[ʌ]→[a]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5

Lowering Backing Centralization Germanic

Open-mid back unrounded vowel to Open front unrounded vowel

The shift from the open-mid back unrounded vowel [ʌ] (the 'strut' or 'caret' vowel) to a more open and central [a] or back [ɑ] is a common feature of several modern English dialects. It represents a lowering of the tongue from the mid-back position.

Phonetic Effects

Lowering, Backing, Centralization

Language Examples

Modern Southern British English (RP) Germanic

cup [kʌp]→[kɐp] / [kap]— The traditional back vowel has significantly lowered and centralized in modern RP.

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Backing Shifts

[ã] → [õ] — Raising [a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ʔ] — Glottalization [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction

Sources & References

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