Rolling my r's.

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Sam Winter
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 1:10 am

Rolling my r's.

Post by Sam Winter » Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:31 pm

hyvää iltapäivää lovelies!
so i've gotten really good at speaking the language and reciting the alphabet however i still haven't mastered rolling the r's and i'm starting to fear i genetically can't, do you have any good tips on how to? i don't wanna have to give up my dreams just because of one letter you know lol :D



Rolling my r's.

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dbrit
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:50 am

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by dbrit » Wed Jan 27, 2016 1:31 pm

I have never been able to roll my r's............ fearing that ever being able to speak Finnish may be impossible :cry:

leisl
Posts: 422
Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:26 pm

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by leisl » Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:10 am

Some dialects don't even care and you can substitute a soft "d" and get away with it. It's actually a fluttered "d" sound anyway, in terms of how it's produced. Make the d sound but move your tongue further back and do it softer.

Jukka Aho
Posts: 5237
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:46 am
Location: Espoo, Finland

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by Jukka Aho » Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:47 am

Sam Winter wrote:hyvää iltapäivää lovelies!
so i've gotten really good at speaking the language and reciting the alphabet however i still haven't mastered rolling the r's and i'm starting to fear i genetically can't, do you have any good tips on how to? i don't wanna have to give up my dreams just because of one letter you know lol :D
If you’re really serious about it and cannot find instructions that would work, you might want to consider utilizing the expertise of a speech therapist:

https://www.diacor.fi/palvelut/puhe--ja-aaniterapia
https://www.mehilainen.fi/terveyspalvel ... uheterapia

(Mind you, there are Finnish children and adults alike who cannot roll their R’s either or have some other problems, and these guys help them.)

Their time is expensive: about 100 euros per hour. But the main point, I think, is getting professional tips and hands-on guidance; maybe even learning about some tricks and tools you could use in the initial phases. You’ll be doing actual exercises at home on your own time.
znark

AldenG
Posts: 3353
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:11 am

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by AldenG » Thu Jan 28, 2016 8:40 am

Siis ärräkoulu.
As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.

Rekkari
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 5:11 pm

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by Rekkari » Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:42 pm

My Finnish wife (born and raised in Finland, Helsinki dialect) says that rolling the 'r' is not critical, especially for a foreigner. It's just part of your foreign accent and you'll be forgiven. For a native speaking Finn, however, the inability to properly roll the 'r' makes one sound like they need speech therapy.

Perrrrrkele!

Can you make the 'thppppppp' (aka 'fart') sound by placing your tongue between your lips? If so, there's probably hope for you. The trilled 'r' is very similar except, of course, your tongue is held lightly against the roof of your mouth just behind the front teeth instead of between the lips. And it's voiced. The tip of the tongue must be kept relaxed but with just enough upward pressure so that it flutters as air is forced over it.

Here's the classic sentence for practice:
Ärrän kierrän ympäri orren, ässän pistän taskuun.

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Pursuivant
Posts: 15089
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 11:51 am
Location: Bath & Wells

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by Pursuivant » Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:15 pm

Not all Finns can roll properly. I can't. The former president can't... the ex-chair of the Left Alliance has a very distinctive "speech fault" and she's quite confident public speaker
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l_HkBG9qMz8
"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

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Pursuivant
Posts: 15089
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 11:51 am
Location: Bath & Wells

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by Pursuivant » Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:17 pm

Halonen "gurgles" her r's and she also has the s going for an f... So, as said before, don't worry too much
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KzFvu2zWUYs
"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

leisl
Posts: 422
Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:26 pm

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by leisl » Sun Jan 31, 2016 4:32 pm

Pursuivant wrote:Not all Finns can roll properly. I can't. The former president can't...
Nor can I. Of course if someone asks to hear the rolled r then I can do it on its own. Or in the lovely perrrrrrrrkele. But in most of my words you don't hear it. I have never been told that I talk funny. Or that I have a speech problem.

It's really not a big deal. The only reason people think it is so important is that some people roll it really heavily. So it stands out.

tuulen
Posts: 1661
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 3:18 am
Location: New England, USA

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by tuulen » Sat Feb 06, 2016 8:18 pm

Rolling a Finnish "r" is actually quite easy, just let it naturally roll from the tip of the tongue. Pull the tongue to behind the upper front teeth, placing the tip of the tongue at the topside of the mouth and then just gently blow, while letting the tip of the tongue vibrate against the topside of the mouth. Yes, that is much easier to do than you might otherwise believe. rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Northern Germany uses a tip-of-tongue rolled "r" just as Finland does, but southern Germany teaches how "r" is pronounced at the base of the tongue, at the top of the throat. The southern German "r" is pronounced while using an "open" throat, yet that same "open" throat is what is needed to properly pronounce the Finnish rolled "r". That might sound complicated but it really is easy to do.

judderbar
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:23 pm
Location: Finland

Re: Rolling my r's.

Post by judderbar » Mon Feb 29, 2016 2:17 pm

My daughter went to speech therapy for a few sessions at age 6 and we got a book of daily exercises to do at home. D was said to cause the tounge to strengthen for the R so she was doing lots of Dun Don Dim and had the R perfect in about one month. We didnt really need the lessons after the first two or so.


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