Consonant sounds in Russian are clearly pronounced only before vowels. In other cases, they change, following the law of economy of speech effort.

Processes associated with deafness and voiced consonants

In Russian, consonants are divided into voiceless and voiced.

CALLING	[B]	[B’]	[IN]	[IN']	[G]	[G']	[D]	[D’]	[AND]	[Z]	[З’]
DEAF	[P]	[P']	[F]	[F’]	[TO]	[TO']	[T]	[T']	[SH]	[WITH]	[WITH']

It should be remembered that there are consonants that are pronounced:
a) always voiced: [L], [L ’], [M], [M ’], [N], [N’], [P], [P’], [Y];
b) always unvoiced: [Х], [Х’], [Ц], [Ч’], [Ш].

1. Stunning of consonants. The process when a consonant sound is simply replaced by a paired dull sound, following the law of economy of speech effort. It happens:
- at the end of a word

2. Voicing (that is, replacing a voiceless consonant with a voiced one) of consonants occurs if a voiceless consonant is located in front of a voiced one.

Processes associated with softness and hardness of consonants

Consonants are also divided into soft and hard. So they make pairs.

Solid	[n]	[P]	[R]	[With]	[T]	[f]	[X]
Soft	[n’]	[P']	[R']	[With']	[T']	[f’]	[X']

However, not all consonants form pairs based on hardness and softness.
Always hard:[F], [W], [C]
Always soft:[Y], [H], [SH]
The softness of consonants in writing is indicated by the soft sign (b) and the letters E, E, Yu, Ya, I. Before the vowels A, O, E, U, Y, the consonants are pronounced firmly.

1. Softening of consonants. Before soft T, D, N, L, Ch, V, Shch, the consonants [S], [Z], [N] are pronounced softly.

2. The consonants Y, CH, SH are always pronounced softly, regardless of the vowels or consonants that follow them.

Pronunciation of consonant combinations

1. The combination of ChN, according to the norms of the Russian language of the first half of the twentieth century, had to be pronounced [ШН]. Now this norm is becoming a thing of the past and it is acceptable to pronounce [CN]. However, there are exception words in which pronouncing [CN] is unacceptable (see below)

3. Combinations of the letters SZH and ZZH are pronounced as an elongated sound [ZH] = [ZHZH].

5. Combinations of letters СЧ, СШ, ЗЧ, ЗШ, ЖЧ are pronounced as [Ш]

We write	We pronounce
Customer	[customer]
Check	[schot]

6. Combinations of letters DC, TC, TSYA, TSYA = sound [Ts]

8. In the combinations STN, STL, NTSC, STSC the sound [T] is dropped

9. In the combinations ZDN, NDSC, RDC, the sound [D] is dropped.

10. In the combination VST, the sound [B] is dropped.

1. In Russian, vowels under stress do not change and
pronounced clearly and clearly. There is only one stress in a word (claim
meaning are compound words in which there is one stress
the main thing is clear, and the second is weak: waterproof,
double-edged and etc.). A stressed vowel is different from an unstressed one
different in height and duration (the percussive sound is longer).

As mentioned above, all unstressed vowel sounds are pronounced shorter. The length or shortness of unstressed vowels aav depends on the position in relation to the stressed syllable: the farther the sound is from the stressed syllable, the shorter it is.

2. Vowels o, oh yeah I change quantitatively and qualitatively
in °; vowels and, uh, y, yu, s change only quantitatively, i.e.

In unstressed position they are pronounced shorter in relation to

stressed syllable.

Note. Vowel uh occurs in a few words: in pronouns this, this, this, therefore, in interjections eh, hey, as well as in words and proper names borrowed from other languages, for example: floor, standard, scaffold, Elsa, Evelina etc. Assignment

Say the words out loud and pay attention to the differences in the pronunciation of vowels and, uh, y, yu, yv shock and unstressed position:

escalator ellipse

electric elf
draw a leaf

lunge

tinned branch

cannibal salute

3. The vowels a and o in the pre-stressed syllable (immediately before the stressed syllable) and at the beginning of the word, regardless of the place occupied in relation to the stressed syllable, are pronounced as a, but somewhat shorter. In transcription this sound is designated [o]. Tasks

1) Say the words out loud, clearly highlighting the stressed syllable, remember the pronunciation of the previous sound, which sounds like A:

pronounced

[astronomer

[agronomist

[authorized

[a]to move

[a]education

[a]conversion

4. Unstressed vowels a and o in second and third place before stress and in unstressed syllables undergo quantitative and qualitative changes (reduction) and sound like a sound between A And s. In transcription, this sound has the symbol [■*].

Say the words out loud, clearly highlighting the stressed syllable. Make sure the reduced sound sounds right [ъ] instead of a and o in the second and third places before the accent:

is written is pronounced is written is pronounced

paradox p[ъ]radox cities cities

quarantine k[ъ]rantine beard kind of

pencil pendash gold gold

Say the words out loud, clearly highlighting the stressed syllable. Watch for the correct pronunciation of the reduced sound at the end of words - [-&]:

is written is pronounced is written is pronounced

palm palm[ъ] carefully careful[ъ]

hospital hospital[b] swamp swamps[ъ]

crow raven[ъ] hungry hungry[ъ]

only only[ъ] How many how many[ъ]

some several[ъ] not at all not at all[ъ]

(The last eight words are included because they often skip the soft l sound and instead only, how many, a few They say: current[b], several[b], skok[b] and so on.

PRONUNCIATION OF UNStressed VOWELS e, i

5. Unstressed vowels e, I after soft consonants in the first pre-stressed syllable they are pronounced as a sound between cues. In transcription it is conventionally designated as [ie]. The same sound is pronounced instead of a vowel A after soft consonants h and sch.

Say the words out loud, clearly highlighting the stressed syllable. Follow the correct pronunciation of the unstressed i, ee vowel A after the consonants h and sch:

Is written is pronounced is written is pronounced

v[ie]zat

lie

m[ie]snyk

go

sh[ie]vel

help

yShchOba h^»yu\shukt

6. Unstressed vowels e, I at the beginning of a word and after vowels in the middle of a word (in the first pre-stressed syllable) are pronounced as a sound intermediate between And And e with the one preceding it y. In transcription it is conventionally designated as.

spelled pronounced

gravity cooking

little frog l[l]gushonok

meat grinder m[b]cut

five year plan p[b]tletka

field Paul] share dol[b]

grief mountain[b] will will[b]

8. Unstressed vowels e, I, which are at the beginning of the layer
va, but far from the stressed syllable, pronounced as reduced
new sound b with the previous one y. In transcription it is designated
it seems like [yj].

