I hear the "aw" when I pronounce it because I'm conscious of the fact that I'm saying "Dawn" and not "Don," but in reality it sounds exactly the same. The difference is in my imagination. If you heard someone else say it and didn't specifically know that they were saying "Dawn" you wouldn't pick it up unless they really drew it out. Like "daw-n" with a really thick southern drawl. And in that case it's likely "Don" would be pronounced the same way.

Quote Originally Posted by Raistlin View Post
Though I guess if anyone would, it'd be hicks (note that Southerners are the same heretics who use "Coke" to describe all sodas).
The coke thing is more true to people over the age of sixty than Southerners in general. My grandparents who have never left the state of Illinois do this, as well as say things like "warsh" instead of "wash." xD