Ultrasound reveals hidden tongue movements behind centuries-old language change

Scientists at Lancaster University have observed the hidden tongue movements accompanying a centuries-old change in English speech—offering a rare glimpse of language transforming in real time. Linguists have used ultrasound imaging to observe one of these changes as it unfolds inside the mouths of speakers from Blackburn, Lancashire—one of the few places in England where many older speakers still pronounce the historical strong-R sound after vowels in words like star and heart.