Re: Sara
in reply to a message by peonini
It puzzles me. I understand that in the US people rhyme Clara with Sarah, the first syllable being 'air', but I'm used to Sarah having the 'air' sound and Sara having an 'ah'. So, how does it work - is it just a spelling variation without a change of pronunciation, like Ann and Anne, or do the two actually sound different?
Also, where I live most people would pronounce Sarah with an 'ah', in Afrikaans anyway.
I find both versions dusty and frumpy.
Also, where I live most people would pronounce Sarah with an 'ah', in Afrikaans anyway.
I find both versions dusty and frumpy.
Replies
Sarah and Sara sound exactly the same in the US. Occasionally you might meet a Sara who pronounces it "Sah ruh" but that's really rare in my experience. They're both just "Sair uh." Though in the northeast that "a" sound isn't exactly like air, more open like apple. (At least the way I say apple! I need to learn the phonetic alphabet!) And in the south, some people might say "Say ruh" instead.
This message was edited 2/10/2018, 2:30 AM
Yes, I'm from the North and I don't say "Sair uh." The way I say it, the first vowel in Sarah is the same as in "apple".
Thank you! I've heard the Say ruh version without having a clue where in the Lower 48 it came from: could have been Wisconsin for all I knew. It's always good to hear from an expert.