I hear that Europeans can't pronounce "squirrel" very easily.

No, I think you are thinking of people who speak Japanese as a first language. Or perhaps you are thinking of groups of people who speak tonal languages?

The many faces of /r/ and /l/ are particularly challenging if they are not a part of your primary language. The phoneme /r/ in American English is really quite a variety of sounds, not just one sound. There is pre-vocalic /r/ as in "rabbit". There are /r/ colored vowels such as the "ar" in "car", the "ear" in "hear", the "ire" in "fire", the "aur" in "hour", the "air" in "bear", the "or" in "snore", the "oower" in "sure" (That last one is particularly "Californian".) Then there is the dreaded "er" sound which can be stressed as in "early" or unstressed as in "flower". And don't even get me started on how /r/ changes each time it is combined with another consonant in a blend (/br/, /pr/, /vr/, /fr/, /dr/, /tr/, /gr/, /kr/, "shr", "thr" etc)

Ok, now everybody try "The gray girl squirrel and her friend the early bird twirled and whirled around the earth."

Any of you who are parents of children who struggle with /r/, cut your speech pathologist a break if it seems like therapy for that sound is taking a looooooooong time. The phoneme /r/ is deceptively complex.

Angela, Being a native speaker and slayer of the English language. I had no idea that the R had so many ways to be spoken.
Thats just one letter you gave us as an example. Im sure there are more.

Thanks for educating us on things we take for granted.

Edit-

I was just referred to as "Young James" is this my new alias?

Not unless and untill you put it in your Sig:)

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Old James

I was just referred to as "Young James" is this my new alias?

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-"Young" James

"To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like." -Steven Hawking

I hear that Europeans can't pronounce "squirrel" very easily.

No, I think you are thinking of people who speak Japanese as a first language. Or perhaps you are thinking of groups of people who speak tonal languages?

The many faces of /r/ and /l/ are particularly challenging if they are not a part of your primary language. The phoneme /r/ in American English is really quite a variety of sounds, not just one sound. There is pre-vocalic /r/ as in "rabbit". There are /r/ colored vowels such as the "ar" in "car", the "ear" in "hear", the "ire" in "fire", the "aur" in "hour", the "air" in "bear", the "or" in "snore", the "oower" in "sure" (That last one is particularly "Californian".) Then there is the dreaded "er" sound which can be stressed as in "early" or unstressed as in "flower". And don't even get me started on how /r/ changes each time it is combined with another consonant in a blend (/br/, /pr/, /vr/, /fr/, /dr/, /tr/, /gr/, /kr/, "shr", "thr" etc)

Ok, now everybody try "The gray girl squirrel and her friend the early bird twirled and whirled around the earth."

Any of you who are parents of children who struggle with /r/, cut your speech pathologist a break if it seems like therapy for that sound is taking a looooooooong time. The phoneme /r/ is deceptively complex.

Its Germans I found a video haha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FRD4uq1mVw

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-"Young" James

"To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like." -Steven Hawking

I hear that Europeans can't pronounce "squirrel" very easily.

No, I think you are thinking of people who speak Japanese as a first language. Or perhaps you are thinking of groups of people who speak tonal languages?

The many faces of /r/ and /l/ are particularly challenging if they are not a part of your primary language. The phoneme /r/ in American English is really quite a variety of sounds, not just one sound. There is pre-vocalic /r/ as in "rabbit". There are /r/ colored vowels such as the "ar" in "car", the "ear" in "hear", the "ire" in "fire", the "aur" in "hour", the "air" in "bear", the "or" in "snore", the "oower" in "sure" (That last one is particularly "Californian".) Then there is the dreaded "er" sound which can be stressed as in "early" or unstressed as in "flower". And don't even get me started on how /r/ changes each time it is combined with another consonant in a blend (/br/, /pr/, /vr/, /fr/, /dr/, /tr/, /gr/, /kr/, "shr", "thr" etc)

Ok, now everybody try "The gray girl squirrel and her friend the early bird twirled and whirled around the earth."

