Minimal Pair List Diphthong /aʊ/ versus null, 41 pairs
The contrasts in this list are either from a deleted initial, such as auto/toe, a deleted final open syllable, such as mentor/meant, or from a closed syllable whose consonants permit clustering, such as calling/cling.
In the third of these cases an unstressed component may move up to acquire stress, so that the contrast is
not strictly minimal, though in cases where the /ɔ/ is unstressed
the contrast is more truly minimal,
such as carport/carped.
There are 69 semantic contrasts in the list, giving a semantic loading of 78%.
audibility debility
august gust
austere steer
auto toe
autos toes
auto tow
autos tows
bailor bail
bailors bails
bailor bale
bailors bales
battledore battled
before biff
boric brick
boring bring
bylaw bile
calling cling
callings clings
cantor cant
carport carped
cawing king
centaur cent
centaur scent
centaur sent
clawing cling
concourse conks
condor conned
deport dipped
discourse discs
eyesore ice
falling fling
fallout flout
folklore focal
footsore foots
forelock flock
forelocks flocks
forelocks phlox
fretsaw frets
hacksaw hacks
Hawick hick
landau land
landaus lands
lessor less
matador mattered
mentor meant
milord milled
Nepal nipple
orate rate
orated rated
orates rates
orating rating
orbit bit
orbits bits
orchestral kestrel
orchid kid
orchids kids
orchis kiss
orchises kisses
ordain Dane
ordains Danes
ordain deign
ordained deigned
ordaining deigning
ordains deigns
ordeal deal
ordeals deals
oriel real
Orleans liens
orlop lop
orlops lops
orotund rotund
pawing ping
pitsaw pits
rapport rap
rapport wrap
recourse ricks
report ripped
restore wrist
ripsaw rips
sawing sing
seaport seeped
seesaw cease
seesawing ceasing
sorting sting
storing string
strawing string
thawing thing
warrantor warrant
.
