It puzzles me. I understand that in the US people rhyme
Clara with
Sarah, the first syllable being 'air', but I'm used to
Sarah having the 'air' sound and
Sara having an 'ah'. So, how does it work - is it just a spelling variation without a change of pronunciation, like
Ann and
Anne, or do the two actually sound different?
Also, where I live most people would pronounce
Sarah with an 'ah', in Afrikaans anyway.
I find both versions dusty and frumpy.