Any of you who are parents of children who struggle with /r/, cut your speech pathologist a break if it seems like therapy for that sound is taking a looooooooong time. The phoneme /r/ is deceptively complex.

Tended to tangle my epiglotis with my tonsils

O U C H ! I think us chaps had better NOT try that!

My rrrrrr's roll right into an s, I am so used to English.

It's hard for me to use the English r properly, let alone the French r!

I hear that Europeans can't pronounce "squirrel" very easily.

Np here, I have more problems pronouncing the th actually:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

Tended to tangle my epiglotis with my tonsils

O U C H ! I think us chaps had better NOT try that!

My rrrrrr's roll right into an s, I am so used to English.

It's hard for me to use the English r properly, let alone the French r!

I hear that Europeans can't pronounce "squirrel" very easily.

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-"Young" James

"To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like." -Steven Hawking

Tended to tangle my epiglotis with my tonsils

O U C H ! I think us chaps had better NOT try that!

My rrrrrr's roll right into an s, I am so used to English.

It's hard for me to use the English r properly, let alone the French r!

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

Tended to tangle my epiglotis with my tonsils

O U C H ! I think us chaps had better NOT try that!

My rrrrrr's roll right into an s, I am so used to English.

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-"Young" James

"To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like." -Steven Hawking

Tended to tangle my epiglotis with my tonsils

O U C H ! I think us chaps had better NOT try that!

Hehe:) Nobody of you guys can pronounce my surname:)) Try it: Detavernier

I can Julie, but I'm of French ancestry...

In French you say Detavernjee but my surname is pronounced in Flemish, Detavernierrrr:))

:) rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - essential in Afrikaans too, also lots of ghugggghing :)

That's right, Annie. A great example of those guttural rrrrs and gggghhhhhs that characterise Afrikaans is the word "chirurg" (which means surgeon). Try and say it: "shirrrrrrerggggghhhhhh"!

You may recall that, in certain parts of the west coast of South Africa, the Afrikaans accent descends into what is known as the "Malmesbury brei", where those rrrrs are rolled right at the back of the mouth, almost in the throat. It's a delicious accent that has to be heard to be believed!

I remember :) Tended to tangle my epiglotis with my tonsils then hit a coughing fit before needing a lengthy lie down whenever I tried it... including just now :)

Hehe:) Nobody of you guys can pronounce my surname:)) Try it: Detavernier

I can Julie, but I'm of French ancestry...

In French you say Detavernjee but my surname is pronounced in Flemish, Detavernierrrr:))

:) rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - essential in Afrikaans too, also lots of ghugggghing :)

That's right, Annie. A great example of those guttural rrrrs and gggghhhhhs that characterise Afrikaans is the word "chirurg" (which means surgeon). Try and say it: "shirrrrrrerggggghhhhhh"!

You may recall that, in certain parts of the west coast of South Africa, the Afrikaans accent descends into what is known as the "Malmesbury brei", where those rrrrs are rolled right at the back of the mouth, almost in the throat. It's a delicious accent that has to be heard to be believed!

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Have Chris!

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Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Seti Ambassador
Not to late to order an Anni Shirt

Germans have the rolling r as well, I know:)

I knew a few girls that had a rolling r's as well :-))

LMAO, By jove I like Old James, Also. It does have a wrinkel to it.

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Old James

I say, old James, my good man, what may I get you? It's on me!

CC

:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

I say, old James, my good man, what may I get you? It's on me!

CC

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I like "Old James". Sounds venerable.

Has quite a ring to it:)

Makes me want old James and not James. Haha!

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-"Young" James

"To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like." -Steven Hawking

I like "Old James". Sounds venerable.

Has quite a ring to it:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

I like "Old James". Sounds venerable.

Hi James C. I suppose Im going to be the Old James now:)

No Sir, you can be "James" and I'll be James Stark haha! Whatever is clever.

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-"Young" James

"To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like." -Steven Hawking