Is あいかあらず a variant of 相変わらず?


From 時をかける少女

> 吾朗は気どってむずかしいことばを使おうとするくせがある。一夫は、あいかあらずぼんやりした目で自分より二十センチは低い吾朗を見おろした。

Is あいかあらず a variant of 相変わらず? I searched あいかあらず in google and I get lots of
results related to 相変わらず. I'm not sure.

Also, I wonder if は in 二十センチは is related to [this kind of
は](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/34324/why-is-
this-%E5%B0%91%E3%81%97-followed-by-%E3%81%AF)?




The spelling is trying to visually transcribe a pronunciation that is
sometimes cited as a characteristic of the younger speech with "loosened"
articulation (incidentally, it was [a hot topic on
Twitter](https://togetter.com/li/1744860) weeks ago).

Note that in this case, however, as an introspection of the "younger
generation", what あいかあらず stands for is probably not literally like
[[aikaːɾazɯ]] as it suggests, but [[aikaɰaɾazɯ]], which retains an approximant
without the labial narrowing (in the prescriptive [[aikaβaɾazɯ]]). It is
generally distinguishable among speakers who use this pronunciation from the
strictly consonant-less variant, which is not unheard either in a casual
speech.

* * *

**Edit:**

> Also, I wonder if は in 二十センチは is related to this kind of は?

Yes, but the answers to the post don't seem right. You should instead see this
one: [Does は mean 'at least' in this
sentence?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/29438/7810)




Some people pronounce 相変わらず with a prolonged あ sound, dropping the /w/ sound,
in casual speech. (It’s kind of like the opposite of 場合 becoming ば **わ** い,
where the /w/ sound is added.) あいか **あ** らず in your novel may be the
reproduction of that pronunciation intended to express casualness.

