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Wash vs. Warsh: How and Why Is That Unusual Extraneous “R” a Part of a Dialect?

Diane in Frankfort, Kentucky, says her mother always pronounced the word wash with an R sound in it. This pronunciation of wash as “warsh” reflects what linguists call the intrusive R or excrescent R, a form of what’s known as epenthesis, or the addition of a letter or sound within a word. This pronunciation follows Scots-Irish immigration patterns in the United States. This is part of a complete episode.

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