# Erah ... erah ... erah .... (Kennedy speech patterns) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216 "2009-08-30T00:59:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/1 "2009-08-30T00:59:52Z")
So, did Ted Kennedy, or any of the others in the Kennedy clan, really say “erah” frequently as a filler word, much like most of us would go “ummm” or “uhhhh”? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/2 "2009-08-30T02:22:57Z")
I’ve checked some interviews with JFK, RFK and Ted, and they all say “ahhh” or “uhhh” as fillers. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/3 "2009-08-30T02:39:08Z")
They were saying ‘um’ and ‘uh’ with a New England accent. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/4 "2009-08-30T02:52:57Z")
But did any of them ever actually refer to “Cuber”? ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/5 "2009-08-30T02:54:28Z")
Or “Rusher”😕 ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/6 "2009-08-30T03:07:53Z")
John Kennedy actually did say “Cuber”. That one is just the accent. Ted Kennedy also pronounced the president’s name “Obamer” on occasion, as well. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/7 "2009-08-30T03:11:02Z")
The “Cuber” and “Rusher” thing is a very specific and peculiar speech pattern that also shows up in British English. If a word that ends with a vowel is followed by a word that begins with a vowel, an R gets added to the end of the first word. So “Cuba is” or “Russia is” becomes “Cuber is” or “Rusher is.” But in the case of “Cuba says” or “Russia says,” they are pronounced as written. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/8 "2009-08-31T09:00:42Z")
There is nothing wrong about speaking in a dialect. President Kennedy was speaking correctly when he referred to _Cuba_ as **Cube-er**. And Johnson was correct in referring to it as **Que-bah**. Maybe our next President will say **Coo-ba** if she wants to. Which British dialect says **Cuber**? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/9 "2009-08-31T09:08:59Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > Which British dialect says **Cuber**? Most of them, per **freckafree** ’s post. It’s called the “non-rhotic intrusive R”. It also occurs in Glasgow where there is a rhotic R. Pronouncing it with an R on the end _without_ a following vowel isn’t normal for any British dialect I know of. I do occasionally hear this on BBC dramas, usually from actors either trying to do British rural accents (qv the Archers) or American accents - very, very badly. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/10 "2009-08-31T09:37:07Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > But in the case of “Cuba says” or “Russia says,” they are pronounced as written. Really? Ku-Ba? and Rus-See-Ah? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/11 "2009-08-31T16:18:28Z")
I always like hearing Brits refer to the Central American country Nic-a-RAG-yoo-a and the metal al-u-MIN-yoo-mum. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Astronaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bad\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/12 "2009-08-31T20:29:25Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I always like hearing Brits refer to the Central American country Nic-a-RAG-yoo-a and the metal al-u-MIN-yoo-mum. Isn’t it al-u-MIN-ee-um? ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/13 "2009-08-31T21:25:13Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > They were saying ‘um’ and ‘uh’ with a New England accent. [Boston Brahmin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Brahmin_accent), to be precise. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erah-erah-erah-kennedy-speech-patterns/508216/14 "2009-08-31T21:28:32Z")
A Kennedy can not come onto my TV screen without me doing my impression of them going, “erah…”