Bring Your R Forward

The French R is made way back in the throat, with a rough, scraping friction — think of the R in 'rouge.' American English R is a totally different animal: there's no friction anywhere, and it's made with your tongue in the middle of your mouth, either curled back or bunched up, but never touching or scraping. If you bring the French throat-R into English, words like 'red,' 'car,' and 'really' can sound rough or foreign-tinted in a way that distracts listeners. Try this: say a long 'ah' sound and notice your throat is relaxed and open — no friction. Now slowly curl your tongue tip back without engaging your throat at all, landing on 'red.' Repeat with 'car' and 'really,' keeping your throat completely quiet the whole time. Two minutes of this daily will retrain the habit. It takes patience because the throat-R is so automatic, but your mouth will adapt.