Say the words out loud, clearly highlighting the stressed syllable. Pay attention to the correct pronunciation of unstressed vowels e, I- like [йь]:

is written is pronounced is written is pronounced

Yenisei[Y]nisoy label[yj]snark

European[th]European poisonous[y]dovyty

fidget[yj]goza jaguar[yj]guar

nature[j]nature vernalization[jj]rovization

Sometimes unstressed vowels e, I pronounced as And(the so-called “hiccup”). Incorrect vowel pronunciation is also common I- it is pronounced the same way in both stressed and unstressed syllables. These rather dialectal phenomena need to be corrected.

9. Vowel And as a conjunction coming after the word that
the swarm ends in a hard consonant and vowel And at first
words if preceded by a word that ends in
hard consonant, as well as after prepositions to, in, from, from, before
etc. goes into s.

Say the phrases, making sure that and sounds like s:

spelled pronounced

both you and us as you are, so are we

here we are here we are

went to Spain went to [fpania]

left the institute left [s]from [s]institute

I read with interest I read with interest

that's it that's exactly it

If in a phrase there should be a pause between words, for example, in the title of a work, then the vowel And pronounced in such cases without change:

Pronounced
written f

enemy and friend enemy / and friend

Tchertophanov and Nedopyuskin Tchertophanov / and Nedopyuskin
forest and steppe forest/and steppe

Violating the willow crossing rule is very common. Especially many mistakes are made in combination with the preposition V, for example, they say: “I’m going to university”, “I’m going to Vitaliy”, “I’m living in a hut” instead of: [I’m going to university], [I’m going to vytaliyu], [I’m living in a hut].

10. In the Russian language there are many sound combinations of two unstressed vowels: aa, oo, ao, oa, ay, ou, ai, oi, ey, eo, eu, ea. These sound combinations occur in words, as well as at the junction of words, when one word ends with an unstressed vowel, and another begins with an unstressed vowel.

a) combinations of unstressed vowels aa, ooh, ao, oa are pronounced

like two a: aa:

spelled pronounced

pave pave

at random at random

imagination vibration

sharpening sharpening;

b) in combinations of unstressed vowels oh, oh, oh, oh, vowels A and o are pronounced as a reduced sound, which in transcription has the designation [»]:

is written is pronounced is written is pronounced
at random n[a]guess search engine search

make yourself more comfortable more convenient obliquely obliquely

c) in combinations of unstressed vowels ey, ey, ea, eo vowel e pronounced as a reduced sound, and in transcription has the designation [b]:

spelled pronounced

uninteresting n[b]interesting

inconvenient n[b]comfortable

uneducated uneducated

implementation r[b]alization

To master the pronunciation of unstressed vowels in the above sound combinations, say the following phrases out loud. But before you say them, think about each one and decide what you want to say, for what purpose and with what relation to the thought being expressed. Also pay attention to punctuation marks.

aa,oo, ao, oa: aa

They live on islands. I'm walking along Arbat.

Come in one at a time! I'm going for an advance.

Rich imagination! Read on the back.

ow, ow: ow

Despite the reproaches. Work on the drums!

Thanks for the pleasure. I act on conviction!

Answer to everyone's surprise
for concealment.

ai,oi: ii

Watch Lectures on Iconography.

in the illustration!

Difficult names. Act by inertia.

ey, ey: yi, yu

Inexhaustible energy. Unfriendly character.

Inexplicable excitement! Did they really do it?

The inevitable end! Don't be alone!

eo,ea:ya

Unfounded statement! She's not an actress!

An extraordinary building. This is not an argument.
He said it several times. This is not original.

WORKING ON WORD STRESS

Familiarity with the rules of modern literary pronunciation is the first step in working on speech technique. In order to learn to speak correctly, you need to specifically train in memorizing the rules of pronunciation and stress in the Russian language.

When studying literary pronunciation, you need to master the ability to observe not only your own speech, but also the speech of those around you. The teacher’s speech, naturally, is a model for students.

It is necessary to listen to recordings of speeches by actors and readers, whose speech can serve as an example of correct pronunciation. It is useful to listen to speeches by linguistic experts on radio and television on issues of oral speech.

But just listening to someone else’s speech is not enough. We need to practice and consolidate the rules of pronunciation in practice.

At the initial stages, it is useful to use a tape recorder: record your speech, then listen, compare it with samples and then repeat the recording, trying to correct any observed deviations from the norm. Listening to yourself “from the outside” makes it easier to notice your own mistakes.

Mastering word stress requires the development of certain skills and a lot of time.

We offer tasks in which you will have to think about which syllable to emphasize, how to pronounce a word, first name, last name. Tasks on stress are combined with tasks on the application of various rules of spelling.

It is useful for students to listen and control each other, having placed emphasis and first checked the correctness of their pronunciation.

When reading a book or listening to the speech of others, you may have questions related to the placement of stress and the pronunciation of a particular word. Therefore, it is advisable to have a small dictionary and write down words whose pronunciation is in doubt. The correctness of “doubtful words” should be checked using a reference dictionary.

1. Place emphasis on words. If you have any difficulties, check the accent in a reference dictionary.

2. If the meaning of a word is not clear to you, check the “Dictionary of the Russian Language” by S.I. Ozhegov.

3. Write out and say out loud words in which the sounds o and a occur in an unstressed position at the beginning of the word and in the first pre-stressed syllable.

4. Write out and say out loud words in which the sounds o and A occur in an unstressed position in the second and third prestressed syllables.

5. Write out and say out loud words with sounds e and I am in an unstressed position at the beginning of the word, in the first and second syllables before the stressed one. Answer the question: is there a difference in the pronunciation of unstressed ея at the beginning of a word, in the first pre-stressed syllable and in the second pre-stressed syllable.

6. Write down and pronounce foreign words with consonant sounds t, d, r, s before a vowel e pronounced firmly.

7. Write down and pronounce foreign words in which sounds t, d, r, s in accordance with the rules of Russian orthoepy before a vowel e pronounced softly.

