For all the non-rhotic speakers: are layer and lair homphones for you?
Layer vs. lair
? I pronounce "layer" with 2 syllables, but for some reason "mayor" and "prayer" rhymes with "lair" in one.
layer /leIj@/
payer /peIj@/
lair /lE:/
mayor /mE:/
prayer /prE:/
layer /leIj@/
payer /peIj@/
lair /lE:/
mayor /mE:/
prayer /prE:/
Yeah, that's what I was wondering. Because I heard a song where a non-rhotic speaker rhymes 'stare' and 'prayer' and I was wondering if the syllable-boundary distinction is lost with non-rhotic speakers. It seems that it isn't, but that some words have different syllabification for non-rhotic speakers.
I myself speak a firmly rhotic dialect (and not a nominally rhotic one as Lazar does, either), and yet I rhyme "stare" and "prayer" as [ste:R] and [p_hr\e:R]. I think that the having "prayer" as /prEr/ (or like) is just a common feature in (at least) North American English dialect in general, be they rhotic or non-rhotic, which just has happened to coincidentally come up in this particular discussion.
<<Because I heard a song where a non-rhotic speaker rhymes 'stare' and 'prayer' and I was wondering if the syllable-boundary distinction is lost with non-rhotic speakers. It seems that it isn't, but that some words have different syllabification for non-rhotic speakers.>>
As Travis said, I think it's common for "stare" and "prayer" to rhyme in all dialects. For me, they're:
"stare" ["stE@`]
"prayer" ["p_hr\E@`]
For me, these do not rhyme with:
"layer" ["leI.@`]
"payer" ["p_heI.@`]
"prayer" (one who prays) ["p_hr\eI.@`]
From what I've read, the word that's most likely to vary is "mayor". The most common British pronunciation of "mayor" is monosyllabic, whereas the most common American pronunciation of "mayor" is bisyllabic. (In my speech, for example, "mayor" is ["meI.@`].)
As Travis said, I think it's common for "stare" and "prayer" to rhyme in all dialects. For me, they're:
"stare" ["stE@`]
"prayer" ["p_hr\E@`]
For me, these do not rhyme with:
"layer" ["leI.@`]
"payer" ["p_heI.@`]
"prayer" (one who prays) ["p_hr\eI.@`]
From what I've read, the word that's most likely to vary is "mayor". The most common British pronunciation of "mayor" is monosyllabic, whereas the most common American pronunciation of "mayor" is bisyllabic. (In my speech, for example, "mayor" is ["meI.@`].)
Now that I think of it, I think I could rhyme 'prayer' and 'stare', but it's one of those things where the way actually say something and the way you feel you "should" are different. In careful speech, I have:
prayer [pr\e:.@`]
stare [stE@`]
But in conversation, I would probably say
prayer [pr\E@`]
stare [stE@`]
Note that in the first example, 'prayer' has two syllables, while 'stare' doesn't, whereas in the second, both have one syllable
prayer [pr\e:.@`]
stare [stE@`]
But in conversation, I would probably say
prayer [pr\E@`]
stare [stE@`]
Note that in the first example, 'prayer' has two syllables, while 'stare' doesn't, whereas in the second, both have one syllable
And then there's "yeah" vs "yet".
In casual speech, they're homophones for me:
yeah [jE?]
yet [jE?]
Otherwise in careful speech:
yeah [jE:]
yet [jEt]
In casual speech, they're homophones for me:
yeah [jE?]
yet [jE?]
Otherwise in careful speech:
yeah [jE:]
yet [jEt]
I'm rhotic, but layer has two syllables for me, while lair just has one.
<<As Travis said, I think it's common for "stare" and "prayer" to rhyme in all dialects. For me, they're:
"stare" ["stE@`]
"prayer" ["p_hr\E@`]>>
Yeah, you're right. M-W.com only lists monosyllabic /prer/ for "prayer", but lists both pronunciations for "mayor", "layer" etc. with the two syllable versions being listed first and the one syllable versions listed second.
"stare" ["stE@`]
"prayer" ["p_hr\E@`]>>
Yeah, you're right. M-W.com only lists monosyllabic /prer/ for "prayer", but lists both pronunciations for "mayor", "layer" etc. with the two syllable versions being listed first and the one syllable versions listed second.
>> And then there's "yeah" vs "yet".
In casual speech, they're homophones for me:
yeah [jE?]
yet [jE?]
<<
Wow, what kind of crazy dialect do you speak?
In casual speech, they're homophones for me:
yeah [jE?]
yet [jE?]
<<
Wow, what kind of crazy dialect do you speak?