# British people adding R at end of words **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 21, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896 "2009-02-21T22:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/61 "2009-02-24T19:10:45Z")
and _buoy_ is ‘boy’, not ‘boo-ee’. _Peugeot_ is **Per** -zho, not ‘Phew-zho’ ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/62 "2009-02-24T19:24:22Z")
You seem rather proud of your ability to mispronounce words. Must be an English thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/63 "2009-02-25T13:47:47Z")
I’ve just realised Ido this myself,well I’ll be damned! ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/64 "2009-02-25T14:19:18Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > and _buoy_ is ‘boy’, not ‘boo-ee’. _Peugeot_ is **Per** -zho, not ‘Phew-zho’ I’m sorry but non-Brits pronounce it how? That’s just mental. ETA: Peugot that is. I’m aware of buoy due to Pickard on ST:TNG sounding horrid pronouncing it the American way with a British accent whilst pretending to be French. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/65 "2009-02-26T01:41:39Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > A lot of British pop singers, especially in the 50s and 60s, tried to sound more American by stressing Rs, even in places where Americans wouldn’t put them, so maybe that’s what’s going on here. I always notice in early- to mid-period Beatles songs how John Lennon exaggerates his Rs, quite unlike how he would have pronounced the same words in normal speech. That’s definitely the explanation for Cliff Richard. Probably the same for McCartney too - he also pronounced ‘heard’ with a strong r sound, whch he wouldn’t do in his native accent. I used to hear this annoying singing accent called ‘the Mid-Atlantic twang,’ though I’ve since heard that term used differently. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The guys on BBC TV do. I hear Chiner and Cuber all the time for China and Cuba. And that’s been explained how many times now? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/66 "2009-02-26T01:46:20Z")
How unusual does Eric Clapton sound to Britishers when he is singing like Robert Johnson? ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/67 "2009-02-26T02:11:03Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How unusual does Eric Clapton sound to Britishers when he is singing like Robert Johnson? \*\* That\*\* question stopped me in my tracks, as it were. I will now go and dig out my cd of _Me and Mr. Johnson_ and have a listen, even though I am not British. Thank you, **carnivorousplant**! It’s insights such as this which makes one go back for a second listen. Kudos! Q ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/68 "2009-02-26T02:35:57Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > \*\* > That\*\* question stopped me in my tracks, as it were. I will now go and dig out my cd of _Me and Mr. Johnson_ and have a listen, I didn’t realize “Sunshine of Your Love” was the same guy as the “Crossroad Blues” cover. Check out Rory Block’s cover album _Mr. Johnson and the Lady._ She can play guitar like Johnson. Her imitating his voice is kinda weird, though. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/69 "2009-02-26T02:46:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I didn’t realize “Sunshine of Your Love” was the same guy as the “Crossroad Blues” cover. Actually “Sunshine of Your Love” was by Cream, of which Clapton was a member. IIRC, it was Jack Bruce who sang most of the lead on that song. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/70 "2009-02-26T03:04:33Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Actually “Sunshine of Your Love” was by Cream, of which Clapton was a member. IIRC, it was Jack Bruce who sang most of the lead on that song. Would you believe _After Midnight_? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/71 "2009-02-26T03:59:38Z")
Ah, that would be Clapton. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/72 "2009-02-26T04:46:33Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Ah, that would be Clapton. 🙂 I’m glad we got that settled. I was prepared to fall back on _Layla_ or _I Shot the Sheriff._ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/73 "2009-02-26T04:48:41Z")
🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/74 "2009-02-26T05:21:16Z")
_beep-beep_ _click_ **"Hallo?"** “Yes this is United States calling, are we reaching…” _CLICK_ “I don’t understand, he keeps hanging UP!” _beep-beep_ “Hallo?” :):)🙂 You two lost me! I thought we were talking about Clapton sounding like Robert Johnson, not Bob Marley!!! 🙂 (Just thought I’d throw some Floyd atcha, to further confuse the issue!) But thanks for making me play the cd! I needed some Clapton/Johnson tonight!😉 Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/75 "2009-02-26T05:29:33Z")
British singing legend Cliff Richard has an annoying habbit of doing this when he sings… LOL I noticed that whenever I ask any English (or Aussie or NZ’er) friends of mine to try to speak like an American, they come out sounding like a southerner, so the accents are definately related ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/76 "2009-02-26T05:34:51Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > British singing legend Cliff Richard has an annoying habbit of doing this when he sings… Yeah, I mentioned “Oh, Donner” above. :rolleyes: > [@Quasimodem](#): > > But thanks for making me play the cd! I needed some Clapton/Johnson tonight! Is the Clapton/Johnson thing good? I listened to some of the B.B. King collaboration and just felt sorry for Eric. He loves the blues so much but he just wasn’t born with the pipes for it. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/77 "2009-02-26T10:41:05Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I noticed that whenever I ask any English (or Aussie or NZ’er) friends of mine to try to speak like an American, they come out sounding like a southerner, so the accents are definately related That a stereotyped southern drawl is easy to mimic doesn’t mean the accents are similar. Ask them to sing like someone from the Caribbean, and they’ll probably do a bad parody of Bob Marley - this doesn’t prove anything about similarity of accents, either. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/78 "2009-02-26T13:36:49Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Is the Clapton/Johnson thing good? I listened to some of the B.B. King collaboration and just felt sorry for Eric. He loves the blues so much but he just wasn’t born with the pipes for it. Yeah, it’s good. Clapton ain’t B B King, but you ever hear Robert Johnson? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/79 "2009-02-26T14:41:35Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s just normal pronunciation here - it’s not because people are being lazy or sloppy - it’s just the way things are different. Yeahr you tell em. Innit? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896/80 "2009-02-26T14:47:13Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Yeah, it’s good. Clapton ain’t B B King, but you ever hear Robert Johnson? 🙂 Yeah, I have. Point taken. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-people-adding-r-at-end-of-words/486896.md?page=3)