3. RULES OF READING. STRESSES. | I. PHONETICS | Program

Program / I. PHONETICS / 3. RULES OF READING. STRESSES.

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The stress in the Russian language is not fixed, that is each word has its own location of stress. For example:

 ,                        ,    ,         ,
чaс - часы, быстро - быстрeе, вeчер - вечeрний.

The stress makes distinction between:

a) The meaning of words:

 ,       ,   ,       ,
дома-домa, стoит –стоuт;

b) Grammatical forms of words:

  ,     ,        ,        ,
учuться-учится, любите-любuте

Stressed vowels in words are pronounced clearly, strongly and in a prolonged manner.
In the unstressed syllables vowels are modified. Vowels у, и, ы are varied by duration. The consonants о, е, я, э also are changed by its quality.

Table 5.

Stressed

о а е э я

Unstressed

L L и и и^е

For example:

вод’a /вLд’a/, лес’a/л’иса/, ряд’ы /р’и^еды/, часы /ч’исы/, эт’aж /и’тaш/, молок’o /мLлLк’о/, х’oлодно/х’oлLднL/

After hard consonants ж -ш -ц the vowel ё in the unaccented location is rendered as “ы". For example:

игра - в игре /выгре/, Индия - из Индии / изыиндии/.

READING LETTERS Я, Е, Е, Ю

These letters can be read as 1 (one) sound and as 2 (two) sounds. As 1 sound they are pronounced after the consonants, for example, мясо/м’асL/, б’eлый /б’элый/; as two sounds the above letters are rendered in the following positions:

a) At the beginning of word: яблоки /йаблоки/, юг /йюк/, ’йсли/йэсли;
b) After the vowels: пою / пLйу/, моe /мLйо/ , моя /мLйа/;
c) After Ъ and Ь: съел /’сйэл/, пьeт / п’йот/, семья / сим’йа/.

Table 6. Reading of letters я, е, е –stressed

Letter

1 Sound

2 Sound

я

‘а

йа

е

‘э

йэ

ё

‘о

йэ

ю

‘у

йу

READING THE CONSONANTS

The letters б, в, д, ж, г in the end of word, preceding the voiceless consonants, are pronounced as their voiсeless pairs, like п, ф, т, с, ш, к. For example:

раз / рас/, друг /друк/ , клуб /клуп/ , кровь/кроф’/, этаж/иташ/, ош’uбка/LшипкL/, з’aвтра /зафтрL/, л’oжка/ лошкL/.

The letters п, ф, т, ш, к, preceding voiced consonants, are pronounced as their voiced pairs, as letters б, в, д з, ж, г. For example:

футб’oл /фудбол/, вокз’aл/ вLгзал/, сд’eлать / зд’элать/, пр’oсьба/проз’бL/.

PRONOUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS COMBINATIONS

                  ,
-сч 	-/щ/: 	считaть /щитат’/
                     ,
-зч	-/щ/: 	расскaзчик /рLскащик/	
                    ,
-жч	-/щ/: 	мужчuна /мущина/
                  ,
-тьс	-/ц/: 	учuться/учицL/
                 ,
-тс	-/ц/: 	дeтский/ д’эцкий/
                  ,
-дс	-/ц/: 	схoдство /схоцтвL/
                  ,
-дц	-/ц/: 	двaдцать / двацыт’/

-тч	-/ч/: 	лётчик /л’оччик/
                     ,
-дч	-/ч/ 	перевoдчик /п’ир’ивоччик/

-сш	-/ч/: 	высший, вышший/

-зш	-/ш/: 	из школы / ишшколы/

-стн	-/сн/: 	устно /уснL/
                 ,
-здн	-/зн/: 	пoздно/познL/
                   ,
-вств	-/ств/:	здрaвствуй/ здраствуй/

ORPHOGRAPHY

Letters Г, К, Х, Ш, Ж, Ч, Щ are never followed by letters Ы, Ю, Я but only by letters И, У, А. For example:

час, жизнь, наши, книги, стихи, чудо, наука.

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