Editing Guttural R (section)

==Continental West Germanic==

The uvular rhotic is most common in [[Central German]] dialects and in [[Standard German]]. Many [[Low Franconian]], [[Low Saxon languages|Low Saxon]], and [[Upper German]] varieties have also adopted it with others maintaining the [[alveolar trill]] ({{IPA|[r]}}). The development of uvular rhotics in these regions is not entirely understood, but a common theory is that these languages have done so because of French influence, though the reason for uvular rhotics in modern European French itself is not well understood (see above).

The [[Frisian languages]] usually retain an alveolar rhotic.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}

===Dutch and Afrikaans===
[[File:LL-Q14196 (afr)-Oesjaar-Afrikaans.wav|thumb|{{lang|af|Afrikaans}} in Afrikaans.]]
In modern [[Dutch language|Dutch]], quite a few different rhotic sounds are used. In [[Flanders]], the usual rhotic is an [[alveolar trill]], but the uvular rhotic {{IPA|/ʁ/}} does occur, mostly in the province of [[Limburg (Belgium)|Limburg]], in [[Ghent]] and in [[Brussels]]. In the [[Netherlands]], the uvular rhotic is the dominant rhotic in the southern provinces of [[North Brabant]] and [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], having become so in the early twentieth century. In the rest of the country, the situation is more complicated. The uvular rhotic is dominant in the western agglomeration [[Randstad]], including cities like [[Rotterdam]], [[The Hague]] and [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]] (the dialect of [[Amsterdam]] conversely tends to use an alveolar rhotic, but the uvular is becoming increasingly common). The uvular rhotic is also used in some major cities such as [[Leeuwarden]] ([[Stadsfries]]). Outside of these uvular rhotic core areas, the [[alveolar trill]] is common. People learning Dutch as a foreign language also tend to use the alveolar trill because it contrasts better with the [[voiceless velar fricative]] {{IPA|/x/}} in Dutch.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} The [[Afrikaans language]] of South Africa also uses an alveolar trill for its rhotic, except in the non-urban rural regions around [[Cape Town]], chiefly in the town of [[Malmesbury, Western Cape]], where it is uvular (called a bry). Some Afrikaans speakers from other areas also bry, either as a result of ancestry from the Malmesbury region or from difficulty pronouncing the alveolar trill.

===Low Saxon===
In the [[Dutch Low Saxon]] area there are several cities which have the uvular rhotic: [[Zutphen]], [[Steenwijk]],<ref>[http://www.detaalvanoverijssel.nl/plaats/id:6 De Taal van Overijssel]. Over de taal van Steenwijk.</ref> [[Kampen, Overijssel|Kampen]],<ref>[http://www.detaalvanoverijssel.nl/plaats/id:18 De Taal van Overijssel]. Over de taal van Kampen.</ref> [[Zwolle]]<ref>[http://www.detaalvanoverijssel.nl/plaats/id:19 De Taal van Overijssel]. Over de taal van Zwolle.</ref> and [[Deventer]].<ref>[http://www.detaalvanoverijssel.nl/plaats/id:34 De Taal van Overijssel]. Over de taal van Deventer</ref> In [[IJsselmuiden]] near Kampen the uvular r can also be heard.<ref>Ph Bloemhoff-de Bruijn, Anderhalve Eeuw Zwols Vocaalveranderingsprocessen in de periode 1838–1972. IJsselacademie (2012). {{ISBN|978-90-6697-228-5}}</ref> In the countryside the [[alveolar trill]] is common.<ref>Ph Bloemhoff-de Bruijn, Anderhalve Eeuw Zwols Vocaalveranderingsprocessen in de periode 1838–1972. IJsselacademie (2012). {{ISBN|978-90-6697-228-5}}.</ref>

===Standard German===
[[File:De-Puerto Rico.ogg|thumb|{{lang|de|Puerto Rico}} /ˈpu̯ɛʁto ˈʁiːko/ from Berlin.]]
Although the first standardized pronunciation dictionary by [[Theodor Siebs]] prescribed an alveolar pronunciation, most varieties of [[German language|German]] are now spoken with a uvular rhotic, usually a fricative or approximant {{IPAblink|ʁ}}, rather than a trill {{IPAblink|ʀ}}. The alveolar pronunciation {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|r}} ~ {{IPAplink|ɾ}}]}} continues to be considered acceptable in all Standard German varieties, but is most common in the south as well as the far North of German-speaking Europe. It also remains prevailing in classical singing and, to a lesser degree, in stage acting (see {{lang|de|[[Bühnendeutsch]]}}).

In [[German dialects]], the alveolar has survived somewhat more widely than in the standard language, though there are several regions, especially in [[Central German]], where even the broadest rural dialects use a uvular R.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

Regardless of whether a uvular or an alveolar pronunciation is used, German post-vocalic "r" is often vocalized to {{IPAblink|ɐ̯}}, {{IPAblink|ə̯}}, or a simple lengthening {{IPAblink|ː}}. This is most common in the [[syllable coda]], as in [[non-rhotic]] English, but sometimes occurs before an underlying [[schwa]], too. Vocalization of "r" is rare only in [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] (velar) and [[Swabian German|Swabian]] (uvular) German.

===Yiddish===

[[Yiddish]], the traditional language of [[Ashkenazi Jews]] in central and eastern Europe, is derived from [[Middle High German]]. As such it presumably used the alveolar R at first, but the uvular R then became predominant in many [[Yiddish dialects]]. It is unclear whether this happened through independent developments or under influence from modern German (a language widely spoken in large parts of eastern Europe until 1945).