HERE - British Pronunciation?

Question

HERE - British Pronunciation?

0
13,306

+0

I have read in Oxford dictionary that in British English you don't pronounce "r" at the end of a word or when a word ends in "re" , if the next word starts in a consonant. If the next word starts in a vowel, you pronounce "r"
His car was old. -> [ca:]
His car isn't old -> [car]

What about "here" in these phrases? Do we act in a similar way?

here you are [hie]
here is [hier]
when "here" is alone -> here/in here [hie]

Am I right? Could somebody explain it?

Thanks in advance!

Jun 19 2006 17:00:41

Comments

Have I really stirred things up

or is it too difficult to explain it? I'm in a state of total confusion because in Poland most people pronounce "here" as [hir] the same as Americans

Jun 20 2006 09:29:45

Well, I'm not a native speaker, so it's better not to say anything about delicate pronunciation matters! However, as far as I know, even if "r" is at the end of the word, it can be pronunced as a weak sound. Hope it helps.

Jun 20 2006 12:43:09

Students: We have free audio pronunciation exercises.

I know that, but my question is WHEN do we pronounce "here" like [hir] and when like [hie] in BrE. Thank you very much for your reply nevertheless.

P.S. It should be "here it is" [hier] not "here is"

Jun 20 2006 13:19:31

I'm not a native speaker, either, so I cannot explain you anything. I usually pronounce that final "r" like the British (that is, I don't pronounce it unless it's before a vowel). As for the word "here" and similar words, I do likewise. So, for example, in "here it is", I pronounce the "r", while in "here" alone or in "here comes", I don't. In the case of "here you are", I'm not so sure. I do pronounce the "r" in that case ([hier]), probably owing to the fact that the "y" seems to be a vocalic sound (is it?) So I should say that the case of "here" is the same as that of the words ending with an "r": [hier] before vowels (in my opinion, that includes "y"), and [hie] everywhere else. But, as I've told you, I'm not a native speaker, so don't rely completely on what I've said.

Here in Spain most people pronounce those final r's, too. There might be two explanations for that: either it's because of the huge influence of American English everywhere, or because we have a tendency to pronounce everything as it's written (so if we see an "r", we utter it).

Jun 21 2006 12:50:56

Hi,
Thank you very much for your reply. 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

In Polish Language you pronounce each "r" that is why it couses us trouble.

Jun 21 2006 15:15:32

Teachers: We supply a list of EFL job vacancies

I realize that this is off-topic, but in American English, we always pronounce the final "R." I cannot think of instance where it is otherwise. Which, of course, means if you are questioned about it, you can claim that you were taught by an American.

Cheers.
Karl

Jun 22 2006 03:07:28

Thank you very much for your statement. I know, maybe I'm wasting time on trivialities but on the other hand it would be better not to mix up BrE with AmE during a conversation.

Kindest regards
Dominik

Jun 22 2006 10:09:12

Jun 23 2006 08:00:38

Site Hint: Check out our list of pronunciation videos.

Answer this Question

Have I really stirred things up or is it too difficult to explain it? I'm in a state of total confusion because in Poland most people pronounce "here" as [hir] the same as Americans
Well, I'm not a native speaker, so it's better not to say anything about delicate pronunciation matters! However, as far as I know, even if "r" is at the end of the word, it can be pronunced as a weak sound. Hope it helps.
I know that, but my question is WHEN do we pronounce "here" like [hir] and when like [hie] in BrE. Thank you very much for your reply nevertheless.

P.S. It should be "here it is" [hier] not "here is"
I'm not a native speaker, either, so I cannot explain you anything. I usually pronounce that final "r" like the British (that is, I don't pronounce it unless it's before a vowel). As for the word "here" and similar words, I do likewise. So, for example, in "here it is", I pronounce the "r", while in "here" alone or in "here comes", I don't. In the case of "here you are", I'm not so sure. I do pronounce the "r" in that case ([hier]), probably owing to the fact that the "y" seems to be a vocalic sound (is it?) So I should say that the case of "here" is the same as that of the words ending with an "r": [hier] before vowels (in my opinion, that includes "y"), and [hie] everywhere else. But, as I've told you, I'm not a native speaker, so don't rely completely on what I've said.

Here in Spain most people pronounce those final r's, too. There might be two explanations for that: either it's because of the huge influence of American English everywhere, or because we have a tendency to pronounce everything as it's written (so if we see an "r", we utter it).
Hi,
Thank you very much for your reply. 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
In Polish Language you pronounce each "r" that is why it couses us trouble.
I realize that this is off-topic, but in American English, we always pronounce the final "R." I cannot think of instance where it is otherwise. Which, of course, means if you are questioned about it, you can claim that you were taught by an American.

Cheers.
Karl
Thank you very much for your statement. I know, maybe I'm wasting time on trivialities but on the other hand it would be better not to mix up BrE with AmE during a conversation.

Kindest regards
Dominik

HERE - British Pronunciation?

Answer this Question

Related Topics

Guides