, if accounting for the fact of the naive Californian just recently transplanted to Vermont.)
I'm with you. No way. That word just wouldn't be distictive enough.
I just checked with a colleague born and raised in Boston. Not only didn't I hear anything in her pronunciation, but she also confirmed that she doubted there were any way she could tell if someone were from Boston based on that word.
Probably not Boston, Despite its reputation, Boston isn't all that far from median. But there are some dialects that include an overall constant shaping of the resonators and larynx. A Lun-Guylan native or an East Texan can be spotted from one or two words.
Interesting locale !
About the accent, check out this audio (the 2 flags upper left)-- It does sound like an American woman next to an Englishman.
But a distinctive Bostonian "Wait" ? I'll believe when.