Morfeemfinale r-deleesje yn bûgingen, ôfliedingen en gearsettingen

Abstract

In all Germanic languages, weakening or even deletion of r is possible. In
Frisian, r-deletion before consonants is even rather common. Since about
1900, r-deletion in Frisian has often been discussed in linguistic literature,
but a complete picture of this phenomenon is still lacking. The aim of this
article is to present a complete description of r-deletion in Frisian at the end
of morphemes in derivations as well as in compounds.
Taking as point of departure our own pronunciation of Frisian, we will
describe the realisation of r in different linguistic environments: before
inflectional and derivational suffixes, at the end of prefixes and at the end of
the first part of compounds. Every individual realisation will be compared
with those given in relevant linguistic literature.
We will conclude with a sketch of a pattern of r-deletion, which turns out
to be obligatory if there is no syllable boundary after r and optional before
a syllable boundary. Moreover, r-deletion is more predictable after a long
vowel than after a short one. The exceptions to the rule will be discussed at
the end of the conclusion.