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Literature on guttural/uvular "R" | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4949 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes  Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 1 of 2 14 March 2012 at 7:03am | IP Logged |
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What I have discovered in my studies of the European languages I have chosen (French, German, Portuguese), has evidenced that this guttural "r" sound is a trully recent phenomenon, as compared to some other matters that usually are the subject of discussion.
According to 17th century French literature, this sound didn't really exist at least in suggested usage (which may not be an indication of popular speech), and teaching material of the time prescribed as a pronounciation of the letter "r" the /r/ (IPA) phoneme, or the trill. I find it amazing to think that only a couple centuries ago in the past, French may have been pronounced without this signature sound! What is more interesting is that the change seems even more recent in Portugal (19th century), and before that, same story, the trill was the correct realization of "r". Even today the more remote parts of Portugal have not converted to the guttural. In Germany, it seems the older generation uses more the trill, while the younger speakers trend towards the guttural. What I have read indicates that the trill has existed in German dialects for a long time, but the guttural has been gaining ground. I have two questions: 1) Why is it that the guttural has gained ground? Is it just a matter of the trill being a more difficult sound to master (this is the conventional wisdom one always hears), or is there something cultural? Is there scientific literature available on this topic? I have tried searching but I get very little of substance, and lots of urban legends (Louis XIV, blah, blah). Thanks! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4668 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 2 of 2 14 March 2012 at 1:43pm | IP Logged |
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In Portuguese the two R's are not in the free distribution:
In Continental Portuguese, there's a ''Strong R'' represented by double RR, initial R- and R aftern N, L, S. And a ''weak R'' (in all other cases). Strong R can be pronounced as an uvular trill or an alveolar trill, the weak R is always an alveolar tap/flap, so the difference between carro (strong R) ''car'' and caro (weak R) ''expensive''. in maintained. (Only in the city of Setúbal all R's are pronounced in the French way, but most Portuguese mock this accent!) In Brazilian Portuguese the strong R is pronounced like English H [h] or somewhat stronger, as [x] (Scotish Loch), but it sounds more like an H, than like an R. Furthermore, in most accents/dialects in Brazil (except São Paulo and the South) the strong R is used even for R at the end of a syllable/word: porto ['pohtu] harbor, amar [a'mah] to love. But as in Portugal, intervocalically the difference is maintained: carro (with [h]) car, automobile ~ caro (flap) expensive. In Norway, the uvular R is used in the Southwest, it is a recent phenomenon (200 years or so) which was imported from Denmark. The uvular pronunciation of R is unlikely to spread outside the West and the South because 1. retroflex consonants used in Northern, Central, and Southestern Norway (which are results of joining the alveolar R and the following consonant) are blocking it. 2. Telemark (The westernmost province with an alveolar R) is sparsely populated, especially its western parts, so this geographical block is also working against the spread of the guttural R outside the Western and Southern Norway. That being said, most northern parts of Western Norway are still tap-R zone, but it won't be for long since the uvular R is spreading from the regional center of Western Norway: Bergen. In France, the tap R is still used in Burgundy. In Germany, even many educated Bavarians use the tap R. It's almost a matter of regional pride. In Dutch, the alveolar R is still preferred in Belgium, although some dialects (like the one in Gent use the French r), but since, Antwerp pronunciation is becoming a defacto model for Belgian Dutch, all newscasters on Flemish TV's use the tap R only, I've never really heard a French R used by newscasters, even on local Flemish TV stations. Phonetically speaking, we can't analyze a Brazilian [h] as a rhotic consonant, although phonemically it is the pronunciation of strong R. In Southern Brazil and São Paulo Ramón is pronounced like Spanish Jamón (the only difference being the nasalization). In Northeastern and Northern Brazil, the strong R is even more distant from R: Ramon [ha'mõ]. So, when you're in Rio, make sure you pronounce the name of the city correctly: Rio ['hiju]. HE-you ;) The only Spanish dialect with guttural R's is PuertoRican, but many people don't consider this pronunciation part of the cultivated language. So, it's the opposite from the situation in French or German. The Wikipedia page has a nice map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttural_R The map for Norway:  
As for references: Trudgill, Peter (1974), "Linguistic change and diffusion: Description and explanation in sociolinguistic dialect", Language in Society 3 (2): 215–246 Thaïs Cristófaro Silva, Fonética e fonologia de português; 2001, Ed. Ática, São Paulo We can't say for sure...why, when or where...Just like in the case of American English. Why, where and when did the Cot/Caught merger start? Why and when did Americans start pronouncing writing like riding, both with an alveolar tap/flap? ;) As for the guttural R's, many different sounds are thrown in here... Brazilian [h] in Rio, Israel; Uvular trill common in Lisbon (and similar to Dutch G), French R which can be very strong (as in Genre) or very light; German R which is much softer than the French R or Lisbon initial R/Dutch G. Should we concentrate on sounds (phonetics) [r] vs [h] vs [x] vs [X]) or phonology (types of R). Edited by Medulin on 14 March 2012 at 2:20pm 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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