Vowel 7, /O/, versus null, 88 pairs.				[orloplop.doc]


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 /O/ 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


John Higgins, Stirling, February 2001.