8. Mark words that are always spelled the same, but in which changing the stress changes their meaning.

Argument. Bus. Alibi. Scam. Bus. Alcohol. Alphabet. Engage. Enrollee. Borrowed, borrowed, borrowed. Gave, gave, gave. Took it away, took it away, took it away.

Athenians. Egyptian. Eritik. Priest, priest, priest. Monologue. Epilogue. Dialogue. tattered, tattered; torn, torn. Rip off, rip off, rip off, rip off, rip off.

Soothsayers, soothsayers. Conspiracy (different meanings). Agreement. Verdict. I call, call, call; we call, call, call. From-

Phonetic laws

1. The following positions for vowels are possible under stress: 1) at the beginning of a word; 2) after vowels; 3) after hard consonants; 4) after soft consonants. In each of these positions, 5 vowel sounds are distinguished: [u], [o], [a], [e], [i] ([s]): 1) [ý]tka, [ó]kna, [á] rka, [e]that, [i]skry, 2) figure out, for [ó]chny, co-[á]author, po[e]ma, play; 3) s[u]d, k[o]t, s[a]d, w[e]st, s[y]r; 4) t[u]l ( tulle), t[’ó]tya ( aunt),m[’a]ta ( mint), t[’e]n ( shadow), m[’i]r. The choice of sound [and] or [s] is determined by the position: after soft consonants, after vowels and at the beginning of a word, the sound [and] is pronounced, after a hard consonant the sound [s].

2. When combining a preposition ending in a hard consonant with an initial uh next elephant in place uh a vowel sound is pronounced, in which the tongue occupies a more posterior position than usual, and the consonant is pronounced firmly: [to e]tim ( to these),o [t e]ha ( from the echo).

3. The sound [and] is replaced by the sound [s] in the position after a solid consonant: [and] play ( play) - s[y]play ( play), [i]ra ( Ira)- with [y]roy ( with Ira),k [y]re ( to Ira).

4. Vowels after hard consonants.

4.1. In the first pre-stressed syllable, in place of letters ah, oh the vowel [a] is pronounced (more precisely, it is designated as [a ъ] - an unstressed sound, during the pronunciation of which the tongue occupies a middle position between [a] and [ъ]: tr[a ъ]vá ( grass),str[a]ná ( a country), w [a b ]gi ( Steps), c [a ъ ]ri ( kings), in [a ъ ]да ( water),goal[a ъ]va ( head).

4.2. In other unstressed syllables in place of letters ah, oh a short sound is pronounced, intermediate between [ы] and [a] (in transcription it is indicated by the sign [ъ]: с[ъ]rafan ( sundress),g[ъ]lova ( head), lock [ъ]к ( lock),cat[ъ] ( cat).

5. At the beginning of a word and after a vowel in place of letters ah, oh the sound [a] is pronounced (more precisely [a ъ]: [а ъ]bbаt ( abbot), [a ъ ]bazhur ( shade), back[a ъ]turn ( lasso), [a ъ ]din ( one), [a ъ]dinoky ( lonely), one by one ( one by one).

6. After soft consonants in all unstressed syllables in place of letters and, uh, me the sound [i e] is pronounced (intermediate between [i] and [e], but closer to [i]: p[’i e ]rog ( pie), in [’i e ]sna ( spring),p [’i e ]tno ( spot), p[’i e ]horn ( pie),p [’i e ]tushok ( cockerel),p [’i e ]tachók ( patch), youp[’i e ]t ( drink), tan[’i e ]ts ( dance), youpr [’i e ]ch ( unharness).

Orthoepic rules

1. In some words of both Russian and foreign origin, there are fluctuations in the choice of the vowel [e] or [o] after soft consonants and sibilants: maneuvers - maneuvers, bile - bile, faded, but faded.

2. Some words allow variation in the sound design of the root: zero - zero, plan - plan, tunnel - tunnel, condition - condition.

3.1. In some cases, in words of foreign origin, the above laws of phonetic realization of vowels may be violated, while the sounds [o], [e], [a] may appear in unstressed syllables:

3.1.1. In some borrowed words that have been sufficiently mastered by native speakers, it is permissible to pronounce the sound [o] in an unstressed position in place of the letter O: p[o]et ( poet),p[o]ethical ( poetic), r[o]yal ( piano),f[o]yé ( foyer).But pronunciation [o] in such cases is not necessary: ​​p[o]et And p[a]et, p[o]ethical And p[b]ethical, r[o]yal And r[a]yal. The pronunciation of the sound [o] in these cases is observed in a high pronunciation style, giving speech solemnity, elation, or in situations that require drawing attention to the word, its semantic emphasis.

In certain borrowed words that are not sufficiently mastered by native speakers, the use of the sound [o] in an unstressed position can be observed regardless of the style of pronunciation: b[o]á ( boa), b[o]lero ( bolero), r[o]k[o]kó ( rococo), fl['e]rdoránge ( orange blossom).

3.1.2. In borrowed words insufficiently mastered by native speakers in an unstressed position in place of letters uh, uh The sound [e] can be pronounced at the beginning of a word, after a vowel, after hard and soft consonants: [e]picentr ( epicenter),mu[e]jin ( muezzin), ts[e]tsé ( tsetse), s[’e]questr ( sequestration).

In borrowed words mastered by native speakers in the indicated positions, a vowel sound is more often pronounced, which has undergone the usual change for Russian words: [and e]tázh ( floor), [and e]energy ( energy), po[i]tic ( poetic),at[y]lé ( studio),kat[i]goria ( category).

3.1.3. In borrowed words insufficiently mastered by native speakers in unstressed syllables in place of the letter A the sound [a] can be pronounced in the position after hard and soft consonants: z[a]luzi ( blinds),d[a]zybao ( dazibao),ch[’a]ykhana ( teahouse), h[’a]kona ( chaconne).

4. In some cases, in the first stems of complex and complexly abbreviated words, the above laws of vowel behavior may be violated, while in unstressed positions the sounds [o], [e], [a] may appear:

4.1. In complex and compound words, the sound [o] in an unstressed position can be pronounced in place of the letter O in the first basis: completely impenetrable ( waterproof),g[o]rsad ( city ​​garden), g[o]szakaz ( government order), [about] office equipment ( office equipment).

4.2. In complex and compound words, the sound [e] in an unstressed position can be pronounced in place of the letter e in the first base: e[ne]ergonal carrier ( energy carrier), sb[’e]rbank ( Sberbank), s[’e]lsovet ( village council).

