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Rolling/trilling your Rs

 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages Post Reply
Perisie
Newbie
United Kingdom
Joined 5235 days ago

1 posts - 2 votes

 
 Message 1 of 8
25 July 2010 at 11:19pm | IP Logged 
I have been struggling with the Spanish/russian/trilled R since I first attempted it over a year ago. Many British people can't do this (although many can do it completely naturally without practice).

My problem is not necessarily the tongue fluttering/vibrating.

My problem is combining the R sound with the fluttering, or creating an R sound whilst fluttering.

I was never good at pronouncing English Rs. I was one of those kids who say "wabbit" instead of "rabbit" (just one of a million things I was being teased for by age 14. and people wonder why I'm bitter?). I still accidently say Ws instead of Rs sometimes, maybe once or twice a week.

In trilling my Rs in words, I seem to get the pronounciation of the R out in "higher pitch" words like Trist and Rest.

When it comes to lower pitch words like Room, the fluttering occurs but the strong R sound doesn't - it comes out more like "UH-rOOM".

I cannot growl (GRRRRR) and I cannot purr (PRRRRR).

If you have any ideas on how to advise me it would be greatly appreciated!!!

YOUTUBE LINK of me trying to say various things:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W_ztlMVqek&feature=player_em bedded
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aarontp
Groupie
United States
Joined 5266 days ago

94 posts - 139 votes 

 
 Message 2 of 8
25 July 2010 at 11:45pm | IP Logged 
I'm having trouble with it as well. Which is annoying because I'm studying both Spanish
and Russian. I'm a little concerned I may never get it.
1 person has voted this message useful



slucido
Bilingual Diglot
Senior Member
Spain
https://goo.gl/126Yv
Joined 6674 days ago

1296 posts - 1781 votes 
4 sounds
Speaks: Spanish*, Catalan*
Studies: English

 
 Message 3 of 8
26 July 2010 at 12:01am | IP Logged 
You can look at my sounds.

I uploaded some explanations two years ago. Maybe it's useful for you.

http://www.how-to-learn-any-language.com/sounds/index.asp?b= 1559


Spanish Rolling R:

http://www.how-to-learn-any-language.com/sounds/242.mp3

Shadowing Spanish rolling R:

http://www.how-to-learn-any-language.com/sounds/235.mp3

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aarontp
Groupie
United States
Joined 5266 days ago

94 posts - 139 votes 

 
 Message 4 of 8
26 July 2010 at 12:23am | IP Logged 
Perisie wrote:

I was never good at pronouncing English Rs. I was one of those kids who say "wabbit"
instead of "rabbit" (just one of a million things I was being teased for by age 14. and
people wonder why I'm bitter?). I still accidently say Ws instead of Rs sometimes, maybe
once or twice a week.



I just noticed that. Funny, I had to go to speech therapy as a kid for my r's as well.
I think I have it down now though :) I also struggle distinguishing sounds sometimes;
particularly over the phone. It's the "easy" things in life that give me the most
trouble.    
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aarontp
Groupie
United States
Joined 5266 days ago

94 posts - 139 votes 

 
 Message 5 of 8
26 July 2010 at 12:27am | IP Logged 
I have one question Slucido. Where on the palate do you usually touch your tongue? Is
it right on the border with the teeth, or further back? Does any part of the tongue
touch the teeth? I'm told by Spanish speakers that my ordinary Spanish r sounds fine.
It's just the trilling that I need work on.    
1 person has voted this message useful



johntm93
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5326 days ago

587 posts - 746 votes 
2 sounds
Speaks: English*
Studies: German, Spanish

 
 Message 6 of 8
26 July 2010 at 3:12am | IP Logged 
Look at some videos on youtube, it's kind of tricky at first but I got it pretty quickly (I can even do it with a retainer in!)
Even with your "impediment" (if that's what you want to call it, no offense if it isn't) I think you could learn it if you try.
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Teango
Triglot
Winner TAC 2010 & 2012
Senior Member
United States
teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5555 days ago

2210 posts - 3734 votes 
Speaks: English*, German, Russian
Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona

 
 Message 7 of 8
26 July 2010 at 12:58pm | IP Logged 
I know a girl who couldn't roll her 'R's properly most her life despite being Russian. It's far more common than you may first think (I also know two Italians with the same problem). So anyway, one day, now in her mid-twenties, she decided she was fed up with this and just practiced the sound for an hour or so and nothing else. It was probably not the most exciting thing to do at the time, but one of the most rewarding. She was able to perfect the sound that very day and has never had a problem since. True story.

I could contact her and ask what she did in particular, if you like? :)

Edited by Teango on 26 July 2010 at 1:04pm

1 person has voted this message useful



slucido
Bilingual Diglot
Senior Member
Spain
https://goo.gl/126Yv
Joined 6674 days ago

1296 posts - 1781 votes 
4 sounds
Speaks: Spanish*, Catalan*
Studies: English

 
 Message 8 of 8
26 July 2010 at 3:09pm | IP Logged 
aarontp wrote:
I have one question Slucido. Where on the palate do you usually touch your tongue? Is
it right on the border with the teeth, or further back? Does any part of the tongue
touch the teeth? I'm told by Spanish speakers that my ordinary Spanish r sounds fine.
It's just the trilling that I need work on.    


I don't touch my teeth with my tongue. It touches a little behind the teeth and trills.

It's the sound that children produce when they imagine that they're shooting a sub-machine gun.



Edited by slucido on 26 July 2010 at 3:13pm



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