Non Rhotic

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Save the explanation now and read when you’ve got time to spare.

Save

Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persönlichen Lernstatistiken

Jetzt kostenlos anmelden

Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen.

Jetzt kostenlos anmelden

You will probably be familiar with non-rhotic accents, even if you don't know what the word non-rhotic means! Non-rhoticity is a linguistic feature that has been the subject of much debate and study among linguists. Found in English speakers from the West Indies, South Africa, and England non-rhoticity is a fascinating subject to explore even if you are simply curious about the diversity of the English language.

Non-rhotic: meaning

Non-rhotic refers to when the /r/ consonant sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. Non-rhotic is also known as r-dropping.

Non-rhotic accent

A non-rhotic accent drops the /r/ sound if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. For example, if the words 'start', 'park' and 'butter', are spoken with a non-rhotic accent, the /r/ sounds will not be pronounced. Instead, they are pronounced like this:

start = /stɑːt/ - the /r/ is not pronounced as it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant.
park = /pɑːk/ - like the previous word, the /r/ comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, so it is dropped.
butter = /ˈbʌtə/ - here, the /r/ is dropped as it comes at the end of the word.

Non-rhotic English

Although there are some exceptions (such as most West Country accents and Scottish accents), most British English accents are considered non-rhotic. One of the most well-known non-rhotic accents is the standard British English accent, also known as Received Pronunciation. This is the accent that is used most by those in London and South East England.

Like British English, Australian, New Zealand English, and South African English are also mostly non-rhotic.

On the other hand, Canadian English accents are almost entirely rhotic, meaning the /r/ sound is always pronounced. Further, most American English accents are rhotic. There are some exceptions though, such as:

The traditional New York City dialect (currently less so)
The traditional Rhode Island dialect (currently less so)
The African American Vernacular English (AAVE) dialect
Parts of Alabama
Savannah, Georgia
Norfolk, Virginia
The Yat accent (New Orleans)
Areas of New England, particularly Boston and Maine

Non-rhotic accent: examples

Below are some examples of words pronounced using a non-rhotic accent. These words will be phonetically transcribed using the standard British English pronunciation, as it is a non-rhotic accent:

Word	Non-rhotic pronunciation (standard British English)
Marker	/mɑːkə/
Card	/kɑːd/
Heart	/hɑːt/
Fear	/fɪə/
Learn	/lɜːn/
Father	/fɑːðə/

One sound that is commonly used in non-rhotic accents is the schwa (/ə/) vowel sound. For example, the 'o' in the word 'corrupt', or the 'e' in 'soldier.' This is used instead of an /r/ sound, although the word will still be spelt with an 'r' at the end.

Rhotic vs non-rhotic

The opposite of a non-rhotic accent is a rhotic accent. This refers to when the /r/ sound is always pronounced, no matter where it is in a word. An example of a rhotic accent is the standard American English accent.

Non Rhotic Image of US and UK flag Vaia

Fig. 1 - Standard American English is rhotic, whereas standard British English is non-rhotic.

Let's compare this to standard British English pronunciation:

Word	Rhotic American English	Non-rhotic British English
Marker	/mɑrkər/	/mɑːkə/
Card	/kɑrd/	/kɑːd/
Heart	/hɑrt/	/hɑːt/
Fear	/fɪr/	/fɪə/
Learn	/lɜrn/	/lɜːn/
Father	/ˈfɑðər/	ˈ/fɑːðə/

Notice how the /r/ sound is present in the rhotic pronunciations but not in the non-rhotic pronunciations.

Non-Rhotic - Key takeaways

A non-rhotic accent drops the /r/ sound if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word.
The opposite of a non-rhotic accent is a rhotic accent. the /r/ sound is always pronounced, no matter where it is in a word.
The majority of British English accents are considered to be non-rhotic (although there are some exceptions).
The majority of Australian and New Zealand English accents are non-rhotic.
Most American English accents are rhotic, but a few are non-rhotic.

Frequently Asked Questions about Non Rhotic

A non-rhotic accent refers to when the /r/ consonant sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it comes at the end of a word.

With a rhotic accent, the /r/ sound is always pronounced. With a non-rhotic accent, the /r/ sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it comes at the end of a word.

Rhoticity in English refers to the use of the rhotic /r/ consonant sound in words. Non-rhoticity is the dropping of the /r/ sound.

