Confused why R in same word is pronounced different by different German people?
I was looking at a website which has native speakers saying the same word Lärm. I'm confused why two of them pronounce the R the way I read Germans pronounce it from the back of the throat, but then two of them pronounce the R the same as English?
on here: https://forvo.com/word/l%C3%A4rm/#de
I asked my friend in Germany on facebook by messaging, and they didn't know what I was talking about, as said it all sounded the same to them, and said you can say the R any way, so now I'm annoyed they're not helping, so I told them I would ask on the internet.
4 Comments
1151
Don't be annoyed, your friend was right. I guess the last one with the slightly rolling "r"("Lerrm") tried to pronounce it especially correct. In recent years I often heard the letter pronounced more like a combination of "e" and "a" ("leam" for "Lärm"), as the others do. For me it sounds a bit odd, but as your friend told you, it is a matter of local colouring. Where I live, people tend to speak this word like they have a double "ä" ("Lääm"). As in many languages, the context will conect the dots and lead you to understanding.
Thank you. It didn't make sense to me, as why was I going to the trouble of learning how to pronounce R the German way, if it can be pronounced the same as English anyway?
- 1151
There are differences in pronouncing the letter "r". In English, I move the tongue to the top of my gum while the German one wants it to stay down (at least this is what I do). Anyway, it may sound a bit different but since the Germans understand you it will suffice
