I can’t help in finding a speech therapist, but I think it’s the best solution to your difficulty.
L and R are related sounds, and not every language has them both or divides them in the same way. I don’t know if your first language is Kannada, Hindi, or something else, but if it doesn’t make a distinction between the two, or if the distinction in English is different, it’s a real challenge for a language learner.
Step one is to make sure you hear the difference. Can you hear the different between “right” and “light” without having to think about it? What about “feel” and “fear” (American pronunciation)?
I should point out that British English has two different L sounds: “feel” and “fall” are slightly different. Also, in British English, “roar” has two different R sounds. My dialect of American English has one L and one R, and I can’t hear or make the different British L sounds. Some dialects of English have a rolled R, most don’t. In other words, there is a lot of variety in how to make these sounds, and the “correct” version depends where you are. You can try different Rs if you have trouble rolling it or making the dog-growl sound.
Once you hear the difference, it just takes a lot of practice, ideally with feedback (another person or a recording of your voice). It takes a long time until it becomes natural.
I think British English has three different L sounds. There’s also initial L, like in the word like.
And I have never heard an American English dialect that doesn’t have all three of these, too. Consonant at the beginning of the syllable (like), vowel after close vowels (feel), and coloration after more open vowels (fall). If you have the time to record yourself, Dr. Drake, I’d be interested.
I can sympathize, as my wife is Japanese. They have a sound that is sort of half way between the two. They actually can’t hear or pronounce these two letters without a lot of practice.
After many years in the U.S. ,she has pretty much gotten over the problem, but still sometimes she can’t differentiate between the two. Either hearing or speaking the word.
For example, two words that still drive her nuts are “Earl” and “pearl.” I suppose because they have both the L and the R right together. Can you manage to say those two words?
A speech therapist probably would help, but another suggestion would be to try to find a drama voice coach. These guys usually try to get actors to get rid of a regional accent, but do pretty good work with problems such as yours.
If you can’t find one of those, but can find an actor (film or theater) who is good at English, he/she might be able to help you with this.
I used to torment my wife by asking her to say “Around the rugged rock, three ragged rascals ran.” Actually, she can do it now.
It’s hard for English speakers to learn the difference between dark l and clear l in Lithuanian, for the same reason. We only have one [l] phoneme, so those two sounds sound the same to us.
not trying to be snarky but there is a reason they call that strange version of english you see on Japanese products “engrish” you are certainly not the only person out there with trouble between “L” and “R” sounds.
I speak pretty standard Southern California English, so my accent is shared pretty broadly with most of the people you see in film & tv. If you hear two Ls in their speech, they probably exist in mine too. All I know is that your tongue is supposed to be in slightly different places for L around a/o/u vs. e/i, and mine isn’t. (I’m happy to make a recording, but I’m technology challenged: is there a website where I can go?)
Well, I don’t know how much this will help but my daughter had a problem with Rs, though pronouncing them as W. We went to a speech therapist (Because her pediatrician said, “What was acceptable at four is not acceptable at five.”) and one of the exercises she was told to do was to drink thick milkshakes or smoothies through a narrow straw.
Evidently, this was to strengthen the muscles used to produce the sound. Couple the face you make while sucking something through a straw and the tongue on the roof of the mouth (rather than behind the teeth) and there you have it. The therapist had it corrected in about six visits, all of which were covered by our insurance.
Kannada, Tamil, Konkani, Telugu and Hindu all have distinct L and R sounds, and of course English does as well. Every language the OP could have possibly been exposed to when he was young has both sounds.
