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Debate: The extra 'r'

Forum member Johnnyhobbit was annoyed by a quirk of pronunciation

28 Feb
2006

Copyrighted Image Jupiter Images Speech bubbles

I've been puzzling over this one for a while,the extra r in words like drawing (draw(r)ing),thaw(r)ing, saw(r)ing.

I have watch this extra r explode over the last 10 years one by one the news readers,presenters,actors etc... have adopted this awful r.

Is it a vogue thing? has it always been there but just blossomed? or is it an evergreen of of a particular dialect that has spread like Japanese knotweed?.

I've seen brochures advertising bedside cabinets with 3 draws...(where's the er?)its drawers.

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the 'r' disease

Archive Comments

hello
first time on thought i'd add my two penny's worth.Ive been puzzling over this one for a while,the extra r in words like drawing (draw(r)ing),thaw(r)ing, saw(r)ing.I have watch this extra r explode over the last 10 years one by one the news readers,presenters,actors etc...have adopted this awful r.Is it a vogue thing? has it always been there but just blossomed? or is it an evergreen of of a particular dialect that has spread like japanese knotweed?.I've seen brochures advertising bedside cabinets with 3 draws...(where's the er?)its drawers.
.ps draw'r'ing ( a ring with a lead nib)
johnno

Re: the 'r' disease

Archive Comments

I am a Devonian and when I was a lad we had evacuees from in and around London who came to live with us for a while. To begin with we had trouble understanding some of the things they said and, of course, vice versa. I can remember being very puzzled by words like 'Drawring' for 'drawing' because it sounded strange to my unaccustomed ears. I have often thought since that it was odd that an 'R' was added where none existed and yet where there were 'Rs', particularly at the ends of words, they left them out.
Us Devonians pronounce our 'Rs' and drop our 'Hs'. We can be upbraided for this by people who want us to be 'well spoken'. The odd thing is that some of these so called 'well spoken' folks pronounce their 'Hs' but drop their 'Rs'. I find that very strange.

Re: the 'r' disease

Archive Comments

dropping one's 'Rs' is something I have tried to avoid not for snobby reasons more as just a personal choice

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Tuesday, 28th February 2006
Tuesday, 28th February 2006

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