"r"s everywhere

[ibex]

Hello everybody,
I want to ask you something I've been wondering about for quite a long time: Some of our teachers keep pronouncing "r"s in certain words like "determined", which should mean in many words which are spelt with an "r" (especially -ar- or -er-). Personally, I wouldn't pronounce one in most of the cases, but as they are proficient speakers and much more advanced than I am, I wonder whether this is kind of a certain accent or a variety?

Thank you!
ibex

[tiorthan]

English can be divided into rhotic accents and non-rhotic accents. Speakers with a rhotic accent would pronounce the /r/ sound and speakers of non-rhotic accents leave it out in the syllable code if the following syllable begins in a consonant or if the /r/ would be followed by a so-called prosodic break. (In layman's terms a prosodic break is where you could insert a pause when speaking.)

There's really no telling when to speak or ommit the /r/, when in doubt do as you betters do.

[ibex]

Thanks a bunch! Your reply was very helpful indeed!

ibex

PS: I guess it should read "omit". Sorry for being so pedantic.

[tiorthan]

Well, I misspelled "sillable coda" though.

[ibex]

Are you being sarcastic?
I said I'm sorry!