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You will probably be familiar with non-rhotic accents, even if you don't know what the word non-rhotic means! Today, we'll explore what a non-rhotic accent is and take a look at some examples. We will particularly focus on non-rhotic accents in English and how they compare to rhotic accents.
Non-rhotic refers to when the /r/ consonant sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. Non-rhotic is also known as r-dropping.
A non-rhotic accent drops the /r/ sound if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. For example, if the words 'start', 'park' and 'butter', are spoken with a non-rhotic accent, the /r/ sounds will not be pronounced. Instead, they are pronounced like this:
Although there are some exceptions (such as most West Country accents and Scottish accents), most British English accents are considered non-rhotic. One of the most well-known non-rhotic accents is the standard British English accent, also known as Received Pronunciation. This is the accent that is used most by those in London and South East England.
Like British English, Australian, New Zealand English, and South African English are also mostly non-rhotic.
On the other hand, Canadian English accents are almost entirely rhotic, meaning the /r/ sound is always pronounced. Further, most American English accents are rhotic. There are some exceptions though, such as:
The traditional New York City dialect (currently less so)
Below are some examples of words pronounced using a non-rhotic accent. These words will be phonetically transcribed using the standard British English pronunciation, as it is a non-rhotic accent:
Word | Non-rhotic pronunciation (standard British English) |
Marker | /mɑːkə/ |
Card | /kɑːd/ |
Heart | /hɑːt/ |
Fear | /fɪə/ |
Learn | /lɜːn/ |
Father | /fɑːðə/ |
One sound that is commonly used in non-rhotic accents is the schwa (/ə/) vowel sound. For example, the 'o' in the word 'corrupt', or the 'e' in 'soldier.' This is used instead of an /r/ sound, although the word will still be spelt with an 'r' at the end.
The opposite of a non-rhotic accent is a rhotic accent. This refers to when the /r/ sound is always pronounced, no matter where it is in a word. An example of a rhotic accent is the standard American English accent.
Let's compare this to standard British English pronunciation:
Word | Rhotic American English | Non-rhotic British English |
Marker | /mɑrkər/ | /mɑːkə/ |
Card | /kɑrd/ | /kɑːd/ |
Heart | /hɑrt/ | /hɑːt/ |
Fear | /fɪr/ | /fɪə/ |
Learn | /lɜrn/ | /lɜːn/ |
Father | /ˈfɑðər/ | ˈ/fɑːðə/ |
Notice how the /r/ sound is present in the rhotic pronunciations but not in the non-rhotic pronunciations.
Non-rhotic refers to when the /r/ consonant sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it comes at the end of a word.
With a rhotic accent, the /r/ sound is always pronounced. With a non-rhotic accent, the /r/ sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it comes at the end of a word.
Rhoticity in English refers to the use (or dropping) of the rhotic /r/ consonant sound in words.
A non-rhotic accent is an accent that drops the /r/ sound if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. An example of a non-rhotic accent is the standard British English accent.
Most British English accents are indeed non-rhotic (although there are some exceptions).
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