4.3. In complex and compound words, the sound [a] in an unstressed position can be pronounced in place of the letters and I in the first stem not in the first pre-stressed syllable: p[a]rosbornik ( steam trap), d [a] owner ( dacha owner),h[’a]sharebie ( love of children), in[’a]current ( sluggish) .

5. In some unstressed prefixes of both foreign and Russian origin, the above laws of phonetic implementation of vowels may be violated, while in an unstressed position the sounds [o], [e], [a] may be pronounced:

5.1. In some borrowed prefixes, the letters are replaced by O in an unstressed position the sound [o] is pronounced: k[o]ntrméry ( countermeasures), postmodernism ( postmodernism), pro[o]Islamic ( pro-Islamic). In prefixes of Russian origin, the appearance of unstressed [o] is optional: illustrate And illustrate ( illustrate),p[o]cadre And p[a]cadre ( Time-lapse),d[o]elections And d[a]elections ( by-elections), c[o]editor And s[ъ]editor ( co-editor).

5.2. In some borrowed prefixes, the letters are replaced by uh in an unstressed position the sound [e] is pronounced: [e]xpresident ( ex-president),[e]extraordinary ( extraordinary).

5.3. In prefixes of both foreign and Russian origin, the letters are replaced by e in an unstressed position the sound [e] can be optionally pronounced: d[e]mobilization ( demobilization), r['e]organization ( reorganization),vn[’e]service ( off-duty), [p’e]r[’e]orientation ( reorientation),d[’e]double ( pre-election).

5 4. In some cases, in prefixes of Russian origin, letters are replaced by A the sound [a] may optionally be pronounced not in a nerve pre-stressed syllable: n[a]dokonny ( above the window), program ( program).

6. In some unstressed prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions and particles adjacent to a stressed word, the above phonetic laws for the implementation of vowels may be violated:

6.1. Some prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions and particles are pronounced with an unstressed sound [o] in place of the letter O: along the street ( along the street),after lunch ( after lunch), my brother ( my brother),t[o]t person ( that man), but [o] I ( But I) what are you ( what you), in [o]t so ( like this).

6.2. Some prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions and particles can be pronounced with an unstressed sound [e] in place of the letter e:sv[’e]rkh norms ( above normal), vn[’e] competition ( out of competition),m[’e]f nmi ( between them), all[’e] tasks ( all tasks), t[’e] house ( those houses), w[’e]m you ( than you).

6.3. Some prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions and particles can be pronounced with an unstressed sound [a] in place of letters and I: dl[’a] us ( for us), our site ( our site), how [a]k they ( how are they), so [a]come ( so come).

Let's consider the features of the pronunciation of consonant sounds.

1. At the end of words, in place of paired voiced consonants, the corresponding voiceless consonants are pronounced: year - th[T], gas – ha[With]and so on. If there are two voiced consonants at the end of a word, then both of them are deafened: squeal - vi[sk], train – poe[st].

Pronunciation of the sound [ X] at the end of a word instead of [ To] is not literary, for example: dream[X], poro[X]. The exception is the word “God”, which is pronounced with the sound [ X] at the end: bo[X]. But in the oblique cases of this word it is pronounced [ G]: bó[G]A.

Letter G pronounced like [ X] before [ To] And [ h]: le[X']To yay, smah[X]h there.

In some interjections the letter G pronounced as a fricative sound [ γ ]: aga – a[γ ]á,ogo – about[γ ]ó, gop –[γ ]oh my god -[γ ]Lord.

2. Voiced consonants are deafened before voiceless ones in the middle of a word and at the junction of words: spoon – lo[w] ka, cork - about[P] ka, snow is falling - in a dream[k-p] gives, from the theater – and[s-t] eátra, between the balls – me[shh]arami.

3. In place of voiceless consonants before voiced ones (except [ V], [R], [l], [m], [n]) in the middle of a word and at the junction of words the corresponding voiced ones are pronounced: pass -[h] give, throw away - oh[d]leave, station - in[G] z ál, with Borús –
[z-b]orus.

4. Hard consonants can be softened before soft ones. Mitigation depends on what consonants they are and what soft consonants they are in front of, as well as on what part of the word the consonant combinations are in. The loss of this softening is a living process in modern literary language, causing numerous fluctuations.

Dental consonants [ With], [h] And [ n] before soft teeth [ T'], [d'], [With'], [n’] inside the root, at the junction of the root and the suffix or at the end of prefixes and prepositions consonant with them are usually softened: [ z'd']yes, yes[z'n']b, pé[n's']ya, ra[z'n']es, and[z'-d']ereva. Consonant [ n] is also pronounced softly before [ h] And [ sch]: to[LF] ik, zhe[no] ina.

Before soft tooth [ l’] two pronunciation options are possible: [ evil’]it –[z'l']it, by[sl']e – p[s'l']e,[s-l’]eta –[s’-l’]this. Mandatory mitigation is recommended in the words: é [s'l']and, in[z'l']e.

Double pronunciation is observed in combinations of dental consonants with soft labials: [ sound']er -[z'v']fuck,[dv']er -[d'v']fuck it[tv']damn[t'v']damn,[sv’]et –[s'v']no,[sp']únka –[s'p']únka. Currently, there is a tendency to pronounce hard consonants in such cases. Consonants [ T], [d] at the end of prefixes before soft labials, as well as the consonant [ R] before soft dental and labial ones are usually pronounced firmly: By[db']wow, oh[tm']eril, po[rt']it, co[rz']zuna.

In nouns ending in -ism, consonant [ h] is pronounced firmly in all cases: with capital[zm]e.

Soft sound [ To'] does not affect the pronunciation of the hard sound [ With] in a word sausages.

5. At the junction of parts of a word, as well as a preposition and the next word, a combination of consonants US And zsh pronounced as a long hard [ shh], and combinations szh And zzh– how long [ LJ]: inferior - neither[shh]th, the highest is you[shh]y, newcomer - welcome[LJ], unclench –[LJ], fry -[LJ], with fat –[LJ]. However, recently there has been a tendency to pronounce these combinations in accordance with the spelling: ra[US]be able to, and[zh]executions.

