is the first r in the word 'order' in the Received Pronunciation or the RP accent silent or not? as far as I know, the r sound is silent as long as it is followed by constant like this case 'order', h

Safy

Professional Teacher

is the first r in the word 'order' in the Received Pronunciation or the RP accent silent or not? as far as I know, the r sound is silent as long as it is followed by constant like this case 'order', however, I am pretty sure I listen native speakers pronounce the 'r' letter ( I am talking about the first r I know the second is silent. Could you help me with that and give me a reason for your answer please? Thank you in advance. Regards, Safy.

Nov 12, 2017 5:53 PM

Answers · 7

In RP, neither 'r' in this word is pronounced as an r', but they are not silent, either. Both 'r's serve to lengthen the preceding vowel. For an RP speaker, the first syllable (or) is pronounced the same as the word 'awe'.

November 12, 2017

So I can't confirm for RP standard, but in North America, as you are probably aware, both "r"s can be pronounced. The first "r" can be strongly pronounced, and the second "r" is not a schwa like in the RP standard, and so it can also be pronounced. Of course, there are some Northeast accents (in the US) that are different, but it would not be incorrect to strongly pronounce both.

November 12, 2017

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