# British pronounciation of the letter R **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronounciation-of-the-letter-r/204328 "2003-09-28T17:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronounciation-of-the-letter-r/204328/21 "2003-09-29T12:07:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spogga \* > \*\*So you say something like “Awound the wugged wocks the wagged wascal wan”😛 \*\* Nope - I can pronounce R, just not roll it. ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronounciation-of-the-letter-r/204328/22 "2003-09-29T13:30:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > **I must point out that you only find it in southern Sweden, and it’s not spreading to other areas, like in Norway.** I omitted such details to keep the post length down. In Norway the uvular R is mostly present [in the southwest](http://www.hf.ntnu.no/engelsk/staff/johannesson/111sos/L07-M3a.htm). It has spread as far as Northern Norway. > [@](#): > > \*\*However, there is one trend in Skåne (Scania for the rest of you), that I personally find rather horrible, to rrrealy rrrole the uvular rrrrrs. It sounds awful to me. I haven’t noticed it until quite resently but nowadays you can hear it often in the radio. \*\* Indeed there is a variation on the uvular R, present in this country in places such as Stavanger, that vibrates the throat and sounds more like it’s “rolling”: if you sustain this sound unvoiced on its own it sounds almost an animal growl. I have not heard it in Swedish, though. ---
**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronounciation-of-the-letter-r/204328/23 "2003-09-29T13:51:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gentle \* > \*\*The throaty R of French, German, Portugese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Italy, Netherlands etc. is _uvular_ (“the back of the tongue close to or touching the uvula”). > \*\* Are you sure about Italian? I mean, did you ever hear it spoken? The Italian R is clearly apical (like the Spanish or Greek R), unless you are refering to some northwestern dialects. And about German: 50 years ago, the “correct” R used to be apical, but since after WW2 the uvular R established itself, spreading from the north downward. It now even threatens to eradicate the good old apical R down here in southeast Austria, and this is my pet peeve. While older people still adhere to the apical R, the youngsters appear to be too much influenced by Germany-based TV, and you mostly hear the uvular R from them. ☹ If I were rich, I would finance a crusade…😃 ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronounciation-of-the-letter-r/204328/24 "2003-09-29T15:03:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apollon \* > **Are you sure about Italian? I mean, did you ever hear it spoken? The Italian R is clearly apical (like the Spanish or Greek R), unless you are refering to some northwestern dialects.** Indeed I am not sure where I got the Italian part; it’s probably wrong. Incidentally, here’s [an excellent little pronunciation chart covering many languages](http://douweosinga.com/projects/languageevolution/sampachart). > [@](#): > > **And about German: 50 years ago, the “correct” R used to be apical, but since after WW2 the uvular R established itself, spreading from the north downward. It now even threatens to eradicate the good old apical R down here in southeast Austria, and this is my pet peeve.** To people who are used to hearing the “modern” German, the older pronunciation sounds somewhat alien, rather stiff, formal, rectangular, though I personally find it easier to understand, perhaps because speakers tend to talk more slowly and precisely. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronounciation-of-the-letter-r/204328.md?page=1)