We have created separate discussions for each of the 500 words pages. This is my first posting for the R sound.
The American R is a problem for many people. It is ironic that even Americans tend to like the British R sound. Unfortunately, though people like that sound, they often cannot hear a British R if it is combined with another accent.
R is also difficult in combination with other letters. In consonant combinations like BR, CR, DR and PR, there is a slight sound between the consonants. This is because the American R is a half vowel, technically speaking. By definition, a vowel is a sound that is created without diverting or blocking sound. Since the American R is created by tensing the tongue, it does not divert sound the way other letters do, like S or K. It is interesting that young American kids often misspell words because of the R. The word “brown” might be misspelled as “b-u-r-o-w-n” because the child hears that small sound that does occur between the B and the R.
Many students also struggle with combinations like AR and OR. Here, there is difficulty in the fact that the vowel sound has to come first. If you try to say AR or OR as one sound, it will be very hard for Americans to hear. In fact, you have to give yourself time to move naturally from the vowel to the R.
If you have any questions or thoughts on R sounds, post them here!
List of comments
04/16/2015 21:29:14 PDT
06/14/2013 08:49:31 PDT
The American R is a problem for many people. It is ironic that even Americans tend to like the British R sound. Unfortunately, though people like that sound, they often cannot hear a British R if it is combined with another accent.
R is also difficult in combination with other letters. In consonant combinations like BR, CR, DR and PR, there is a slight sound between the consonants. This is because the American R is a half vowel, technically speaking. By definition, a vowel is a sound that is created without diverting or blocking sound. Since the American R is created by tensing the tongue, it does not divert sound the way other letters do, like S or K. It is interesting that young American kids often misspell words because of the R. The word “brown” might be misspelled as “b-u-r-o-w-n” because the child hears that small sound that does occur between the B and the R.
Many students also struggle with combinations like AR and OR. Here, there is difficulty in the fact that the vowel sound has to come first. If you try to say AR or OR as one sound, it will be very hard for Americans to hear. In fact, you have to give yourself time to move naturally from the vowel to the R.
If you have any questions or thoughts on R sounds, post them here!