In Britain (or perhaps just Scotland) the names "Sara" and "Sarah" are pronounced different.
- Sara: Sah-rah ("a" as in "bat")
- Sarah: Se-rah ("a" as in "air")
In the US and Canada, Sarah and Sara are both pronounced like "Sarah".
In addition, there are other examples which are pronounced the same in North America (NA).
- Marry is pronounced like Mary and Merry ("a" as in "air")
- Harry like Hairy
- Barry like Berry
- Carry like Jim Carrey
Question: Is there truly no distinction between the two pronunciations of Sarah/Sara in NA?
How did English lose its open "a" sound when tied with an "r"?