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All of the above is ignoring a type of realization of /r/ present in some North American English dialects known as the "bunched 'r'", where there is no real coronal articulation present (or if there is some, it is inconsequential) and all significant articulation is dorsal. Such includes realizations such as [M] or the [R] here. Note that such may very well coexist with an alveolar or postalveolar realization of /r/; for example, in the dialect here, [r\`] (which is postalveolar aka "retroflex") is found after labials and coronals and is in free variation with [R] utterance-initially.
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Note that I meant [M\] by [M] above.
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<<After listening to Kirk's recording, I'm baffled that people would find a significant difference in the pronunciation of R.>>
Well it's generally agreed that while there are various ways of articulating English 'r' they usually sound pretty similar. I remember learning in my phonetics class a few years ago that both the retroflex and nonretroflex versions of English 'r' still tended to sound nearly exactly the same despite the differences in articulation.
<<As an Australian, the only differences I note in his recording are due to its rhotic nature and the quality of the vowels, not the consonants.>>
Similarly, I notice few to no differences in 'r' articulation when I hear other English accents. What I notice is where 'r' doesn't show up in nonrhotic accents, not how it's produced when it does show up.
<<So I can't imagine hearing the average Londoner saying "veddy" for the word very, that someone mentioned above, which implies that I should say "veddy" — bizarre stuff.>>
Yeah that'd be very old fashioned RP. Even the Queen doesn't really do that anymore (but she used to, if you listen to old recordings where she has a 'tap r' in words like 'ceremony').
<<The article Gabriel linked to states "American and British English have two quite different articulations" concerning the pronunciation of R, but the only British dialect I can think of for such is Scottish. How different is quite different, then?>>
Well it is true the articulations are noticeably different but this is an interesting example where two different articulations still produce nearly the same sound. It's kind of counterintuitive because different articulation usually means a different sound but this is one interesting example where that's not really the case.
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Thanks Kirk, I always appreciate recordings that clarify theoretical discussions. I'll post my own delivery of those words soon to see if they differ noticeably from yours.
As for the 'tap r', I heard it some years ago from an English University Professor. I remember him talking about how the salary of a scientist in Uruguay compared to that of a scientist in Britain. I had to hear the word salary twice to realize what he was talking about, because, to my ears, it sounded like 'saladdy'.
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There are surely difference in the way people pronounce "r" in English. But despite these differences, people understand each other quite well. The big differences I have noticed deal with words ending in "-er" or "-re" in America, England and Scotland. British (excluding Scotland) "R" tends to be more German-like.
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Oh, and regarding Brennus':
<<New York City has a special 'r' (a paleto-velar) sound which approaches the sound of 'l'. No wonder, Puerto Rican Spanish speakers call it Nueva Yol'. >>
It may be the case that NYC has its own special articulation for /r/, but Puerto Rican speakers natively realize even Spanish /r/ in this way (with some lateralization), especially before consonants I think. When speaking Spanish, the name of their own island sounds to me as "Puelto Rico". Even those Puerto Ricans who have never lived anywhere close to NYC do this.
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Gabriel,
This is a little off-topic but contrary to the stereotype, not all Puerto Rican Spanish speakers substitute r with l. For example, you still hear "porque" more often than "polque," and they are about evenly divided between "Quiero" and "Quelo." Both lamdacism and rhotacism are found in Puerto Rican Spanish and I've heard "intorerable" and "urtima" for intolerable and ultima too. So as odd as it may seem for a tiny island, you have a linguistic situation there that is really somewhat complex.
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As promised, here's my production of those words. Perhaps it's closer to what the author describes as "international english" but it could be something else entirely.
http://media.putfile.com/r-articulation
rear
rare
roar
murder
murderer
tower
tower of london
powers
powers of darkness
the car arrived
take care of yourself
the idea of it
Eliza Ellis
Shaw asked
witch
rich
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I was rather annoyed a little while ago, when one of my friends, made fun of my pronouciation of "Inverurie" Aberdeenshire. How I could I possibly live in a place that I have difficulty pronoucing. I think that she wanted me to 'roll' my r's. Something that I was not prepared to do.
Another word that I have difficulty with is 'Heugh' as in 'Heugh Hotel' Stonehaven. There is a website for it.
www.heughhotel.com
It is a word that apparently only Scottish people are able to pronounce.
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This is what someone else wrote:
Inverurie
I've always wondered about the correct pronunciation - should there really be a double R (Inver-ROO-rie) or is it actually a single R (Inver-YOU-rie)?
The question arose in connection with the following song:
Tune: The man that broke the bank at Monte Carlo
THE QUINE WHO DOES THE STRIP AT INVERURIE
Oh I'm nae Brigitte (pron the "te") Bardot and I'm nae Sophia Loren
Miss United Kingdom, oh no, ye're wrang again,
And I'm nae Prince Charles's girlfriend or even Miss Grampienne
I'm the quine that dis the strip at Inverurie.
Oh I used to operate a loom at Richards' factory
I liked it fine enough, b'it jist wisnae right for me
Wi' ma figure and ma looks and ma personality
I was born tae dee the strip at Inverurie.
I ta'en a busfare tae the Castlegate one day to see the sights
A mannie says, "Hey darling, would you like to hit the heights?"
"Oh ye're wasted in a factory, I can pit yer name in lights"
So I signed tae dee the strip at Inverurie.
Oh I met a fermer at a dance, he asked to see me hame,
He started getting funny when he got me up a lane,
I says, "Fa (who) d'ye think I am, I'm nae jist onyb'dy ye ken,
(Posh voice!) "I'm the quine that does the strip at Inverurie".
Oh I met a Texas millionnaire, he swept me aff my feet,
He gave me furs and diamonds, and a shop in Union Street,
Oh he wanted me tae merry'im, but I found I couldnae dee't
Cos I would mess (miss) the fun I hae in Inverurie.
Oh they phoned me up fae Grampian (pron Grumpiun), they said "We'll do a deal,
Yer fee'll be a fiver, and a lovely canteen meal,
Tho' I couldnae spake fer laughing, I said, "Hame and da' be feel,
I strip for eighty pounds at Inverurie.
Oh I think I'll still be at it even when I'm old and grey
I winna give up stripping till they carry me away,
When I reach the pearly gates at last I'll be really proud to say,
"I'm the quine that did the strip at Inverurie."
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