BajaNomad

the F-ing alveolar trill

willardguy - 12-17-2012 at 09:54 PM

I give up! I cant make the rolling R sound. I've read countless tutorials and watched numerous youtube videos that swear they can teach even a spaz like me to produce the elusive rolling R.
come on, anyone else trill challenged?:?:

Mulegena - 12-17-2012 at 10:00 PM

"Don't bother trying" is the opinion of my husband, a native Spanish speaker. He says most foreigners sounds sorta silly making this sound and (speaking of myself, his wife) generally use it improperly in words where this inflection doesn't belong.

willardguy - 12-17-2012 at 10:06 PM

I think I love you! hey im not opposed to being a quitter.:rolleyes:so its okay to call my neighbors dog a butt?:lol:

CP - 12-18-2012 at 08:09 AM

I wouldn't call him a BUTT, though a BUT is not so bad. It is nicer than what my poorly faked trill has me calling the neigbor's dog - pedo.

Mulegena - 12-18-2012 at 08:30 AM

The alvelolar trill is one of those more subtle nuances of language acquisition that will come when one's developed sufficient idomatic skill. It will loft lightly and gaily from the tip of one's sufficiently exercised tongue when it and the non-native speaker are ready...

rather like the neighbor's stinky rotten little dog "Pedo", oops I mean perrrrrro!!!

Osprey - 12-18-2012 at 08:52 AM

It's a tradeoff. I gave up on the R thing a long time ago. Just like friends and neighbors I pronounce Mary as Mady.

I get even by writing down the word "Bird" on a piece of paper and making my gardener say it over and over. Can't be done -- checkmate.

vandenberg - 12-18-2012 at 09:36 AM

It's about the same as western Europeans having to speak the "th" in English, a near impossibility for many years.
And, after 50 some years, when I say "Vodka" people still look at me funny.:P:P:biggrin:

Heather - 12-18-2012 at 11:36 AM

I have a Master's in Multicultural Education, and in one of my linguistic classes they said that the rolling of the "rr's" was a developmental issue. If you didn't learn it before you were 13 (puberty), changes are you would never be able to do it!

....Another reason why I never speak Spanish to my girls, I don't want them to have my gringa accent. Daddy, native-Spanish speaker, speaks to them predominately in Spanish. They have both always been able to roll those r's!

willardguy - 12-18-2012 at 11:50 AM

looks like I missed my window by 49 years.
so how do you get around the pero/perro ahora/ahorra deal ??:?:

Heather - 12-18-2012 at 12:39 PM

My hubby understands my Spanish...that's all that matters, right? ..or I can have the girls say it!

vacaenbaja - 1-16-2013 at 02:36 PM

Can you say Ruffles have Ridges rolling the R's? This was what the chip company did on one of their comercials a long time ago.

DENNIS - 1-16-2013 at 04:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
looks like I missed my window by 49 years.
so how do you get around the pero/perro ahora/ahorra deal ??:?:


It works in context with the conversation. Not all communicating is done by the speaker. The listener has his job as well.

I quit trying to trill the "R" a long time ago and never missed it. In fact, I'll even make up words in conversation just to keep the ball rolling. Nothing more lethal to a conversation than dead air.

I had an interesting moment with my cleaning lady yesterday. [OK....minds back to the top]
I saw a sparrow fly into my neighbor's patio glass and it knocked him out. I thought he was dead, but I picked him up and loved him back to life.
While in this process, Maria walked by and seeing what was going on asked if what I was holding was a birdito........this coming from a woman who has less than zero interest in the English language.
I learned a new word and the bird recovered to fly away.
Life is good.



.

[Edited on 1-16-2013 by DENNIS]

vacaenbaja - 1-17-2013 at 02:17 AM

Erre con Erre cigarro.
Erre con Erre barril.
¡Qué rápido corren los carros cargados de azucar del ferrocarril!
(used to practice the "R" sound)