Rule 3 of 6
Keep r and l apart
The rule
l: the tongue touches the ridge and stays. r: the tongue touches nothing.
At the start of a syllable, make r and l with two different tongue positions: this is the most important rule in the guide. English uses the difference to separate hundreds of words, while Kinyarwanda treats r and l as one sound. It works the same way in American and Standard English.
Tongue positions
| Sound | Tongue | Lips | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| l | The tip presses on the ridge just behind your top teeth and stays there for the whole sound | In their normal position | You can hold the sound for 2 seconds (llll) without moving your tongue |
| r | Touches nothing. Pull it back until the tip is behind the ridge, pointing up, with a gap | Pushed forward into a small circle, as for w | Your tongue touches nothing at any point. If it taps the ridge, that is the Kinyarwanda r, which English ears can hear as l or d |
Warm up
Say la la la, then ra ra ra, then la ra la ra, 10 times each. On every l your tongue touches the ridge; on every r it touches nothing.
r and l pairs
| r | l | Play both |
|---|---|---|
| right | light | |
| road | load | |
| rock | lock | |
| rate | late | |
| pray | play | |
| grass | glass | |
| fry | fly | |
| crowd | cloud | |
| correct | collect | |
| arrive | alive |
Everyday words that mix both
- really
- already
- early
- library
- world
- girl
- rule
- travel
- relative
- regularly
Practise these sentences
- Turn right at the traffic light.
- Please collect the correct form.
- I really like the new library.