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Are /ɑːɹ/ and /æɹ/ allophones?

English Language & Usage Asked by mic on December 19, 2020

Are /ɑːɹ/ (as in "start") and /æɹ/ (as in "parody", "marry", or "clarity") allophones? It seems that the latter can only occur when the /æɹ/ precedes a vowel in the word; i.e., when the /ɹ/ would be pronounced in a non-rhotic accent even if there are no following words. I speak a variety of American English where /æɹ/ is pronounced /eɹ/, so it isn’t intuitively clear to me whether /ɑːɹ/ and /æɹ/ actually are or aren’t allophones.

2 Answers

The other answer is correct. They are not allophones. But if you want even more proof, in the form of a minimal pair, the two words tarry /ˈtɑːri/, (to be covered with tar) and tarry /ˈtæri/ (to delay) are a minimal pair, where the difference in these vowels distinguishes the two meanings.

Correct answer by Peter Shor on December 19, 2020

No, they are not allophones or in complementary distribution. There are several words with /ɑːɹ/ followed by a vowel. The word "starrer" is pronounced /stɑːɹə/ in British English (Lexico), not */stæɹə/. I'd imagine "sparrer", "starring", "scarring", "charring", "tarring", etc. also have an /ɑːɹ/ followed by a vowel. All these words are derived from by adding -er or -ing; I'm not sure if there are other examples as well that aren't so derivative from another word ending in /ɑːɹ/.

Answered by mic on December 19, 2020

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