Individual participants were instructed to read silently a list of carrier sentences containing the 19 words/phrases that cover AE monophthongs, diphthongs, and r-colored vowels to familiarize themselves with the test material (see Appendix 1). Next, they were asked to read the sentences aloud from paper. Each vowel was recorded three times; once within a common carrier word (Appendix 1, column A) and twice in a monosyllabic /hV(r)d/ meaningful word or phrase (Appendix 1, Column B) in a carrier sentence Now say ___again. The key words rhymed with the /hV(r)d/ words, so as to cue their correct pronunciation. Participants were instructed to take their time, read at a conversational pace, and breathe in after reading each sentence. One item was repeated at the end of the list to avoid list effects. Instructions were spoken using the participants’ first language (either Azerbaijani or Persian) by the first author. The recordings were made at a sampling rate of 44,100 Hz (16-bit amplitude resolution) using a PC151 Sennheiser headset with an adjustable close-talking microphone and a pop-filter mounted.