Pumphrey’s Illustrated Pronunciation The Scream by E. Munch Today we will consider the sound of the letter r The letter r has many pronunciations, throughout the English-speaking world. Here we will try to pronounce it the standard Southern British way. Remember: British pronunciation is crazy. It will drive you mad trying to match up spelling and pronunciation. However, some people do need or want to sound more ‘English’ and understanding how this r is formed is vital for that. It will also help you to hear fast spoken English as you know what the fast-talking, lazy-muscled southern speakers are doing with their mouths.  Also, I think it’s amazing and I love talking about pronunciation. Luckily, there are some patterns to this sound… but, these patterns are TERRIFYING. Prepare yourself. Ready? These words in bold have a vowel sound after the r. This means you pronounce the r right    red    children   nearest   How do you pronounce it? WAIT, you are not ready yet. Keep going.   These words in bold have a consonant sound directly after the r. nurse    first    burn    work How do you pronounce it? YOU DON’T. DO NOT SAY THE r. Never say the r. Make a weird vowel sound and go directly to the final consonant. Quick quiz: What is the vowel sound that connects these four words? nurse    first    burn    work Answer: /3:/ the sound of ‘errrr…. I don’t know what to say’. How about these words? near    far    car    clear Well, if you say them with nothing after, DO NOT SAY THE r. If you say them with a consonant sound after, DO NOT SAY THE r. If you say them really slowly and clearly, DO NOT SAY THE r. If you speak fast, AND … Read more