Rhotic accents. What are they and where are they used? Today, we'll explore what the rhotic accent is and take a look at some examples. We will focus on the American and British rhotic accents, paying attention to the different ways words are pronounced.
The word 'rhotic' is a backformation that comes from the word 'rhotacism', which stems from the Greek letter 'rho.'
What is the meaning of a Rhotic accent?
A rhotic accent is an accent that always pronounces the rhotic /r/ consonant sound whenever it appears in words. The opposite of rhotic is non-rhotic. This means the /r/ 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.
For example, take the word mother. A non-rhotic accent would drop the /r/ in mother, as it comes at the end of a word. On the other hand, a rhotic accent would pronounce the /r/.
Fig. 1 - A rhotic accent always pronounces /r/.
Rhotic Accent: pronunciation
In phonetics, a rhotic /r/ is referred to as a voiced alveolar approximant. This means it is pronounced by curling your tongue up near the roof of your mouth and vocalising out through the mouth.
The tip of your tongue should be just behind your alveolar ridge (the bony part behind your front teeth), but should not be touching it. Your mouth should be narrowly opened and your lips should not be touching.
Do you want an easy way to imagine the /r/ sound in a rhotic accent? Think about a pirate. What is a well-known sound that is often associated with pirates?
Arrr!
This is the /r/ sound!
Fig. 2 - The /r/ sound can be compared to a pirate's 'arrr.'
Some people have difficulty pronouncing the /r/ sound. This is a speech impediment referred to as rhotacism.
Rhotic American accent
Perhaps one of the most well-known rhotic accents is the standard American accent. The majority of American accents are rhotic, meaning the /r/ sound is always pronounced, no matter where it is in a word. For example, take the following words:
hard = /hɑrd/
far = /fɑr/
worst = /wɜrst/
near = /nɪr/
With a rhotic American accent, the /r/ is always pronounced.
Rhotic British accent
The use of the rhotic accent is not as common in British English, as many British accents tend to be non-rhotic (including standard British English). This means the /r/ sound is not always pronounced.
For example, in words such as 'car', 'water' and 'first', the /r/ sound would usually not be pronounced. However, this is not always the case! Some British accents are rhotic, including:
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