0 used to refer to a type of English, in which an /r/ is pronounced in all situations where there is an "r" in spelling: --
In a rhotic accent, an /r/ is pronounced at the end of "car".
The realization of the hard rhotic varies significantly across dialects.
Wheeler offers a systematic description and exemplification of these morphological alternations and their phonological environments (which are somewhat different for the nasal and for the rhotic).
As a consequence, it is likely that learners will not only face problems mastering the articulation of the sounds but also producing the right rhotic in a given context.
Included is a description of the limited set of contrasts in an unstressed syllable closed by a rhotic, and a discussion of the asymmetric pattern in restricted harmony.
If we were to find a case where the lateral is opaque and the rhotic is targeted, we would expect the former to manifest the attributes of a lateral fricative.
These learners were thus the most proficient of the four nonnative groups as concerns their mastery of rhotic voicing.
However, this is a relatively recent innovation, and our participants reflect the apical rhotic pronunciation that was common in the provinces during the 19th century.
Assuming that rhotic preservation correlates with stress preservation, this provides a window on the stress patterns of these words, at least in one dialect.
