The American “r” in “car” preserves an older British pronunciation.

Widespread r-dropping arose after many colonists had already left Britain.

Sometimes a once-stigmatized feature can turn into a fashionable one.

Australian and New Zealand English reflect a later stage of British sound change.

When in New York or Boston, it’s hard not to notice the speech of true locals - the classic r-dropping heard in “New Yawk” or at “Hahvahd Yahd.” But, since most Americans pronounce all their ‘r’s, we more often associate r-dropping with British English, especially its more “proper” varieties like the “Queen’s English.”

Despite a tendency to think of how Americans talk as sounding less fancy and less old-fashioned than British speech, the “r” sound we hear so often on American lips in words like "car" or "yard” is actually the older and originally more prestigious form. Even Shakespeare would have used it, despite how his characters speak in modern performances of his plays.

If we traveled back to 16th century Britain, we would hear speakers pronouncing the “r” in words like “car,” “heart,” and “girl” much like most modern Americans do.

It’s not until the late 17th century, long after the first British colonists landed on American shores, that dropping “r” really started to gain ground in England – and........

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