RHOTIC AND NON-RHOTIC
ACCENTS
ACCENTS vs. DIALECTS:
When varieties of English differ in terms of
pronunciation only, we can treat them as distinct
accents.
When differences can be found in pronunciation, lexis
(vocabulary) and grammar, such varieties may be
treated as distinct dialects.
RHOTIC ACCENTS in English  accents in which /r/
sound can be pronounced in every position in a word.
Every /r/ which is present in the spelling is pronounced.
Standard American English pronunciation (ie. General
American) is an example of a rhotic accent.
" NON-RHOTIC ACCENTS: accents of English in
which /r/ sound can be pronounced only in
certain position inside a word, i.e. before a vowel.
Ex.: risk /rðIðsðkð/, arrow /Ïðrð«ðUð/.
" The /r/ sound which occurs in spelling but is
followed by a consonant, or is word-final, is not
pronounced.
Ex.: bar /bðAðÄ…ð/, farm /fðAðÄ…ðmð/, firm /fðäðÄ…ðmð/.
Standard British English pronunciation (often
referred to as RP, i.e. Received Pronunciation) is a
non-rhotic accent.
" Rhotic varieties of English:
GA (General American), Canadian English, Irish English,
Scottish English, English spoken in the South of New
Zealand, and in the south-western part of England.
Non-rhotic varieties of English:
RP (Received Pronunciation), South African English,
Australian English, (the greater part of) New Zealand
English, English spoken in the parts of USA: the South
and New England (north-eastern part of USA).
" All non-rhotic varieties of English used to be rhotic:
the prevocalic or word-final /r/ underwent a
historical process of elision (dropping).
" Non-rhotic varieties of English, such as RP, exhibit the
phenomena of LINKING /r/ and INTRUSIVE /r/.
" LINKING /r/ is the word-final /r/ which gets
pronounced when the next word starts with a vowel,
e.g. far /fðAðÄ…ð/ but far away / fðAðÄ…ðr«ð wðeðIð/
Or: the bar /Dð«ð bðAðÄ…ð/ vs. The bar is open
/Dð«ð  bðAðÄ…ðrð Iðzð «ðUðpð«ð/
" INTRUSIVE /r/ - /r/ which is not justified historically (and
is not present in spelling) but is added when a given word
ends in a vowel and the next word starts with a vowel as
well.
" Ex.: law and order /lðOðÄ…ðrð«ðOðÄ…ðdð«ð/
Shah of Persia /SðAðrð «ðvð pðäðÄ…ðSðIð«ð/
The idea of /DðIð aðIðdðIð«ðrð «ðvð/
Speakers of non-rhotic accents may also insert /r/ word-
medially, as in drawing /dðrðOðÄ…ðrðIðNð/.
The usage of intrusive /r/ has been stigmatized as incorrect
but speakers of RP do insert intrusive /r/, especially when
one or both of the adjacent vowels is a schwa /«ð/.