Query: /w/ for /r/ in any British dialects?

[Herb Stahlke]

According to the late Peter Ladefoged, RP has a non-retroflexed rounded
central approximant, like American /r/ without the retroflexion.  Just as a
WAG, American speakers may have heard that as a /w/ rather than an /r/, if
19th c. RP had that sound.

Herb


On Sun, Nov 24, 2013 at 3:39 PM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at mst.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at MST.EDU>
> Subject:      Query: /w/ for /r/ in any British dialects?
>
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> Are there any British dialects where /w/ can be substituted for /r/, such
> as "gwand" for "grand" and "dweadful" for "dreadful"? This feature turned
> up in the speech of at least some 19th century (U.S.) "dudes", who somehow
> took it to be refined British speech.  Was it based on anything actually
> spoken in Britain?
>
> Gerald Cohen
>
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