Guided Practice Script

Let’s practice the /ɹ/ sound. When we say the /ɹ/ sound our tongue touches the very back of our top teeth. If our tongue doesn’t touch those back teeth we can accidentally make a different sound than the /ɹ/ Let’s try it! I’m going to say “ah” and open my mouth really wide for it. As I’m saying “ah” I’m going to lift my tongue to my back teeth and I want you to watch how the sound changes. Ready? Ok, now it’s your turn. Just like me, make that “ah” sound and slowly lift your tongue to your back teeth.

Targeted Techniques and Considerations

Eliciting Techniques

• Phonetic Placement → tells where tongue should be when sound is produced
• Sound Approximation → starts with easy “ah” and gradual shapes into /ɹ/ sound
• Modeling/Demonstration → clinician demonstrates the sound first for client to follow

Common Errors

• Substitution of /ɹ/ sound with the rounded /w/ sound (gliding)
• Substitution of /ɹ/ sound with /l/ sound
• Distortion of /ɹ/ (sounds like /w/) when lips become too rounded in production

Dialectical Differences

• Common in British, Australian, and Southern/Eastern US English dialects to omit final /ɹ/ sounds (ex: “car” becomes “cah”)
• Cockney and London English dialects can produce /ɹ/ as /w/
• Scottish and Northern English dialect speakers produce the trilled-r which sounds different than the Standard American /ɹ/