Unstressed vowels

Walters (2003: 74), referring to Rhondda Valleys English (south Wales), reports that “the vowel in the final unstressed syllables of butter, sofa etc. is characteristically lengthened and with a fuller quality than normally ascribed to schwa”, which he attributes to Welsh-language influence, “which has a single central vowel and in which final unstressed syllables are said never to be reduced to schwa”. The data in Parry (1999: 34–35) corroborates this to some extent:  is shown as a widespread realization in the lettER group, but occurring in most other parts of Wales as well as in the south-east. Its chief competitors are  and [ε ~ ε^​r] , which occur chiefly in the long-anglicized areas of south Pembrokeshire, Gower, and the borders. However, we should remember that the “single central vowel” of Welsh is actually schwa, and in the STRUT group above there is a considerable trend towards a central vowel. Thus whilst both STRUT and lettER exhibit variation between  and [ə] types, in STRUT the movement is towards schwa, in lettER the movement is away from schwa.

Also worth noting is the widespread tendency in happY for the final unstressed vowel to be very close and, according to Parry (1999: 36), long.