5 ms·

No, the rolled R is just a vibration of the tongue against the roof of the mouth.

hinkley 7y ago
Yeah I dunno how to tell you this, but those of us who make the rrr sound at the back of our throats roll our eyes at you when your backs are turned. I can't speak for the other Romance languages, but that's for sure the wrong way to make that sound in French, and a lot of people can't seem to hear the difference. There's a reason some comedians make fun of european languages by clearing their throats. The rolled consonants are throaty, not mouthy (a word I just made up right now, sue me).
- jgtrosh 7y ago
  It's just a growl, but short and controlled
  - hinkley 7y ago
    That’s not far wrong. I was trying to figure out how I would describe it to a new student and “growl” was about the closest I could manage.
- vram22 7y ago
  >a word I just made up right now, sue me No need for suing. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20289473 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20289473
- acifani 7y ago
  There's a (not so) fine difference between the rolled/trilled R [1] and the guttural/uvular R [2]. The former is indeed produced by vibrating the tongue [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental,_alveolar_and_postalveolar_trills https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental,_alveolar_and_postalveo... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttural_R https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttural_R
  - yorwba 7y ago
    I notice you don't link the Wikipedia page about the rolled R [1], probably because it contradicts you. There are many kinds of rhotic trills and the guttural R (aka uvular trill) is one of them. Another fun trill is the bilabial one [2], like imitating a fart with your lips. It doesn't really qualify as a rolled R, though. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolled_R https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolled_R [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilabial_trill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilabial_trill
    - thaumasiotes 7y ago
      > Another fun trill is the bilabial one [2], like imitating a fart with your lips. The normal (American) English term for this is "raspberry".
  - hinkley 7y ago
    > guttural/uvular That’s the stuff. Thanks for the vocab lesson. And look at that map. Most of northern and Central Europe is a guttural r. You trilled R motherfuckers in French class ignored your poor teachers’ pained expressions for years, while the rest of us wanted to go up, pat them, and say it’s okay, we share your pain. Apparently I have some unresolved hostilities toward some people who got A’s but had disastrous pronunciation.
- mcguire 7y ago
  But do you roll your eyes lingually or uvularly?
  - hinkley 7y ago
    It did sort of feel like my eyes were being sucked back into my skull. Maybe nasally? I’m not an anatomist.

Yeah I dunno how to tell you this, but those of us who make the rrr sound at the back of our throats roll our eyes at you when your backs are turned. I can't speak for the other Romance languages, but that's for sure the wrong way to make that sound in French, and a lot of people can't seem to hear the difference. There's a reason some comedians make fun of european languages by clearing their throats. The rolled consonants are throaty, not mouthy (a word I just made up right now, sue me).

jgtrosh 7y ago
It's just a growl, but short and controlled
- hinkley 7y ago
  That’s not far wrong. I was trying to figure out how I would describe it to a new student and “growl” was about the closest I could manage.
vram22 7y ago
>a word I just made up right now, sue me No need for suing. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20289473 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20289473
acifani 7y ago
There's a (not so) fine difference between the rolled/trilled R [1] and the guttural/uvular R [2]. The former is indeed produced by vibrating the tongue [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental,_alveolar_and_postalveolar_trills https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental,_alveolar_and_postalveo... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttural_R https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttural_R
- yorwba 7y ago
  I notice you don't link the Wikipedia page about the rolled R [1], probably because it contradicts you. There are many kinds of rhotic trills and the guttural R (aka uvular trill) is one of them. Another fun trill is the bilabial one [2], like imitating a fart with your lips. It doesn't really qualify as a rolled R, though. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolled_R https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolled_R [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilabial_trill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilabial_trill
  - thaumasiotes 7y ago
    > Another fun trill is the bilabial one [2], like imitating a fart with your lips. The normal (American) English term for this is "raspberry".
- hinkley 7y ago
  > guttural/uvular That’s the stuff. Thanks for the vocab lesson. And look at that map. Most of northern and Central Europe is a guttural r. You trilled R motherfuckers in French class ignored your poor teachers’ pained expressions for years, while the rest of us wanted to go up, pat them, and say it’s okay, we share your pain. Apparently I have some unresolved hostilities toward some people who got A’s but had disastrous pronunciation.
mcguire 7y ago
But do you roll your eyes lingually or uvularly?
- hinkley 7y ago
  It did sort of feel like my eyes were being sucked back into my skull. Maybe nasally? I’m not an anatomist.