the rules of Rs

A mystery explained -- why my relatives drop "r" sometimes and sometimes add it.

This particular N3w England accent is non-rhotic and the rule is that you don't pronounce an R unless it comes before a vowel. So car = Cah or /ca:/ . and dark = Dahk. And if there are two vowels together then you insert an R. ("Cuba", but "going to Cuba and..." turns to "going to Cubar and"... "idea" but "the idea is..." turns to "the idear is". "non-rhotic accents have extended the linking r to cases in which no r was historically present..."

It's nice to know that it all makes sense and is systematic.