Norwegian children's acquisition of the dialect feature r

Abstract

The pronunciation of r is a central dialect feature of Norwegian. The main division is between a front and a back pronunciation. The back realization is acquired relatively early (around age 4), while the front realization is one of the most problematic sounds to acquire, and substitution sounds are frequent. Using two data collection points, we show how four children learning Norwegian start by substituting r use of the r of their dialect area or idiolectal surroundings. The main argument of this article is that the r-development of kindergarten children is not only governed by rules on acquisition and development lines, but also by the sociolinguistic variation and use of r in the Norwegian speech community.

Norwegian children's acquisition of the dialect feature r