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Dominik  +  239249 Fri, 23 Jun 06 08:40 AM
Thank you very much for the link. The subject is quite interesting and I know more and more about it. Could someone recommend a book or a chapter where the British and American Pronunciation is simply explained.
Joined on Thu, Jun 1 2006
Poland
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"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi...
Colombo  +  239276 Fri, 23 Jun 06 10:44 AM

 Dominik wrote:
I think that "y" is a consonant. You pronounce it like [j] so in my opinion it should be [hieju:a:] in "here you are" but I'm not sure because everyone pronounces it differently Smile [:)]

Maybe you're right. I tend to pronounce it in a rather vocalic way, but if you heard me speaking English then you'd know why I've told you not to trust me too much! Stick out tongue [:P]

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Dominik, 3 yr 153 days ago
My English probably isn't better. Let's wait maybe the British will voice their opinion.
Thethenothere123  +  239442 Fri, 23 Jun 06 11:27 PM
 Dominik wrote:
Thank you very much for the link. The subject is quite interesting and I know more and more about it. Could someone recommend a book or a chapter where the British and American Pronunciation is simply explained.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_pronunciation_differences

Wikipedia is your friend. Smile [:)]
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MrPedantic  +  239643 Sat, 24 Jun 06 01:45 PM

1. Here it is.

2. Here comes X.

Although the /r/ is pronounced in #1, in BrE, it's very light: not at all as strong as the /r/ in "rats", for instance, or the AmE pronunciation of "here".

Additionally, this would probably only apply to standard southern English: in some forms of Estuary English, for instance, you would hear a glottal stop in #1, rather than an /r/. In Scottish English (and some rural dialects), you would probably hear the /r/ in both #1 and #2.

MrP

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Dominik  +  239695 Sat, 24 Jun 06 06:49 PM
Thank you very much for your explanation. It's very interesting and complicated at the same time.
 Thanks also for the link about British and American pronunciation differences.

Kindest Regards
Dominik
Grammar Geek  +  239762 Sun, 25 Jun 06 12:56 AM

I'm sorry that I don't know how to use the IPA or other pronunciation symbols, but there are also accents within the US where the R is not strong - the Boston accent is frequently made fun of with the phrase "pahk the cah in the Hahvahd yahd" where the r's disappear almost entirely. In fact, after living in New England for so long, I answer to "Bob" because that's what "Barb" sounds like. (The non-prevocalic R goes away.)  In Maine, words that end in -er are pronounced like they end in -uh -- like if you speak softly, you are speaking in a "whispuh." (There is a net conservation of R's however, because they throw them on the end of words that end in a vowel, like "pizza" becoming "peetzer" and "Augusta" becoming "Auguster." So there is balance in the universe.)  In Downeast Maine, "here" is close to "hee-yuh."

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Dominik  +  239874 Sun, 25 Jun 06 11:21 AM
Thank you very much for your statement. I also don't know the IPA well. I use dictionary. I think that it is good that the languages are so diversified. The world is more interesting and fascinating because of that Smile [:)]

Regards


LeicesterLad  +  243959 Sun, 09 Jul 06 02:47 PM
To summarise everyone's comments Dominik - and also agree with you original statement - it's safe to say that, when learning British English, the "r" should not normally be pronounced EXCEPT when the following word starts with a vowel, where it always should.  The letter "y" very rarely acts as a vowel at the start of words in English so normally the "r" would not normally be sounded.  For example in "That is their yatch" you wouldn't sound the "r". 

Most British speakers combine words in phrases like "there is" into a single continuous sound and the r is sounded for convenience.  This is less common in German, where words starting with vowels are still seperated from the previous word, although ironically, in  German, the written words are more likely to be combined into one!

Having said that, some British accents (Scottish, Lancashire, Cornish etc) pronounce "r"s at the end of words - like in American English - but these are regional differences that I wouldn't worry about when learning English! 

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