The 'r' in British dialects:

The 'r' sound will change drastically as you move through the British Isles:  In broad, general terms, for a Standard, or Upper Class British accent, you'll want to use no 'r' sound when a spelled 'r' comes after a vowel sound:  'father' will sound like 'fath-uh,' and 'star' will be 'staah.'

In a Dublin Irish accent, use a stronger version of the American 'r':  'fatherr' and 'starr.'  This 'r' requires that the tongue curl back a bit further than it does for the American 'r'.

For an Edinburgh, Scotland dialect, lightly touch the tongue to the gum ridge (the bony ridge around the front of the mouth, just above the upper teeth).  Practice this lightly tapped 'r' in words like 'rough', right, and 'Rob Roy'.

The tapped 'r' can occur when an 'r' is any position in a word in a Scots accent:  at the beginning, middle or at the end, or in combination with another consonant.  Try saying 'roof', 'array', 'father' and 'fright' using a slightly tapped 'r'.  Think Sean Connery and Shrek.

This tap will sometimes be heard in an Upper Class British accent as well, but only when an 'r' is heard between two vowel sounds:  try 'sorry', 'very' and 'mirror', but don't forget to drop the final r in that last word.

Don't fall into the trap of tapping the 'r' for an Irish accent:  the Irish 'r' is like the American 'r' only stronger.  Save the tapped 'r' for the Scots!


Using the 'r' in the neutral American accent

The comforting aspect of the American 'r' is that no matter where it appears in a word, it ALWAYS sounds the same.  It's formed by curling the tip of the tongue toward the roof of the mouth without touching it, then sending some voiced air over the tongue toward the roof of the mouth.  The sides of the tongue can touch the teeth, but the tongue-tip should not touch anything.  It's very important that the tongue do the work for this sound, not the lips.

If this sound is challenging for you, look at your tongue in a small mirror while you say words with 'r' in them:  'rough, rip, ream, array, around, far, her, wore'.  You should see your tongue tip forming a crescent moon shape near the roof of your mouth for each 'r' sound.  Practice in the mirror till you can confidently make the sound, then take the mirror away.
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Joel Goldes
The Dialect Coach

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Hi Samantha - I have copied this site:

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Can I get a bid from to get the contact form to work again on my server (just as it does now on live site)?

Thanks,

Joe