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intrusive r

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noun Phonetics.
  1. linking r(def 2).

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] /fɑ/, becomes intervocalic, as in far away pronounced as [fahr-uh-wey] /ˈfɑr əˈweɪ/.
  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-buh-riz] /ˈkyu bə rɪz/.

Origin of linking r

First recorded in 1945–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018