Rhotacism
Origin
From New Latin rhotacismus ("excessive or peculiar use of , especially the conversion of another sound (usually or ) to "), from Ancient Greek * ῥωτακισμός, from ῥωτακίζω (rhotakizÅ, "I incorrectly use rho"), from ῥῶ (rhÅ, "rho (the Greek equivalent of r)")
Full definition of rhotacism
Noun
rhotacism
(countable and uncountable; plural rhotacisms)- An exaggerated use of the sound of the letter R.
- (countable, linguistics): A linguistic phenomenon in which a consonant changes into an R, such as Latin flos becoming florem in the accusative case.
- Inability to pronounce the letter R; derhotacization.
- 1959: Anthony Burgess, , Ch. 2. (, p. 403)'But I'm hungwy.' A pathetic little-girl's rhotacismus.
- 1970: Leland E. Hinsie and Robert Jean Campbell, Psychiatric Dictionary, page 711 (Oxford University Press)For example: r’s may become burrs or guttural grunts or w’s or l’s (rhotacism); …
- 1976: Deafness, Speech, and Hearing Publications, Inc., of Gallaudet College & the American Speech and Hearing Association, DSH Abstracts, volumes 16–17 (1976–1977), page 289 (Deafness Speech and Hearing Publications)From the analysis of Kana writings, hypothesizes that the inability to establish a stable… … The correction of rhotacism by means of an electric vibrator.
- 2005: Bernard Fogel, PhD, CCC-SLP, Exercising the Rhotacism in Absence of Pathology (ADVANCE)It is universally accepted that the rhotacism, a defective utterance of the /r/ sounds, is usually the last and most difficult American English consonant to correct functionally.I use two methods to help correct the rhotacism.