 General American English, also referred to as Standard American English, is a broad term used to describe a continuum of American English pronunciations that exhibit a lack of obvious regional, ethnic or socio-economic traits. General American English is characterized by a relatively high degree of roticity, anti-glottalization and flapping. It is generally considered the accent with the highest degree of prestige, commonly spoken in particular by newscasters and radio personalities. General American English was first coined to describe a generalized set of major regional dialects in the Northern, Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic United States. Recently, the American sociolinguist William Laboff expanded the definition of General American English to include North American English rotic varieties such as Western American English, Midland American English and Standard Canadian English.