Vowels in front of [r]
The American English [r] differs from other consonants
in that it changes the quality of the preceding vowel. For example, [uh]
in words such as "fur"is almost inaudible, as if [r] directly
followed [f]. Moreover, some vowels do not occur in front of [r] at all.
Certain vowel groups seem to "merge" into one "hybrid"
vowel in front of [r]. The following examples illustrate this phenomenon.
Note that this feature of American English is subjects to considerable
variability across dialects.
[iy] and [i] in front of [r]
[iy] and [i] are not in contrast with each other before [r]. The resulting
vowel is a little longer than [i] and ends in a kind of off-glide, which
sounds almost like [y]. Listen to and repeat the following examples.
Click "PLAY" to hear the words
[e], [ey], and [ae] in front of [r]
[e], [ey], and [ae] are another class of vowels which seem to merge into
one before [r]. The resulting vowel is most similar to [e],
with a slightly diphthongal quality. Try pronouncing the
following words with the vowel [e] followed directly by [r].
Click "PLAY" to hear the words
[u] and [uw] in front of [r]
[u] and [uw] merge into a vowel most similar to [u].
For the following words, try saying [u] and roll your tongue back directly
to [r].
Click "PLAY" to hear the words
[o] and [ow] in front of [r]
[o] and [ow] merge into a kind of [ow] sound in many dialects of American
English. Try pronouncing the following words as though [r] was preceded
directly by [ow].
Click "PLAY" to hear the words
[a] in front of [r]
[a] does not change much before [r].
Click "PLAY" to hear the words
[uh] in front of [r]
[uh] gets an interesting quality before [r]. The best way to pronounce
it is to imagine that it is not there - simply move your tongue directly
to [r] after you make the preceding consonant sound. However, [uhr] and
[er] are easy confuse. The following examples illustrate the contrast.
Click "PLAY" to hear the words
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[uh] ~ [e] in front of [r]
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fur ~ fare
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Murray ~ merry
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hurry ~ hairy
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blur ~ Blair
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| PLAY |
curd ~ cared
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| PLAY |
stir ~ stare
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| PLAY |
purr ~ pair
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| PLAY |
bird ~ bear
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Tongue Twisters
Click "PLAY" to hear the utterances. Try to repeat after the
model.
| PLAY |
Mark drove the car through George's barn.
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Mary married a merry man in a nearby church.
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| PLAY |
Barry drinks more beer here than in the bar.
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| PLAY |
Karin dared to burn the curry in a hurry.
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| PLAY |
Dorothy called store and ordered more beer for the party.
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Exercises
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
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