rhotacism
/ˈɹəʊ.tə.sɪ.zəm/
rhotacism means an exaggerated use of the sound of the letter R. It carries an Arena rating of 1443, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, rhotacism ranks #757 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #764 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,277 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #2,810 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
rhotacism is pronounced /ˈɹəʊ.tə.sɪ.zəm/.
Why “rhotacism” is a great word
A speech defect or linguistic change involving the excessive use, alteration into, or inability to pronounce the rhotic ‘R’ sound. From New Latin rhōtacismus, from Ancient Greek ῥωτακισμός (rhōtakismós), from ῥωτακίζω (rhōtakízō, “to incorrectly use rho”), from ῥῶ (rhô, “rho, the Greek letter R”), formed in analogy with ἰωτακίζω (iōtakízō, “to incorrectly use iota”). Unlike lambdacism, which twists around the liquid ‘L,’ or sigmatism, which hisses on the sibilant ‘S,’ rhotacism is the particular tyranny of the voiced alveolar trill or its kin. It is the child’s endearing “wabbit,” the historic shift that turned Latin *honos* into *honor*, and the soft dissolution of the consonant in a Parisian accent—the tongue’s small, stubborn rebellion against one of language’s most treacherous sounds.
Etymology
From New Latin rhōtacismus, from Ancient Greek *ῥωτακισμός (*rhōtakismós), from ῥωτακίζω (rhōtakízō, “to incorrectly use rho”), from ῥῶ (rhô, “rho (the Greek equivalent of r)”) in analogy with ἰωτακίζω (iōtakízō, “to incorrectly use iota”); itself from ἰῶτα (iôta) in analogy with ἀττικίζω (attikízō, “talk like an Athenian”). By surface analysis, rho + -tacism.
noun
- An exaggerated use of the sound of the letter R.
- A linguistic phenomenon in which a consonant changes into an R; rhotacization.
- The inability to pronounce the letter R; derhotacization.e.g.“For example: r’s may become burrs or guttural grunts or w’s or l’s (rhotacism); […]” — 1970, Leland E. Hinsie, Robert Jean Campbell, Psychiatric Dictionary, Oxford University Press, page 711:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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