A non-rhotic accent is an accent that drops the /r/ sound if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. An example of a non-rhotic accent is the standard British English accent.

Most British English accents are indeed non-rhotic (although there are some exceptions).

Final Non Rhotic Quiz

Non Rhotic Quiz - Teste dein Wissen

Question

Non-rhotic is also known as what?

Show answer

Answer

r-dropping

Show question

Question

What is the opposite of non-rhotic?

Show answer

Answer

Rhotic

Show question

Question

True or false?

The Australian English accent is mostly non-rhotic.

Show answer

Answer

True

Show question

Question

True or false?

The New Zealand English accent is mostly non-rhotic.

Show answer

Answer

True

Show question

Question

True or false?

The standard British English accent is rhotic.

Show answer

Answer

True

Show question

Question

True or false?

The standard American English accent is non-rhotic.

Show answer

Answer

True

Show question

Question

A non-rhotic accent does what?

Show answer

Answer

Drops the 'r' in some cases

Show question

Question

True or false?

A non-rhotic accent always pronounces the 'r', no matter where it is in a word.

Show answer

Answer

False

Show question

Question

True or false?

A non-rhotic accent never pronounces any /r/ sounds.

Show answer

Answer

False

Show question

Question

Fill in the blanks:

Non-rhotic refers to when the /r/ consonant sound is not pronounced if it comes ______ a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the ______ of a word.

Show answer

Answer

after, end

Show question

Question

Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of butter?

Show answer

Answer

/bʌtə/

Show question

Question

Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of farmer?

Show answer

Answer

/fɑːmə/

Show question

Question

Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of car?

Show answer

Answer

/kɑː/

Show question

Question

Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of hard?

Show answer

Answer

/hɑːd/

Show question

Question

Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of near?

Show answer

Answer

/nɪə/

Show question

Question

Name one of the most common British English accents that is non-rhotic.

Show answer

Answer

Received Pronunciation

Show question

Question

Is the Canadian accent mostly rhotic or non-rhotic?

Show answer

Answer

Rhotic

Show question

Question

List three American accents that are non-rhotic.

Show answer

Answer

Any from this list:

The traditional New York City dialect
The traditional Rhode Island dialect
The African American Vernacular English (AAVE) dialect
Parts of Alabama
Savannah, Georgia
Norfolk, Virginia
The Yat accent (New Orleans)
Areas of New England, particularly Boston and Maine

Show question

Question

Which country has more non-rhotic accents?

Show answer

Answer

Show question

Question

What sound is commonly found in non-rhotic pronunciations of words ending in /r/?

Show answer

Answer

The vowel sound, schwa (/ə/)

Show question

More about Non Rhotic

How would you like to learn this content?

Creating flashcards

Studying with content from your peer

Taking a short quiz

How would you like to learn this content?

Creating flashcards

Studying with content from your peer

Taking a short quiz

Free english cheat sheet!

Everything you need to know on . A perfect summary so you can easily remember everything.

Email Address*

Select your language

Non Rhotic

Non-rhotic: meaning

Non-rhotic accent

Non-rhotic English

Non-rhotic accent: examples

Rhotic vs non-rhotic

Non-Rhotic - Key takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions about Non Rhotic

What is a non-rhotic accent?

What is the difference between rhotic and non-rhotic?

What is rhoticity in English?

What is a non-rhotic accent?

Is British non-rhotic?

Final Non Rhotic Quiz

Non Rhotic Quiz - Teste dein Wissen

More explanations about International English

Discover the right content for your subjects

Biology

Business Studies

Chemistry

Combined Science

Computer Science

Economics

Engineering

English Literature

Environmental Science

Geography

History

Human Geography

Law

Macroeconomics

Marketing

Math

Microeconomics

Physics

Politics

Psychology

Sociology

No need to cheat if you have everything you need to succeed! Packed into one app!

Study Plan

Quizzes

Flashcards

Notes

Study Sets

Documents

Study Analytics

Weekly Goals

Smart Reminders

Rewards

Magic Marker

Smart Formatting

Join millions of people in learning anywhere, anytime - every day

This is still free to read, it's not a paywall.

You need to register to keep reading

This is still free to read, it's not a paywall.

You need to register to keep reading

Start learning with StudySmarter, the only learning app you need.

Create a free account to save this explanation.

StudySmarter bietet alles, was du für deinen Lernerfolg brauchst - in einer App!