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Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by hinkley on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @05:08PM (#20289201)
Yeah I dunno how to tell you this, but those of us who make the rrr sound at the back of our throats roll our eyes at you when your backs are turned.

I can't speak for the other Romance languages, but that's for sure the wrong way to make that sound in French, and a lot of people can't seem to hear the difference.

There's a reason some comedians make fun of european languages by clearing their throats. The rolled consonants are throaty, not mouthy (a word I just made up right now, sue me).

Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by acifani on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @05:51PM (#20289598)
There's a (not so) fine difference between the rolled/trilled R [1] and the guttural/uvular R [2]. The former is indeed produced by vibrating the tongue

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental,_alveolar_and_postalveo...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttural_R

Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by yorwba on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @06:05PM (#20289720)
I notice you don't link the Wikipedia page about the rolled R [1], probably because it contradicts you. There are many kinds of rhotic trills and the guttural R (aka uvular trill) is one of them.

Another fun trill is the bilabial one [2], like imitating a fart with your lips. It doesn't really qualify as a rolled R, though.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolled_R

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilabial_trill

Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by thaumasiotes on Thursday June 27, 2019 @03:33AM (#20292428)
> Another fun trill is the bilabial one [2], like imitating a fart with your lips.

The normal (American) English term for this is "raspberry".

Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by hinkley on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @06:36PM (#20289978)
> guttural/uvular

That’s the stuff. Thanks for the vocab lesson. And look at that map. Most of northern and Central Europe is a guttural r.

You trilled R motherfuckers in French class ignored your poor teachers’ pained expressions for years, while the rest of us wanted to go up, pat them, and say it’s okay, we share your pain.

Apparently I have some unresolved hostilities toward some people who got A’s but had disastrous pronunciation.

Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by mcguire on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @06:30PM (#20289935)
But do you roll your eyes lingually or uvularly?
Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by hinkley on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @06:44PM (#20290022)
It did sort of feel like my eyes were being sucked back into my skull. Maybe nasally? I’m not an anatomist.
Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by vram22 on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @05:40PM (#20289496)
>a word I just made up right now, sue me

No need for suing.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20289473

Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by jgtrosh on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @05:13PM (#20289260)
It's just a growl, but short and controlled
Re:Why Arabic Is Terrific (2011) by hinkley on Wednesday June 26, 2019 @06:29PM (#20289921)
That’s not far wrong. I was trying to figure out how I would describe it to a new student and “growl” was about the closest I could manage.