The American English r-controlled vowels

American English has four widely recognized r-controlled-vowels: schwa+r, ar sound, or sound, and air sound. These sounds deserve special attention from any learner striving for American pronunciation. This is due to the fact that American English pronunciation is rhotic, meaning that the r sound is pronounced during r-controlled vowels, even if the following sound is a consonant sound. This is in contrast to British Received Pronunciation.

r-controlled vowel Key Words
schwa+r	/ɚ/	stir		the back of the tongue is bunched high so the sides of the tongue touch the back side teeth (same as the r sound)
ar sound	/ɑr/	star		the tongue is set low, inside the bottom teeth, then the sound moves into an r sound
or sound	/ɔr/	store		the tongue is pushed back and held middle-low, then the sound moves into an r sound
air sound	/ɛr/	stair		the tongue is slightly rounded upward in the middle of the mouth, then the sound moves into an r sound

The schwa+r pronunciation is unique in that it includes no vowel sound (it sounds identical to an r sound when spoken in isolation); however, it retains the vowel-like quality of being syllabic, forcing a syllable to occur. The three remaining r-controlled vowels are combinations of a vowel sound plus the r sound.

Complicating the pronunciation of r-controlled vowels is the fact that there are two options available for pronouncing the r portion of each sound:

• the bunched method, in which the sides of the back of the tongue are raised
• the tip-up method, in which the tip of the tongue is raised and curled back behind the tooth ridge

Since either option will produce an acceptable and correct sound, non-native speakers should experiment with both options to discover which is personally easier.

Pronuncian Lessons

  

Click here to join Pronuncian for full online access to all exercises and quizzes for this lesson.

Top-Ranked Lessons

long e sound /i/

Compare long a/long e/long i

Introduction to Approximant Sounds

l sound /l/

velar l sound /ɫ/

Introduction to Stops

t sound /t/

b sound /b/

g sound /ɡ/

k sound /k/

Letter x Pronunciation: k+s or g+z

Join Pronuncian
Products
Forums
Services
Podcasts
Advertise
FAQ