Scotland losing its burr

Linguistic experts have discovered the 'R' sounds in words like car, farm and fur are not being used as much by young Scots (file)
Linguistic experts have discovered the 'R' sounds in words like car, farm and fur are not being used as much by young Scots (file)

New research suggests the Scottish accent could be dying out, as people drop the strong rolling 'R' from their speech.

Linguistic experts have discovered the 'R' sounds in words like car, farm and fur are not being used as much by young Scots, making them sound more like their southern cousins.

"Some Scottish speakers are delaying the 'R' gesture, so it's happening in silence afterwards," says Dr Eleanor Lawson, one of the researchers behind the new study.

"They're not losing it completely – they're still producing it. You just can't hear it the same."

There's a lot of speculation as to what is causing the demise, from the wide use of received pronunciation in BBC Scotland broadcasts and softer accents used by Scottish actors and presenters when on TV, as well as the popularity of US shows, movies and music.

But the researchers themselves say it's just a natural evolution.

"It's not media or TV, it's more boring than that – it's just a natural sound change," says Dr Lawson.

"It seems to happen in languages all over the world over time, particularly at the end of words. There's no right or wrong way to say these words, there are just differences.

"In England, the 'R' was dropped off the end of many words long ago. It started in London and was looked down on at the time, but there really is no right or wrong way."

The rolling 'R' lives on in the South Island of New Zealand, known as the 'Southland burr', a descendant of heavy Scottish settlement in the 1800s.

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