PolishForums.com
POLAND . The Unofficial Guide
Unanswered | Archives
Republic of Poland Online Witamy, Guest | PF Members | Gold Members

Polish Forums / General Language /

Help rolling R's...


posts: 17

BryonThreads: 12
Posts: 21
Joined: Oct 18, 07
 Jul 11, 08, 18:44    #1
Hi everyone,

Does anybody know of any good tips that I can use to learn to roll my r's? I am a native speaker of American English, and can't seem to get even close to doing this right.
I've read a few things about it, and watched something on YouTube, but still can't get it.
Any ideas?

MarekThreads: 4
Posts: 1,120
Joined: Feb 15, 07
 Jul 12, 08, 07:21    #2
From one non-native Polish speaker to another, try touching the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and saying, for example, 'veddy' (play on 'very', as in 'veddy good' LOL) quickly. If you can say it many times in rapid succession, you're on your way to achieving a trilled -R, Polish style.

One's lucky with Polish in this way, as there's only one type of 'R-sound', unlike, say, in French or German. People have often commented on this similarity of Polish to Spanish, and especially, Italian!
ZgubionyThreads: 21
Posts: 2,037
Joined: Oct 20, 06
 Jul 12, 08, 08:20    #3
Try exhaling with force and let your tongue be loose to flap with the breath then try to incorporate voice with that. Try Bardzo to practice.
WroclawThreads: 77
Posts: 7,404
Joined: Apr 1, 06
 Pictures: 3 [Moderator]
 Jul 12, 08, 08:28    #4
Zgubiony:
Try exhaling with force and let your tongue be loose to flap with the breath then try to incorporate voice with that. Try Bardzo to practice.


This is gonna sound dumb, but it works. Do as above, try to make the same sound as a horse.
ZgubionyThreads: 21
Posts: 2,037
Joined: Oct 20, 06
 Jul 12, 08, 08:39    #5
Yeah, it will sound dumb but it works :) We need to make these sacrifices in order to learn this language. Have fun!
MarekThreads: 4
Posts: 1,120
Joined: Feb 15, 07
Edited by: Marek  Jul 12, 08, 10:20    #6
When I was studying Russian, our teacher made us touch our larynx with our fingers in order to feel the voiced vs. de-voiced consonants.

Don't even ask what 'sacrifices' we had to endure to understand the palatalized from non-palatalized consonants -:)-:) LOL
BryonThreads: 12
Posts: 21
Joined: Oct 18, 07
 Jul 12, 08, 17:32    #7
Ah, I think I'm headed in the right direction. I can kinda get a buzz sound going, like a drill or something, but I still can't but a word to it. I'll keep practicing.
Thanks.
shopgirlThreads: 7
Posts: 1,446
Joined: Apr 6, 07
 Jul 12, 08, 17:38    #8
Zgubiony:
Try exhaling with force and let your tongue be loose to flap with the breath then try to incorporate voice with that. Try Bardzo to practice.

*laughs*

I only managed to sound like a cat trying to get up a hairball! :)
WroclawThreads: 77
Posts: 7,404
Joined: Apr 1, 06
 Pictures: 3 [Moderator]
 Jul 12, 08, 17:57    #9
Bryon:
like a drill or something,


sounds about right.
ZgubionyThreads: 21
Posts: 2,037
Joined: Oct 20, 06
 Jul 14, 08, 06:32    #10
shopgirl:
cat trying to get up a hairball

I didn't say hack and choke on yourself ;)

....and stop licking your cat!
z_dariusThreads: 22
Posts: 5,091
Joined: Oct 18, 07
 Jul 21, 08, 09:55    #11
Bryon:
Does anybody know of any good tips that I can use to learn to roll my r's?

Spend some time in Spain. Their "r" is even harder than Polish, so given a few rough edges in the learning of Spanish "r" you should be pretty close the the Polish "r".
Arise_St_GeorgeThreads: 15
Posts: 572
Joined: Mar 8, 08
 Jul 21, 08, 10:04    #12
This thread is already here

http://www.polishforums.com/sound_polish_r-18_18447_0.html
SpadeThreads: 1
Posts: 111
Joined: May 18, 08
 Jul 21, 08, 10:06    #13
Zgubiony:
Try exhaling with force and let your tongue be loose to flap with the breath then try to incorporate voice with that. Try Bardzo to practice.


What if It can cause death by suffocation ?
BubbaWooThreads: 46
Posts: 4,438
Joined: Sep 26, 06
 Jul 21, 08, 10:08    #14
i know how to roll jays if that would help
Rain33Threads: 15
Posts: 24
Joined: Jul 5, 11
 Dec 10, 11, 01:18    #15
Merged: Rolling "r" help

I am struggling. I keep trying to do roll my "r" and I am so far unsuccessful. I try to pronounce robić, which is rolled, but I cannot do it. Does anyone have any suggestions to make?
strzygaThreads: 4
Posts: 986
Joined: Apr 30, 08
 Dec 10, 11, 03:02    #16
Try words which have "r" in the middle instead of at the beginning or at the end, it might be a bit easier.
examples: morwa, córka, ogórek, wiórek, Turek, korek, traktor.
Or try to say rrrrrrrrr with the tip of your tongue vibrating against the front palate.
Some Poles can't pronounce the rolling rrrr either, the sound they use is a bit like the English r, so don't worry too much if you don't succeed, just listen to Donald Tusk speaking.
I had a roommate once who was studying French and she was trying to teach me to pronounce the French r. I tried for a year but on the last day my attempts sounded as pathetic as on the first. Happens.
shewolfThreads: 5
Posts: 1,835
Joined: Dec 23, 06
 Dec 10, 11, 05:20    #17
I've been pronouncing the rolling "r" all my life and my opinion is that it's not just a roll. You have to create an indentation in your tongue at the same time. That's where the sound happens. But that probably doesn't help much.



Home / General Language / Unanswered [this forum] | Similar

Interesting inconsistency between Polish and Russian  I'm gonna learn Polish in a month!


Random: the funny one: into polish

Only registered and logged-in users may post here. Please log in or register.


58 [Guests - 42 / Members - 16] users on live forums now


Home | Unanswered | Archives | Random | Statistics Time in Poland: 16:31 / May 26

About Us | Contact Us | Rules, Privacy | Poland Advertising

© 2005-12 PolishForums.com