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How many languages use the rolling of Rs like Spanish or German, as English does not?

Question #63998. Asked by pjotr.

Related Trivia Topics: World   English  
Arpeggionist
Answer has 1 vote
Arpeggionist
21 year member
2173 replies

Answer has 1 vote.
There are several different kinds of roll as far as the Rs are concerned. There's the flipped R, which is heard in Italian and Spanish and even in some dialects of English. Then there's a slightly deerper rolled R in German and French. Hebrew uses a deep, guttural rolled R that many non speakers have a lot of trouble getting used to. There is one degree furher still, found in Arabic, of a combination of R, G, and a guttural stop, called a "Ghayin", which is found in names like Ghaza, Ghamorah, Baghdad and so forth.

Mar 28 2006, 1:09 AM
Flynn_17
Answer has 1 vote
Flynn_17
23 year member
604 replies

Answer has 1 vote.
The r in German is a funny thing, as it pronounced less like a hard R and more like an odd noise with your tongue dipped. Welsh uses trilled R's, though.

Mar 28 2006, 5:08 AM
loominitsa
Answer has 1 vote
loominitsa
22 year member
40 replies

Answer has 1 vote.
There is a special R sound in Gaelic too.Close your eyes and listen : 'therrre was a time when I nearrly said something" In this sentence the consonant "R" is very sonorrrrous

Mar 28 2006, 1:30 PM
bloomsby
Answer has 3 votes
Currently Best Answer
bloomsby
24 year member
584 replies

Answer has 3 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
The question makes the mistaken assumption that there is one single r-sound per language. This simply isn't the case. In much of Germany (and most of German-speaking Switzerland) the majority of native speakers use a uvular /r/ which is incorrectly described in English-speaking countries as "gutteral". However, in Bavaria (including Franconia) and Austria a rolled /r/ is much more common. In the extreme north-west (to the west of Bremen) a rolled /r/ coexists with the more common uvular /r/. Note: The references to regions are only approximate. Obviously, it's not a matter of "all change" at the border of, say, Bavaria with Hesse.

With a little effort and perseverance (and some gargling too, as that makes the uvular vibrate) the German uvular /r/ shouldn't be too hard for native speakers of English.

Mar 28 2006, 1:48 PM
smeogalla
Answer has 1 vote
smeogalla
20 year member
59 replies

Answer has 1 vote.
My Scottish partner canonot pronounce Carl as one syllable it comes out something like Carrrill. Poor Carl got called Carol for a time after that by the rest of the non Scottish Aussies.

Mar 28 2006, 10:14 PM
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