Writing appeared in ancient times. The first letters were Sumerian, they were written on special clay tablets using a sharp stick, which was made from reeds or reeds. Before writing, clay boards were prepared by firing in a kiln and drying. The prerequisites for the development of writing in any part of the world are the same: at first, people tried to depict something important with the help of drawings, then they came up with written signs, pictograms. These pictograms were peculiar to each language. Gradually, there was a transition from the image of one word in one drawing to the image of the word by letter. Somewhere in the 15th century BC, the first alphabet began to be compiled, and this happened among the Phoenicians. The alphabet of the Slavic language was ordered by Cyril and Methodius in 863. This was done in order to translate Greek religious books into Slavonic. This is how the Cyrillic alphabet appeared, the mother of Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and other Slavic languages.

Alphabet

The modern Russian alphabet is an improved over time and well thought out version of the Old Slavonic. All letters in the alphabet are arranged in a well-defined order. There are 33 letters in total. Alphabetical order is necessary for organizing information, for example, for compiling dictionaries, lists, encyclopedias. Studying begins with the study of the alphabet, because in order to learn, you must be able to read, and reading is possible only with full knowledge of the letters. In the elementary grade, all the basics are studied: letters, how many letters and sounds are in different words, what sound is indicated as.

Letters and sounds

Letters are called graphic images, with the help of which sounds are indicated when writing. Their number is clearly defined by the alphabet, they are much less than sounds. Letters are used to write words. The question of how many letters and sounds are in the Russian language can be answered if you understand the basics of phonetics.

The smallest unit of the language is the sound, which in itself does not express semantic meaning, it is pronounced at the time (the exception is words consisting of one play the most important role in the formation and spelling of words. With their help, words are distinguished, their sound shell is created and performed their meaningful function. Words can differ in the number of sounds they consist of, for example: crow-funnel, as well as a set of sounds: cake - port, rum - catfish, beans - password.Different words can consist of the same sounds that are in different order: bush - knock, dream - nose. In some words, one sound is pronounced, but two letters are written: bath, gamma. In these cases, consonants are pronounced a little "long".

Sounds are formed at the moment when a person exhales, and are formed due to the vibration of air and the work of the larynx with ligaments, tongue, lips and teeth.

Word spelling rules

There are certain relationships between the existing letters of the Russian alphabet and the sounds with which they are pronounced. Different rules for the use of a particular letter have been developed. How many letters and sounds are written in separate words, it is necessary to understand in each case individually. There are rules for the continuous and separate spelling of words, the use of a hyphen, the writing of one or two "n", the correct spelling of a vowel in the root of a word, and other important laws of grammar. All rules are important, so they require careful study.

Correlation of letters and sounds

What the ratio "sounds - letters" looks like, how many letters and sounds, or rather, whether their number is equal in the Russian language, becomes clear when studying the alphabet. Full compliance is not observed. As already mentioned, there are 33 letters in Russian, and the number of sounds is definitely more. The components of the alphabet are pronounced with 43 sounds: 37 consonants and 6 vowels. It should be noted that there are more than letters: 21 against 37, but there are fewer vowels: 6 sounds against 10 letters. This is due to the fact that some vowels represent two sounds in writing.

In writing, most often in words, how many letters are written, so many sounds, that is, one letter means one sound. So, for example, in the word "stick" there are 5 letters and 5 sounds, each letter in the word means one sound.

Two letters in Russian are not pronounced at all. Such letters are b and the solid sign b, the so-called voiceless letters. They play the role of a dividing sign in words, a soft sign is also used to indicate the softness of the sound that is located in front of it. In some words, according to the rules, letters are written but not pronounced: heart (pronounced like a heart), sun (like a sun).