Combinations zzh And LJ inside the root are pronounced as a long soft [ w'f']: I go - e[w'f']y, later - by[w'f']e, reins - in[w'f']and, yeast - dro[w'f']And.. However, due to the tendency towards hard pronunciation of many combinations of consonants, the corresponding spelling pronunciation of hard [ LJ]: By[LJ]e, dro[LJ]And.

6. Combinations sch, zch And zhch inside the root, as well as at the junction of the root and the suffix, they are pronounced like [ sh'sh']: happiness -[sh'sh']astier, account -[sh'sh']oh, clerk - hello[sh'sh']ik, sample - image[sh'sh']ik, defector - interrupt[sh'sh']ik, man - mu[sh'sh']ina.

7. Combination sch at the junction of a prefix and a root, as well as at the junction of a preposition and a word, they are pronounced as [ wow]: run out – and[wow]to dig, to exhaust – and[wow]terrify, countless - be[wow]salted, with tea –[wow]hey, with Chekhov -[wow]Ekhov.

8. Combination ssch at the junction of prefix and root, as well as zshch at the junction of a preposition and a word, it is pronounced as [ sh'sh']: split - ra[sh'sh']to eat, from pike – and[sh'sh']uki.

9. Combinations tch, dch pronounced as double [ h], i.e. [ hTt h]: speaker - report[t h]ik, pilot - le[t h]IR.

10. Combinations tts, ts, and ts And ts in verbs with a reflexive particle -xia pronounced as double [ ts], i.e. [ ts] with a long shutter or overtone [ T] at the beginning of articulation, which is indicated as [ t ts]: little gold - gold[t ts]e, twenty - two[t ts]at, tint - by[t ts]branch, learn - teach[t ts]I, ride – kata[t ts]I.

11. Combinations ds, ts after a vowel before a consonant at the junction of a root and a suffix it is pronounced like [ ts s]: city-
sky - city[ts s]coy, secular - fresh[ts s] cue.

12. Double consonants are pronounced as a long sound, usually when the stress falls on the preceding syllable: group – group[pp]a, mass – má[ss]a, program – program[mm]A. If the stress falls on the subsequent syllable, then the double consonants are pronounced as one sound: chord – a[To]Ord, grammar – gra[m]átika.

Pronunciation of the combinations -CHN- and -SHN-

Combination chn, as a rule, is pronounced in accordance with the spelling, i.e. [ chn]: precise, durable. However, in some words chn pronounced like [ shn]: of course - horse[shn]O, boring - boring[shn]O. In some cases, pronunciation options are acceptable: bulo[shn]aya – bulo[chn]and I. In new words chn pronounced like [ chn]: removable[chn]oh, then[chn]th etc. In some words the pronunciation [ shn] is deprecated: creamy - plum[shn]y, brown - measles[shn]left(*):

The literary pronunciation of unstressed vowels is based on the phonetic law of the modern Russian literary language - vowel reduction. Due to reduction, unstressed vowels are shortened in duration (quantity) and lose their distinct sound (quality). All unstressed vowels are subject to reduction, but the degree of reduction is not the same. Thus, the vowels [у], [и], [ы] in an unstressed position retain their basic sound, and the vowels [a], [o], [e] change qualitatively. The degree of reduction of vowels [a], [o], [e] mainly depends on the place of the vowel in the word in relation to stress, as well as on the nature of the preceding consonant. In addition, the reduction of vowels is influenced by the rate of speech: the faster the rate of speech, the more significant the reduction.

In the first pre-stressed syllable, the vowels [a], [o], [e] are reduced to the least extent and their pronunciation is subject to the following norms.

After hard consonants in place of the letters a, o, the sound [Λ] is pronounced with a slightly less wide mouth opening than with the sound [a] struck: gardens, shafts, vines, scythe, heat, balls, jockey, driver, kings - [sΛdy] , [ox], [vine], [kΛsa], [zhΛra], [shar], [zhΛk"e], [shΛf"or], [tsΛr"i]. In place of the letter e after the hissing [zh], [ sh] and after [ts] is pronounced [s], inclined to [e] - [s e]: yolk, cruel, sixth, sixth, price, chain - [zhy e ltok], [zhy e stock], [shy e stock], [shy e sto], [tsy e na], [tsy e pno].

After soft consonants, in place of the letters a, i, e, a sound is pronounced, the middle one between [i] and [e] - [and e]: hours, an hour, spare, sorrel, took off, took, sand, forest - [h "and e sy], [h"i e juice], ["i e d"ût"], ["i e v"kl"], [v"i e la], [p"i e juice], [l "i e juice]. The pronunciation in this case of the distinct [and] is perceived as colloquial: [h"ivo].

The pronunciation of vowels in overstressed syllables is basically the same as the pronunciation of vowels in all prestressed syllables except the first. Reduced sounds pronounced in pre-stressed syllables do not differ in quality from the corresponding vowels of pre-stressed syllables and in phonetic transcription have the same designations [ъ], [ь]. However, the pronunciation of overstressed vowels differs in a number of particular features relating to the pronunciation of vowels as part of various morphemes.

After hard consonants, in place of the letters a, o, e, the sound [ъ] is pronounced, intermediate between [ы] and [а]. For example: gave out, fell out, word, tin, cats, spoons, finger - [pulled out], [drank out], [words], [olv], [koshk], [lozhk], [pal"tsm].

After soft consonants, the following cases are distinguished:

1. In place of the letters a, i, a reduced sound is pronounced in two varieties [ь] and [ъ], depending on which morpheme the pronounced sound appears in.

The sound [ъ] is pronounced in endings: 1) im. p.un. including feminine and neuter nouns; 2) birth p.un. including masculine and neuter nouns; 3) im. p.m. including masculine and neuter nouns; 4) in the suffix of the imperfective participle; 5) im. p.un. including feminine adjectives. For example: will, cloud, grove, name; war, grief; brothers, links; seeing; evil - [ox"b], [cloud"b], [ro "b] [im"b]; [var], [gor"b]; [brother"b], [z"v"ên b]; [in "id"]; [evil].

The sound [b] is pronounced in the final syllable, if it does not represent an ending, before a soft consonant: memory, area, fate, understood, began - [memory "ьт"], [plo "ьт"], [уч "ьс"т "], [pon"l"i], [beginning"l"i].

