What does rhotacize mean?
Rhotacize means to make a pronunciation or accent rhotic. A rhotic pronunciation includes an r-sound immediately following a vowel, as in the typical pronunciation of “bird” in American English and many British dialects. The verb is used particularly when describing an intentional or gradual change from a non-rhotic pronunciation, such as that traditionally associated with southern England, to one in which the r-sound is pronounced. It can also refer more narrowly to changing particular sounds or vowels in this way. In linguistics, accent training, and the study of performers' speech, rhotacize distinguishes a pronunciation that includes these r-sounds from one that does not. The term is descriptive rather than evaluative: it identifies a phonetic feature without implying that the resulting accent is more authentic, polished, or desirable. It is also occasionally used metaphorically for modifying speech so that it sounds more strongly rhotic.
verbTo make a pronunciation rhotic, especially by changing a non-rhotic accent or sound into one containing an r-sound immediately after a vowel.
- To make an accent, dialect, or pronunciation rhotic.
- To change a vowel or sound so that it is followed by an r-sound.
"The coach helped the performer rhotacize her accent without making it sound forced."
"Language teachers should rhotacize the pronunciation gradually rather than impose it all at once."
"The recording preserves the performer's naturally rhotacized accent."
Rhotacizing is the delicate art of giving an accent an r-sound without making it sound borrowed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rhotacize come from?
The verb was formed in the 20th century from “rhotic,” an adjective meaning “having or characterized by an r-sound,” with the suffix “-ize.” The underlying adjective comes from Greek rhōt-, a stem associated with the letter r, while “rhotacism” was formed similarly to describe the pronunciation or development of an r-sound. The modern verb belongs chiefly to linguistic and phonetic usage.
Related word forms
How rhotacize is actually used
This is primarily a specialist term used in linguistics, phonetics, dialectology, and voice or accent training. It describes a pronunciation change and should not be used to suggest that one regional pronunciation is inherently superior to another.
Easily confused with rhotacize
“Rhotacize” is the usual spelling in general English, especially in discussions of linguistics and pronunciation.
“Rhotacism” names the historical or dialectal process or feature, whereas “rhotacize” is the verb describing an act of making a pronunciation rhotic.