'Strong R' in Danger of Disappearing Across North of England, Study Finds
according to Lancaster University researchers, that "r"s are becoming a thing of the past in England—apart from in Blackburn, where the "r" is still very much rolling.
PhysOrg.com • Researchers fear the British spoken 'r' is ready to roll away from the last bastion of rhoticity
they discovered that the pronunciation of some of the words had changed ever so slightly. What they were seeing was the beginning of a new accent emerging.
Richard Gray • Isolated for Six Months, Scientists in Antarctica Began to Develop Their Own Accent
You can learn an awful lot about people, culture, and politics by studying R, it turns out. Also, it’s really weird, and linguists love that.