Trrrilling Rrrs

Enrrrique Mas: You can call me... Enrrrrrique!

Rrrose: ...no, I don't think I can.
—The Golden Girrrls

Forrr added emphasis in yourrr worrrds, speak with rrrolling R's to show yourrr contrrrol overrr yourrr dominion.

Usually the Hammy Evil Overlorrrd will constantly rrroll his tongue. Forrreign People will also speak like this. In some cases justified, as in severrral languages/dialects the R is always prrronounced like this (Rrrrrussian, Spanish, Dutch, some Gerrrman and Trrrransylvanian dialects, and Scots), otherrr than in English. Also frrrequently employed when the speakerrr is rrrelated to felines in some way, imitating a cat's purrrrring.

Not to be confused with the way pirrrates constantly say "Arr!".[1] Compare Sssssnaketalk.

Examples of Trrrilling Rrrs include:


Adverrrtising

  • "Rrrrruffles have rrrrridges". You prrrobably have to be of a certain age to rrrremember that ad campaign.
  • The Tim Horrrton's Donut/Coffee shop in Canada has an annual contest called "Rrrrrrolll up the rrrrrim to win." Bonus points for those who can rrroll the R's.
  • There was a great Taco Bell commercial where these two lions were talking about the latest roast beef burrito. The one said to the other, "No, say it like Ricardo Montalban." So the other lion says, "Okay. Carrrrrrrrrrrrne asada." It was funny.

Anime and Manga


Comedy

  • The Japanese comedy group Rahmens, in the Italian version of their language-class skit. "Tokyo... Osaka... Ibarrrrrrrrraki!"
  • Greg Behrendt once made a joke about how Jesus Christ is always depicted as having rock-hard abs, and he says that he wants to train every day so that he can be "rrrripped, like Jesus."

Comic Books

  • Catwoman tends to do this.
  • The villain Katastrophe from Empowered. (It's not an accent, rather him purring to fit in with the sabertooth theme. Although sabertooth tigers probably are unlikely to purr.)

Fan Worrrks

Film

Literrraturrre

  • The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland does this.
  • In the Heralds of Valdemar series, gryphons both hissss their essess and trill their arrrs. Skandranon can and usually does speak carefully and deliberately to make his speech as articulate as any human's, but when he's tired or angry, or trying to convince someone that he's feeling that way, he reverts.
  • Outcast of Redwall gives us the spy Wrrrrrrraith.
  • The Lady of the Green Kirtle in The Chronicles of Narnia gets as her introduction: "Good day, t-r-r-avellers," she cried out in a voice as sweet as the sweetest bird's song, trilling her R's delightfully.
  • The Grand High Witch from The Witches, along with Vampire Vords; it's said to be derived from a Norwegian accent as witches originated in Norway.
  • The Scottish demon in The Screwtape Letters rolls his r's.

Live Action TV

  • The Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who turned this into an art form. Which led to extreme Narm when he had to face The Gods Of Rrrrrrragnarrrrok.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Gavin Millarrrrr.
  • The Two Fat Ladies frequently do this.
  • On Batman, King Tut. Also the Joker, particularly when he enunciates "Batman and Robin."
    • Both Catwomen, especially Eartha Kitt.
  • Fez on That '70s Show: "You know how he rolls his Rs? He did that in my mouth!"
  • In Greetings From Tuscon, a whole episode was primarily on the fact that one the daughters couldn't roll there r's despite being Hispanic.

Music

  • The Beatles rrroll up, roll up for the "Magical Mystery Tour".
  • Rrrammstein. Even Germans make fun of Till Lindemann's use of overly theatrical rolling R's.
  • Gorillaz bassist Murdoc tends to do this in interviews.
  • John Lydon from the Sex Pistols. They made you a MORRRRROOOON.
  • Miss Lotte Lenya was famous for this.
  • Two words: Nina Hagen.
    • Then she goes and covers a Rammstein song, and turns the trilling Up to Eleven by rolling an R for an entire measure.
  • Billy Stewart, in "Summertime".
  • Japanese singer Shiina Ringo.
  • "Shabondama" by Morning Musume.
  • IAMX singer Chris Corner often rolls his R's in songs.
  • Rin Kagamine. "Don't MyList Me!" It's really subtle, but once you can hear it, it's really awesome.
  • Rrrroza Rrrrymbaeva will roll her Rrrrrs a lot, as seen in "Love Has Come". Not that it's a bad thing in any way.
  • Eartha Kitt.
  • Kraftwerk: "Wirrr sind die Roboterrrrr"
  • The Comedian Harmonists, a German a capella band active during the 20's and 30's, because that's how people used to sing back in the time of the Weimar Republic.