Transition (s) to (s) At the place of a letter and at the beginning of a word, when the pronunciation of this word merges with the previous one, which ends with a hard consonant, as well as at the place of a conjunction and in certain conditions, a vowel [s] is pronounced. Transition [and ] in [s] occurs: 1) at the junction of a prefix with a consonant and a root beginning with the sound [and] (a second prefix with an initial [and] is also possible): Pod-[y]kat, not-with-[y]known; 2) when pronouncing two independent words connected by a conjunction and not delimited by a pause, if the first word ends and the second begins with a solid consonant: table and house [table-y-dom], as well as in phrases if the first word ends with a solid consonant, and the second begins with [and]: son Ivan [son-yvan], but daughter Ivan [daughter "-ivan]; 3) after prepositions, which are usually included in the following word: to Ivan [k- yvanu], from the game [iz-igry]; 4) at the junction of parts of compound words: Politizdat [пъл "итизди".

Pronunciation of combinations of unstressed vowels Combinations of unstressed vowel sounds are formed during the continuous pronunciation of a function word and the subsequent significant one, as well as at the junction of morphemes. Literary pronunciation does not allow contraction of vowel combinations. The pronunciation [sъbrΛz"il] (realized) has a colloquial character. The pronunciation of combinations of unstressed vowels differs in some originality compared to the pronunciation of single unstressed vowels, for example, the combinations aa, ao, oa, oo are pronounced as [aa]: n[a-a]bazhur, z[a-a]kean, p[a-a]rbuzu, d[a-a]strovka.

Pronunciation of voiced and voiceless consonants In the speech stream, the consonant sounds of the modern Russian literary language, paired in voiceness and voicelessness, change in quality depending on their position in the word.

There are two cases of such changes: a) at the end of words before a pause and b) at the end of words not before a pause, but also within a word. Changes in consonants, paired in voicedness-voicelessness and paired in softness-hardness, are explained by the effect of regressive assimilation.

1. Stunning voiced consonants at the end of a word. All voiced consonants at the end of a word are pronounced as paired voiceless consonants (except for sonorant r, l, m, n); two final voiced ones turn into the corresponding unvoiced ones: club, temper, horn, lie, elm, clang, izb, sober - [klup], [nraf], [rock], [losh], [v"as], [l"ask ], [sp], [tr "esf] (see § 57, paragraph 1).

The deafening of final voiced consonants does not depend on the quality of the initial sound of the next word and occurs in the flow of speech before all consonants and vowels.

Pronunciation of hard and soft consonants

The distinction in the pronunciation of consonants paired in hardness and softness has a phonemic meaning, since in the Russian language hard and soft consonants distinguish the sound shells of words (cf. was - byl, brother - take, etc.). The pronunciation of soft consonants differs from the pronunciation of the corresponding hard consonants by “iota” articulation, which consists in the fact that the middle part of the back of the tongue rises high to the corresponding part of the palate.

At the end of a word and before some consonants, as well as before the vowel sounds [a], [o], [u], the hardness and softness of the consonants are clearly distinguished. The softness of consonants in the indicated positions is indicated in written speech: at the end of a word and before some consonants - the letter ь (cf. ryab - ripple, treasure - luggage, blow - hit, daw - pebble, housekeeper - save, etc.) , and before the vowels [a], [o], [y] - the letters i, e, yu (cf. mother - knead, knock - bale, nose - carried). The use of the letter ь after hissing [zh], [sh], [h], [sch] does not affect the pronunciation of these consonants, since it has a morphological meaning and indicates the form of the words (cf. knife - multiply, our - give, bream - thing, weaver - jump, call - cut, etc.).

1. Softness of consonants indicated in writing(b and letters i, e, e, yu): brother - take, jackdaw - pebble, shaft - sluggish, nose - carried, knock - bale - [brother - brother "], [daw - gal "kъ], [shaft - in "al", [nose - n"os], [knock - t"uk].

The final labials, in accordance with the spelling, are pronounced softly: flail - chain, blood - blood, slave - ripple - [tsep - tsep"], [krof - krof"], [rap - r "ap"].

Soft labials before ya, ё, yu are pronounced without additional articulation of softness: five, knead, chalk, vel, engraving, puree - [p"ät"], [m"ät"], [m"ol], [v"ol ], [grav "ur", [n "ype].

The softness [m] in the words seven, eight is preserved in complex numerals: seven - seventy - seven hundred, eight - eighty - eight hundred - [s"em" - s"em"d"bs"t - s"i e m"sot] , [vos"m" - vos"m"d"bs"yt - vos"i e m"sot).

1. Softness of consonants not indicated in writing. In the position before consonants, the hardness and softness of consonants often have a non-independent, assimilative character, i.e. depends on the hardness and softness of the subsequent consonant. The softness of consonants in this case is not indicated in writing.

The softening of hard consonants before soft ones depends on various conditions: what consonants they are, what soft consonants they are in front of, in what part of the word there is a combination of consonants, what style of speech this or that word belongs to:

a) inside a word, before the sound [j], the consonants are softened in some cases: fish, leaves, judge, guest - [fish" ъ], [l"ûs"t" ъ], [court"ja", [gos"t" ъ];

b) dental consonants [z], [s], [d], [t] before soft dental and labial consonants are pronounced softly: milk mushroom, sadness - [grus "t"], [grus "t"], wall, song - , [p"ê"s"n"b]. In a number of words, the softening is variable: ripe, star, hard, door - [s"p"ely] and [sp"ely], [z"v"i zda] and [zv"i zda], [t"v "hordes] and [tv" hordes], [d"v"i erno] and [dv"i erno];

c) the consonant [n] before soft [d], [t], [n] (less often before [z], [s]), as well as before [h], [sch] is pronounced softly: kantik, bandit, horseman, pensioner, claim, chick - [kan"t"ik], [bΛn"d"it], [ko "ik", [p"n"s"iΛn"er], [pr"i e ten"z"i b], [pt"ên"ch"ik];

d) the consonant of the prefix s- and the preposition consonant with it, as well as the final consonants of prefixes with z and prepositions consonant with them before soft dental and separative ъ are pronounced softly: loafer, idle, product, out of business, remove - [b "and e z"d"kl'k], [b"i e z"-del], [iz"d"kl"i ь], [iz"-d"el", [iz"jat"]. softness is variable: removed, from it - [s"n"al] and [sn"al], [s"-n"i e vo] and [s-n"i e vo];

e) labials do not soften in front of the posterior palatals: bets, breaking, tensile - [stafk"i], [lok"i], [tsepk"i];

f) final consonants [t], [d], [b] in prefixes before soft labials and separative ъ are not softened: ate, drink - [Λtjel], [Λtp "it"];

g) the consonant [p] before soft dental and labial ones, as well as before [h], [sch] is pronounced firmly: artel, cornet, feed, samovar, welder - [Λrt"kl"], [kΛrn"et], [kΛrm "ût"], [smΛvarch"ik], [swar "

Pronunciation of consonant combinations

With regard to literary pronunciation, certain combinations of consonants are distinguished, strictly defined in their composition. Such combinations occur at morphological junctions of words (the final consonant of a prefix and the initial consonant of a root, the final consonant of a root and the initial consonant of a suffix), as well as at the junction of a preposition with the initial consonant of a significant word.

ts, ds (in combinations tsk, dsk, tstv, dstv) at the junction of the root and the suffix are pronounced as [ts]: brotherly [bratski], factory [zavΛtskoi], kinship [rΛtstvo].

