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Dominik Posted 20 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation

HERE - British Pronunciation

I have read in Oxford dictionary that in British English you don't pronounce "r" at the end of a word or when a word ends in "re" , if the next word starts in a consonant. If the next word starts in a vowel, you pronounce "r"
His car was old. -> [ca:]
His car isn't old -> [car]

What about "here" in these phrases? Do we act in a similar way?

here you are [hie]
here is [hier]
when "here" is alone -> here/in here [hie]

Am I right? Could somebody explain it?

Thanks in advance!
  

Top answer

Have I really stirred things up or is it too difficult to explain it? I'm in a state of total confusion because in Poland most people pronounce "here" as [hir] the same as Americans

— Dominik

  • Have I really stirred things up or is it too difficult to explain it?
  • I'm in a state of total confusion because in Poland most people pronounce "here" as [hir] the same as Americans
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25 Answers
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Have I really stirred things up Emotion: smile or is it too difficult to explain it? I'm in a state of total confusion because in Poland most peop
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Well, I'm not a native speaker, so it's better not to say anything about delicate pronunciation matters! However, as far as I know, even if "r" is at the end of the word, it can be pronunced as a weak sound. Hope it helps.
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I know that, but my question is WHEN do we pronounce "here" like [hir] and when like [hie] in BrE. Thank you very much for your reply nevertheless.

P.S. It should be "here it is" [hier] not "here is"
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I'm not a native speaker, either, so I cannot explain you anything. I usually pronounce that final "r" like the British (that is, I don't pronounce it unless it's before a vowel). As for the word "here" and similar words, I do likewise. So, for example, in "here it is", I pronounce the "r", while in "here" alone or in "here comes", I don't. In the case of "here you are", I'm not so sure. I do pron
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Hi,
Thank you very much for your reply. I think that "y" is a consonant. You pronounce it like [j] so in my opinion it should be [hieju:a:] in "here you are" but I'm not sure because everyone pronounces it differently
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I realize that this is off-topic, but in American English, we always pronounce the final "R." I cannot think of instance where it is otherwise. Which, of course, means if you are questioned about it, you can claim that you were taught by an American.

Cheers.
Karl
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Thank you very much for your statement. I know, maybe I'm wasting time on trivialities but on the other hand it would be better not to mix up BrE with AmE during a conversation.

Kindest regards
Dominik
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Thank you very much for the link. The subject is quite interesting and I know more and more about it. Could someone recommend a book or a chapter where the British and American Pronunciation is simply explained.
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DominikI think that "y" is a consonant. You pronounce it like [j] so in my opinion it should be [hieju:a:] in "here you are" but I'm not sure because everyone pronounces it differently
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