Speech Defects

[Sancho Panther]

My (Spanish) wife is helping my cousin's daughter with her Spanish 'A' level exam work. ('A' = advanced level examination which qualifies you for university). She is progressing well with both vocabulary and grammar but after some weeks trying we have established that she is physically incapable of pronouncing 'r' properly.

I did a bit of on-line research and established that there is a condition called 'malocclusion' which means that the tongue cannot touch the palate behind the upper teeth, preventing the correct pronunciation of 'r'.

Are there any hispano-parlantes affected by this and if so, how do they cope?

[Premium]

I read that some people can't roll the "r". Therefore they pronounce it like the French or the German "r", the guttural "r". This is not only common for native Spanish-speakers, but also people who speak a totally different language.

[poli]

Many people from Puerto Rico use the French/German r sound. It sometimes sounds like the Spanish j.

[Premium]

Originally Posted by poli

Many people from Puerto Rico use the French/German r sound.

Is it really that common? I have never heard it before, only the normal Spanish "r" or the "L"(for instance: puelto lico).

[Sancho Panther]

I hope she won't be penalised in the final oral examination, that would be unfair, perhaps she should tell the examiners. What do you think?

[Premium]

Originally Posted by Sancho Panther

I hope she won't be penalised in the final oral examination, that would be unfair. perhaps she should tell the examiners. What do you think?

It certainly wouldn't do any harm, but I honestly don't think it will be necessary. In my experience, teachers don't judge the pronounciation of a single letter, but the pronounciation of an entire word (which syllable has to be stretched etc.).

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree with Premium. Examiners will evaluate everything: grammar, fluency, vocabulary and pronunciation; if that's her only problem and does not impede communication, it will be overlooked.
If it's too troublesome for her, she should tell them, so she's more relaxed during the examination.

[poli]

The unique pronunciation of r's among many Puerto Ricans is quite common. Here is and example from a native speaker. Be patient, it takes time before he gets to the r's.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...2581F274731034

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

That's interesting. I'd never heard that pronunciation of "perro" before.
Thanks for the link.

[Sancho Panther]

All I can say is - thank God we don't have to cope with the 'click' found in many African tribal languages!

That does seem to take some effort.