9. Combinations gk, gch are usually pronounced as [khk], [khch]: soft [m "ahk"i], lighter [l "ehch"b]. Unpronounceable consonants

When pronouncing words, some morphemes (usually roots) in certain combinations with other morphemes lose one or another sound. As a result, the spellings of words contain letters devoid of sound meaning, the so-called unpronounceable consonants. Unpronounceable consonants include:

1) t - in combinations stn (cf.: inert and bone), stl (happy), ntsk - ndsk (cf.: gigantic - intriguing, Dutch - hooligan), stsk (cf.: Marxist and Tunisian);

2) d - in combinations zdn (cf.: holiday and ugly), rdts (cf.: heart and door);

3) in - in combinations vstv (cf.: to feel and participate), lvstv (to remain silent);

4) l - in combination lnts (cf.: sun and window).

Phonetic laws(sound laws) - laws of the functioning and development of the sound matter of a language, governing both the stable preservation and regular changes of its sound units, their alternations and combinations.

1. Phonetic law of the end of a word. A noisy voiced consonant at the end of a word is deafened, i.e. pronounced as the corresponding paired voiceless. This pronunciation leads to the formation of homophones: threshold - vice, young - hammer, goat - braid, etc. In words with two consonants at the end of the word, both consonants are deafened: gruzd - sadness, entrance - popodest [podjest], etc.

The devoicing of a final voiced occurs under the following conditions:

1) before the pause: [pr "ishol pojst] (the train has arrived); 2) before the next word (without a pause) with the initial not only voiceless, but also a vowel, sonorant, as well as [j] and [v]: [praf he ], [sat our], [slap ja], [your mouth] (he is right, our garden, I am weak, your family). Sonorant consonants are not deafened: litter, they say, lump, he.

2. Assimilation of consonants in terms of voicedness and deafness. Combinations of consonants, one of which is voiceless and the other voiced, are not characteristic of the Russian language. Therefore, if two consonants of different sonority appear next to each other in a word, the first consonant becomes similar to the second. This change in consonant sounds is called regressive assimilation.

By virtue of this law, voiced consonants in front of deaf ones turn into paired deaf ones, and deaf ones in the same position turn into voiced ones. Voicing of voiceless consonants is less common than voicing of voiced consonants; the transition of voiced to voiceless creates homophones: [dushk - dushk] (bow - darling), [v "ies"ti - v"ies"t"i] (carry - lead), [fp"jr"im"eshku - fp" "eat" food] (interspersed - interspersed).

Before sonorants, as well as before [j] and [v], the deaf remain unchanged: tinder, rogue, [Λtjest] (departure), yours, yours.

Voiced and voiceless consonants are assimilated under the following conditions: 1) at the junction of morphemes: [pokhotk] (gait), [zbor] (gathering); 2) at the junction of prepositions with the word: [gd "elu] (to the point), [zd"el'm] (to the point); 3) at the junction of a word with a particle: [got] (year), [dod'zh'by] (daughter); 4) at the junction of significant words pronounced without pause: [rok-kΛzy] (goat horn), [ras-p "at"] (five times).

3. Assimilation of consonants by softness. Hard and soft consonants are represented by 12 pairs of sounds. By education, they differ in the absence or presence of palatalization, which consists of additional articulation (the middle part of the back of the tongue rises high to the corresponding part of the palate).

Assimilation in terms of softness is regressive in nature: the consonant softens, becoming similar to the subsequent soft consonant. In this position, not all consonants paired in hardness-softness are softened, and not all soft consonants cause a softening of the previous sound.

All consonants, paired in hardness-softness, are softened in the following weak positions: 1) before the vowel sound [e]; [b"ate", [v"es", [m"ate", [s"ate] (white, weight, chalk, sat), etc.; 2) before [i]: [m"il", [p"il"i] (mil, drank).

Before unpaired [zh], [sh], [ts], soft consonants are impossible with the exception of [l], [l "] (cf. end - ring).

The most susceptible to softening are the dental [z], [s], [n], [p], [d], [t] and labial [b], [p], [m], [v], [f]. They do not soften in front of soft consonants [g], [k], [x], and also [l]: glucose, key, bread, fill, keep quiet, etc. Softening occurs within the word, but is absent before the soft consonant of the next word ([here - l "es]; cf. [Λ t or]) and before the particle ([ros-l"i]; cf. [rosli]) (here is the forest , wiped off, grew, grew).

Consonants [z] and [s] are softened before soft ones [t"], [d"], [s"], [n"], [l"]: [m"ês"t"], [v"eez" d "e], [f-ka s"b], [treasury"] (revenge, everywhere, at the box office, execution). The softening of [z], [s] also occurs at the end of prefixes and prepositions consonant with them before soft labials : [raz"d"iel"it"], [ras"t"ienut"], [b"ez"-n"ievo], [b"ies"-s"il] (divide, stretch, without it, without strength). Before soft labials, softening [z], [s], [d], [t] is possible inside the root and at the end of prefixes with -z, as well as in the prefix s- and in a preposition consonant with it: [s"m"ex] , [z"v"êr], [d"v"êr|, [t"v"êr], [s"p"êt"], [s"-n"im], [is"-pêch"] , [rΛz"d"êt"] (laughter, beast, door, Tver, sing, with him, bake, undress).

Labials do not soften before soft dental ones: [pt"ên"ch"k", [n"eft"], [vz"at"] (chick, oil, take).

