I just want to confirm what I think I know about the geography here. Non-rhoticism in New England is basically confined to Boston, Worcester and the surrounding areas. Intrusive r occurs throughout New England. Is this correct? Are there any complications I missed? Are there any speakers who vary in rhoticity?
Rhoticism in New England
<<Non-rhoticism in New England is basically confined to Boston, Worcester and the surrounding areas.>>
And also in the Providence area. (Worcester, Boston, and Providence sort of form a core triangle of non-rhoticism.) I think there's also some non-rhoticism in coastal Maine, although I'm not as familiar with the situation up there. The rest of New England is predominately rhotic.
<<Intrusive r occurs throughout New England. Is this correct?>>
Yes, it's very common even among rhotic speakers like myself.
<<Are there any speakers who vary in rhoticity?>>
Yes, there are. A lot of speakers tend to have free variation between rhoticized and de-rhoticized vowels. Variation can occur even within a single sentence, with the choice of rhoticity often depending on things like emphasis or rate of speech. (I've heard this kind of variable rhoticity in speeches by Ted Kennedy, for example.)
One interesting phenomenon is what could be called "hyperrhoticity", which I've noticed among some (but not all) middle aged speakers, in which all instances of final [@] become [@`]. So it's common to hear these speakers say ["s7U4@`] "soda", ["k_hjub@`] "Cuba", and so forth.
And also in the Providence area. (Worcester, Boston, and Providence sort of form a core triangle of non-rhoticism.) I think there's also some non-rhoticism in coastal Maine, although I'm not as familiar with the situation up there. The rest of New England is predominately rhotic.
<<Intrusive r occurs throughout New England. Is this correct?>>
Yes, it's very common even among rhotic speakers like myself.
<<Are there any speakers who vary in rhoticity?>>
Yes, there are. A lot of speakers tend to have free variation between rhoticized and de-rhoticized vowels. Variation can occur even within a single sentence, with the choice of rhoticity often depending on things like emphasis or rate of speech. (I've heard this kind of variable rhoticity in speeches by Ted Kennedy, for example.)
One interesting phenomenon is what could be called "hyperrhoticity", which I've noticed among some (but not all) middle aged speakers, in which all instances of final [@] become [@`]. So it's common to hear these speakers say ["s7U4@`] "soda", ["k_hjub@`] "Cuba", and so forth.
My cousins who live in southern Maine are non-rhotic at times. The live in Saco. There are plenty of R-less people around there. Also I vacationed up near Mount Washington in New Hampshire and heard R-less locals. As you move away from the coast, non-rhoticism peters out.
Hmm, perhaps I've underestimated the number of non-rhotic people in New Hampshire.