Pronunciation of "r"

How would you describe the pronunciation of r to somebody who speaks English as second language?

Solution 1:

The pronunciation of [r] is very difficult for some Asians, especially r in the middle of a word such as " murder". Also Germans pronounce [r] completely different with the forms existing in English, also it's different in many other languages. It's a good idea to teach them with Visual aids and graphical content. Also that would be helpful to teach them the differences that will happen in meaning by wrong pronunciation of [r] in some of the words.

To pronounce [r]:

• Lips: Rounded

• Tongue tip: curled upward but not touching the roof of the mouth

• Airstream: continuous

• Vocal cords: Vibrating

It's good to tell them

• If you say [l] instead of [r]: berry will sound like belly.

• If you say [w] instead of [r]: red will sound like wed.

Solution 2:

(Edit: American English. Sigh. One day I will learn to read the tags.)

'r' is pronounced in a number of different ways in English. Like 'l' there are two basic forms; a short consonant and a longer, more vowel-like "darker" sound. Consider the differences between the two 'r's in "reader" (and similarly the two 'l's in "little").

• Basic sound: start with an 'l' (forward half of tongue flat against the roof of your mouth). Cup your tongue so only the edges touch and let the tip drop a little. Voice this. Exactly how far forward your tongue is when you sound the letter is one of the many regional variations.

• Rolled 'r': only usually turns up for consonantal 'r's unless you are putting on a very fake Scottish accent. As above, but relax the tongue and let the tip vibrate against your hard palette. Quite easy to do once you can stop thinking about the mechanics of it. Rare in the US, though it is normal in Scottish and Welsh accents (for instance).

• Vowel variations: Particularly in "-er" endings, 'r' has a tendency to shift towards whatever the main colour sound is for a given accent. Commonly this is a schwa [ə] or aesc [æ], or in drawling southern accents a long "ah". These are tendencies, though; the sound doesn't get all the way to the relevant vowel.