Most varieties of Scottish English are rhotic. This means that the r is pronounced in all positions. It is often realized as an alveolar approximant, but it can also be a flap or a trill. Unlike in other rhotic varieties of English, Scottish English lacks r-coloured vowels. This means that vowels followed by the alveolar approximant do not merge. They are both pronounced separately.
Many dialects of English have r-coloured vowels. They include Canadian English, American English and Irish English. In these dialects, the vowel sounds are modified by the alveolar approximant in the same syllable and thereby create a single, distinct sound. The quality of the approximant is present throughout the duration of the vowel.
In Scottish English, however, the consonant never merges. In traditional varieties, it is a flap or a trill, but now many speakers use an approximant. The result is that the number of segments is different. For example, in varieties of English with r-coloured vowels, the word bird has three segments. However, in Scottish English it has four.
The alveolar approximant is a common consonant of English. However, only rhotic dialects of English use it in all positions. In non-rhotic dialects, it is not produced in the syllable coda. Many rhotic varieties have r-coloured vowels. However, even though most varieties of Scottish English are rhotic, it is a dialect that does not have r-coloured vowels.
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