Prrrofessional Wrrrestling

  • Alberto Del Rio. Or, as he's introduced by his personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Albertooo del Rrrrrrrrriooo.

Tabletop RRRPG

"...the shimmerrring currrtains through which ye ha'e passed on yourrr explorrration of the ship."

Theatrrre

  • When the Reduced Shakespeare Company assumes fake Scottish accents to perform Macbeth, they inevitably fall back to simply trilling their R's. A lot.

Video Games

Web Comics

  • Grim-Eyes in Digger used to do this, especially when dealing with that pesky Earrrrth Rrrrat.
  • Homestar Runner: Hilariously subverted in Limozeen's hair metal cover of sloshy's emo hit song "We Don't Really Even Care About You." At one point, Larry Palaroncini sings "We don't rrreally even care," but a minute later changes it to the tongue-twisting "Rrre rrron't rrreally rrreven care!"

Web Orrriginal

Westerrrn Animation

"I'll have to give myself a PRRRRRROMOTION!"

  • In Disney's Lady and the Tramp, Jock the Scottish terrier does this (among other times) while he's singing a song: "forrr me own", "back yarrrd".
    • Scrooge McDuck, another Scottish character, often does this on DuckTales (1987).
  • In an effort to show how perfect her Spanish is, Peggy Hill does this way too much.
  • Principal Luna from Class of 3000 does this, but then again, he's Latino.
  • The early Looney Tunes short Daffy Duck in Hollywood features a pig movie director with a thick German accent named von Hemberger, a parody of Josef von Sternberg voiced by Herman Bing (see "Film" above), who keeps doing this.
  • Groundskeeper Willie from The Simpsons:

"Bonjourrrrr...ya cheese eatin' surrender monkeys!"

Rrreal Life

  • People from Skåne, Sweden.
    • Also Gothenburgers.
  • Norio Wakamoto really loves doing this when he's voice acting... and even when he's not voice acting.
  • Adolf Hitler often did it.
  • Jon Gaunt.
  • Patrrrrick Stewart.
  • Brazilian sportscaster Galvão Bueno (yeah, that Galvão) is a great fan of Ronaldo, I mean, RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRONALDINHO! (Anyone who parodies him turns his "Rs" Up to Eleven).
    • Mexican sportscaster José Ramón Jiménez also used to signal the beginning of a match with "¡ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRANCA la primera mitad!".
    • This is actually reflected in the Spanish language alphabet, which has a few consonants alien to English. "R" is almost always read like "tidal", in most (all?) American accents. Nobody everr errs in rreading "Rr".
  • One possible way to identify someone from El Salvador is whether or not they roll their "r"s exaggeratedly at the end of sentences that end with words that end in an r. A longer trill correlates with high Salvadoran-ness.
  • Jack Black. Through the skies, he flies, he doesn't know the RRRRRREASON why, but he flies... so high... you'll know that it's TRUE!
  • Esperanto, the Universal Language is meant to be pronounced with trilled R's, but native English speakers usually omit them.
  • Everyone's favorite dirty old little lady, Dr. Rrrrruth Westheimer is known particularly well for this.
  • Christopher Lee is famous for this, along with his baritone and cool British accent.
  • Björk.
  • When the Reduced Shakespeare Company assumes fake Scottish accents to perform Macbeth, they inevitably fall back to simply trilling their R's. A lot.
  • Stephen Fry does this on occasion when presenting QI. Brrrrrrilliant!
  • Mixed Martial Arts announcer Lenne Hardt's signature announcing style involves rolling every R in each fighter's name, often holding them for several seconds. They didn't call her "PRIDE Crazy Lady" for nothing.
  • Cats have these in almost all of their extended vocalizations.
  1. ↑ If they were non-Rhrrrrotic
  2. ↑ voiced by Agnes Moorehead of Bewitched fame just before she passed on
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