linking r

noun

, Phonetics.

1. the r- sound as reintroduced into an utterance where there is an r in the spelling by speakers of an r- dropping dialect when a postvocalic r they would normally drop, as in the pronunciation of far as [fah], becomes intervocalic, as in far away pronounced as [fahr, -, uh, -, wey].
2. Also called intrusive r. the r- sound as inserted analogously by speakers of an r- dropping dialect between vowels where there is no corresponding r in the spelling, as in the pronunciation of Cuba is as [kyoo, -b, uh, -riz].

Word History and Origins

Origin of linking r¹

First recorded in 1945–50