4. Assimilation of consonants by hardness. Assimilation of consonants by hardness is carried out at the junction of a root and a suffix beginning with a hard consonant: mechanic - metalworker, secretary - secretarial, etc. Before the labial [b], assimilation in terms of hardness does not occur: [prΛs "it"] - [proz "bъ", [mаllt "it"] - [мълΛд"ba] (ask - request, thresh - threshing), etc. [l"] is not subject to assimilation: [pol"b] - [zΛpol"nyj] (field, field).

5. Assimilation of dentaries before sibilants. This type of assimilation extends to the dental [z], [s] in the position before the sibilants (anteropalatal) [w], [zh], [h], [sh] and consists in the complete assimilation of the dental [z], [s] to the subsequent sibilant .

Complete assimilation of [z], [s] occurs:

1) at the junction of morphemes: [zh at"], [rΛ zh at"] (compress, decompress); [sh yt"], [rΛ sh yt"] (sew, embroider); [w"from], [rΛw"from] (account, calculation); [rΛzno sh"ik], [izvo sh"ik] (peddler, cab driver);

2) at the junction of a preposition and a word: [s-zh ar'm], [s-sh ar'm] (with fervor, with a ball); [bies-zh ar], [bies-sh ar] (without heat, without ball).

The combination zh inside the root, as well as the combination zh (always inside the root) turn into a long soft [zh"]: [po zh"] (later), (I ride); [in zh"i], [trembling"i] (reins, yeast). Optionally, in these cases a long hard [zh] can be pronounced.

A variation of this assimilation is the assimilation of dental [d], [t] followed by [ch], [ts], resulting in long [ch], [ts]: [Λ ch "ot] (report), (fkra ts ] (briefly).

6. Simplification of consonant combinations. The consonants [d], [t] in combinations of several consonants between vowels are not pronounced. This simplification of consonant groups is consistently observed in the combinations: stn, zdn, stl, ntsk, stsk, vstv, rdts, lnts: [usny], [pozn'], [sh"islivy], [g"igansk"i], [h" stvb], [heart], [son] (oral, late, happy, gigantic, feeling, heart, sun).

7. Reducing groups of identical consonants. When three identical consonants come together at the junction of a preposition or prefix with the following word, as well as at the junction of a root and a suffix, the consonants are reduced to two: [ra sor "it"] (raz+quarrel), [s ylk] (with reference), [klo n y] (column+n+th); [Λde s ki ] (Odessa+sk+ii).

The main phonetic processes occurring in a word include: 1) reduction; 2) stunning; 3) voicing; 4) mitigation; 5) assimilation; 6) simplification.

Reduction is a weakening of the pronunciation of vowel sounds in an unstressed position: [house] - [d^ma] - [dj^voi].

Devoicing is the process by which voiced people agree before deaf people and at the end of words are pronounced as voiceless; book - book; oak - du[n].

Voicing is a process in which deaf people in a position in front of voiced ones are pronounced like voiced ones: do -[z"]do; selection - o[d]bor.

Softening is a process in which hard consonants become soft under the influence of subsequent soft ones: depend[s’]t, ka[z’]n, le[s’]t.

Assimilation is a process in which a combination of several dissimilar consonants is pronounced as one long one (for example, the combinations сч, зч, Шч, здч, stч are pronounced as a long sound [ш "], and the combinations Тс(я), ст(я) are pronounced as one long sound [ts]): obe[sh]ik, spring[sh]aty, mu[sh"]ina, [t"]aste, ichi[ts]a. Simplification of consonant groups is a process in which, in combinations of consonants, stn, zdn, eats, dts, faces and others, the sound is lost, although the letter is used in writing to denote this sound: heart - [s"er"rts], sun - [sonts].

8. Reduction of vowels. The change (weakening) of vowel sounds in an unstressed position is called reduction, and unstressed vowels are called reduced vowels. A distinction is made between the position of unstressed vowels in the first pre-stressed syllable (weak position of the first degree) and the position of unstressed vowels in the remaining unstressed syllables (weak position of the second degree). Vowels in the weak position of the second degree undergo greater reduction than vowels in the weak position of the first degree.

Vowels in the weak position of the first degree: [vΛly] (shafts); [shafts] (oxen); [bieda] (trouble), etc.

Vowels in the weak position of the second degree: [рърʌvos] (locomotive); [kurganda] (Karaganda); [kalkkla] (bells); [p"l"ie na] (veil); [voice] (voice), [vocal] (exclamation), etc.

Euphony of speech- the most perfect combination of sounds from the point of view of speakers of a given language, convenient for pronunciation and pleasant to the ear. The requirements of euphony must be consistent with the phonetic features of a particular language. The division of languages ​​into “euphonic” and “dissonant” has no scientific basis and is usually associated with subjective assessments. For example, consonances that are unusual for a Russian person in words such as Beatles, hijra, Niskouori, Papaioannou seem dissonant.
- is achieved by alternating consonant and vowel sounds and a slight use of consonant combinations, i.e. combinations of several consonants. In our phonetic system, consonant combinations are often two-membered (friend, brother), sometimes three-membered (explosion, order); a combination of four or more consonants, which may appear at the junction of two words, disrupts the euphony of speech (adult competition...).

It is supported by the most characteristic ratio of vowels and consonants in the text. In Russian speech, vowels account for an average of 42.35%, consonants - 53.53%, and the sound th - 4.12%. Vowels generate euphony only in combination with consonants. The confluence of several vowels, or gaping, distorts the sound structure of Russian speech and complicates articulation (remember the word euy, coined by V. Khlebnikov). The gaping can be internal - when several vowels appear side by side in one word (radio node, punctuation, audio anesthesia), and external - when a confluence of vowels appears when words are connected (in Tanya and Olya). Cacophony usually occurs with external gaping.

Causes of cacophony:

1) in a word there are more consonants than the average norm or their sequence is disrupted

2) moving combinations of two consonants at the beginning/middle of a word to the end of the word - makes articulation difficult

3) sonorous acc. precede noisy ones (ice cream, pretzel)

4) the appearance of a combination of vowels when connecting words (in Olya and Alina)

Techniques for eliminating cacophony:

1) implementation between two acc. fluent ch. (spring - spring, interesting - interesting)

2) use of variants of prepositions: to-ko, s-so, in-in, about-about-about, etc.

3) alternation of ch. and acc. sounds and slight use of consonantal combinations