American R Sounds

[@deepsolar169]

You've been putting out a lot of videos and I'm so happy to see it! Keep doing what you're doing!

[@AccentHelp]

Let me know if you have anything specific you'd like me to cover!

[@laracroftvideos]

It's great to see you upload so frequently again, I think you have so much to offer and I've watched every single video of yours about a hundred times.

[@AccentHelp]

Let me know if you have a specific question or topic I could hit on for you!

[@wagnerjunior6524]

You're the accent narrow transcription MASTER!

[@AccentHelp]

I prefer Sir Narrow Transcription, if you please.

[@reanolan]

I always love these little tutorials Jim. Cheers.

[@daniicinalli5553]

Thank you for doing all these videos! I am a Translation student from Argentina and these help me so much! Keep going🤍✨

[@Mirador1]

I would usually write it as [ɹ̠ʷ] in narrow transcriptions. Because I think it is postalveolar and labalized in GenAm. (I'm not a native speaker). Though I don't really understand the "More rounded" thing, maybe they're equivalent, I don't know. I have some question: 1) Are /ɹ̩/, /ɚ/ and /əɹ/ the same? 2) Of /ɑɹ/, /ɑ˞/, or /ɑ˞ɹ/, which is the best transcription for the word "are" in GenAm? Because I haven't seen the "Rothicity" diacritic in other vowels besides /ə/ and /ɜ/, should it be in any vowel that is just before R, like the "Nasalized" diacritic that is always in any vowel before N or M.

[@AccentHelp]

I'll do another vlog post to try to answer these!

[@ramzy-6566]

Great as always. Thank you.

[@jeans.p.7822]

Truly nice video, as usual. Unfortunately, I've failed to learn the devoiced flap due to lack of resources on the internet. Any tips?

[@AccentHelp]

I'll make a video - I'm assuming you're talking about devoicing the flap/tap R sound? (as in weDDing or buTTer - but devoiced)

[@jeans.p.7822]

@@AccentHelp Yes, that's exactly the sound I'm talking about. I can't even think how may I thank you for cogitating doing it!

[@i-anhsieh98]

Hello Mr Jim Johnson, I wonder how we can solve the problem when the tongue tip curls too much backwards when pronouncing the r sound tho, thank you.

[@AccentHelp]

Try to point it - without extending it - straight at your front upper teeth. In the long run, it's more about relaxing the front of the tongue, as the middle and back are what do the work on American Rs.

[@davidd3277]

Hi Jim, great videos. Do you have a video on that trilled 'r' that a lot of people have trouble with? (I think it's in Spanish, Arabic, Russian and more)

[@AccentHelp]

I'll do a vlog post about the trills, and I'll try to make suggestions on how to do them, if you struggle.

[@TheWorriedCat]

love the videos... so informative but digestible. was wondering, could you maybe do a video about aging/fading american dialects?

[@AccentHelp]

They're all aging and shifting, and some are dying out, indeed. The old "R-dropping Southern" for example. And then Gullah is fading because the speakers aren't as isolated anymore. And many New Yorkers don't drop their Rs as much as they used to, and hardly any of them say "foyst" for "first" anymore. And no more Boston Brahman...

[@austinswift9386]

The best of the best!!!!

[@ramzy-6566]

is the word ( Moderna ) in american accent IPA like this /ˈmɛdɝnə/ . and how many syllables and with syllable stressed. Thank you.

[@AccentHelp]

I tend to hear [məˈdɛɚ.nə]. You can find these kinds of things in pronouncing dictionaries online or via apps. I highly recommend the Cambridge Pronouncing Dictionary, which offers both RP and General American pronunciations, including recordings.

[@ramzy-6566]

@@AccentHelp Thank you so much for the best reply.

[@kornvondorn5275]

Dear author, what kind of accent you got?

[@AccentHelp]

Northwest Iowa, influenced by being a Danish town, and also influenced by years of doing speech & accent work and living in Chicago & Houston. I'm a mutt.

[@marlonbrenno2778]

I have doubts about the pronunciation of the word "Cure". I'm aware the this word begins with some sort of cluster /k/ as in cat + /y/ as in yes, so we have /ky/. However, the Vowel sound in this word kind of tricks me up. I don't know for sure if it's /or/ as in more o if it's /er/ as in her. Sometimes I even hear this word pronounced with some kind of /oo/ as in food /kyoor/. It's so confusing. Is there any standart pronunciation or ALL three pronunciation are fine? /kyor/, /kyer/, /kyoor/? What the heck!

[@AccentHelp]

For many people, it's also realized as /kjʊɚ/. (The /j/ is the phonetic symbol for what we commonly call the Y-sound. /ʊɚ/ is what a lot of people say for TOUR even if they don't for CURE. /ʊ/ alone is the sound a lot of people say in words like FOOT or COULD. All of the pronunciations you mentioned are very common and are typically understood clearly enough to be considered "fine" for communication. It varies a good deal, even in a smaller region of the US. There's not as much variation in this sound in the UK.

[@geebabyt1221]

Idk how to really type this question but, I was watching a movie about JFK, and it seemed like every word with “er” or “ur” in the middle sounded like “uoy” . Example, Instead of bURning, it sounds like, “bUOYning” does that make sense?? Lol

[@AccentHelp]

It's "non-rhotic" - so they drop the Rs. In addition, many people from in or near Boston slightly round that vowel, especially pre-2000 or so, so that's what you're likely hearing!