R-metathesis in English: An account based on perception and frequency of use

Abstract The main properties of r-metathesis in English are its bi-directionality, variability and the attractive biases towards r created by some consonants but not by others. This article argues that a fully predictive and explanatory account of r-metathesis must consider evidence from two areas: phonetics and language use. On the perception side, the indeterminacy of the temporal organization of sequences involving r is an effective predictor of the instability of metathesis. The proposed analysis makes reference to extended phonetic cues and intrusive vowels that appear in the context of rhotics. The language-specific frequency of occurrence of phonotactic patterns is held responsible for the greater chance of some clusters to arise through metathesis than others. It is demonstrated that r-metathesis is best defined as a listener-initiated process rooted in perception. Abstract concepts like markedness have no obvious role to play as the process does not optimize syllable structure, nor does it improve on featural similarity.