What letters stand for several sounds

How many vowels and letters in the language are studied in the first grade. Many still remember how little children sang vowels and determined the number of sounds with which they were voiced. In Russian, several sounds denote certain vowels, when pronouncing which we pronounce more than one sound. For example, the letter "I" in certain cases is pronounced using the sounds "y" and "a", the letter "u" - "y" and "y", the letter "ё" - "y" and "o", "e" - "y" and "e". It is important to understand that these vowels do not always denote two sounds. When making a sound-letter analysis, we indicate the double sounding of letters only in certain cases. How many letters denoting vowel sounds is determined by the rules established in the grammar of the Russian language. So, two sounds mean:

• in those cases when they are at the beginning of the word: language, hedgehog, yula;
• in those cases when they stand after other vowels: Bayun, cabin, ate;
• in those words in which the listed vowels are after a soft b or hard b sign: monkey, blizzard, connector.

How many sounds does the letter "I" stand for? Letter "Y"?

The letter "y" - yot has a special status. It can be used as a separate letter and as an additional designation in sound-letter analysis. When used as an assistant to indicate the double sound of vowels, the special status of the letter is manifested. How many sounds and letters are used in this case is recorded in the sound-letter analysis. We must not forget that in the word the letter "y" can be used to convey the sound: "yot". A letter can be written before and after vowels and denote one sound. After the consonants "th" is not used, but before the consonants it is quite common: T-shirt, seagull, jay. The letter "and" in writing always stands for one sound. There are no special rules in grammar when writing this letter.

How many letters and sounds are written in individual words is determined by the rules of grammar in Russian.

Natalia Kovalskaya
Sound analysis of words. Advice for parents

How to determine how much sounds in a word, how many letters? These questions are often asked parents are confused. How to help your child identify sounds?

Sound analysis of words

Already in the senior group, work begins on sound analysis of words. Such analysis is the basis for introducing children to letters and laying out words and sentences from the letters of the split alphabet. Particular attention is paid to the correct definition sounds: "vowel sound» , "hard consonant sound» , "soft consonant sound» . So what is the difference between a letter and sound? The sound we make, and we write the letter, others words, a letter is a symbol sound which we wrote on paper.

Into the work of carrying out sound analysis of the word singling out and notation must be included word stress.

One of the important tasks in carrying out sound analysis of words is to introduce children to vowels and the rules for writing them after hard or soft consonants sounds. Children should learn that the letters a, o, y, s, e are written after hard consonants, and the letters i, e, e, u, and - after soft consonants. Vowels sounds always marked in red.

In the course of the sound analysis of words children learn, what sounds"h", "sch", "th"- always soft consonants, because they do not have a hard pair, but sounds"and", "sh", "c"- always hard consonants, because they do not have a soft pair. Soft consonants are always marked in green, and hard ones in blue.

When parsing the words,sounds denote by circles certain colors:

soft sound(L), solid sound(L, vowel sound(BUT)

Need to remember:

sounds"I", "e", "yo", "Yu" may in words for two sounds if they are at the beginning words or after a vowel, as well as after soft and hard marks. For example, a lighthouse - in this word 5 sounds, because after a vowel sound"a", we hear 2 sound: "th" + "a", but 4 letters, because sounds"th" and "a" write with the letter i. The word pit - 4 sounds, because at the beginning words we hear 2 sounds"th" + "a", but -3 letters, because sounds at the beginning of a word"th" + "a" write down the letter - I, drink - 5 sounds, 5 letters (soft sign is not sound, as well as b, they are letters) In order to determine which sound comes after a consonant sound - pronounce these words with an emphasis on that sound, which should be heard, pull it longer and you will immediately determine sound.

The letters ъ and ь are not sounds. The letter "b" makes the person in front sound soft, and the letter ъ separates sounds.

And then check yourself, disassemble words to sounds: APPLE, APPLE TREE, APPLE TREE, APPLE TREE, APPLE TREE, WEAPON, HORSE. Complement - name first sound, and then define its symbol - a circle (define the color, then the letter.

In order to find out how many sounds are contained in a word, you need to count the number of letters, then see if there are any letters in the word that represent two sounds: E, Yu, Yaquot ;. If there are such letters, you need to analyze what positions they are in. If at the beginning of a word or after a separating hard or soft sign, then they really mean two sounds. Why do we exclude all soft and hard signs from the total number of sounds and sum up.

• letters such as e, u and i denote two sounds;
• the letters ь and ъ (soft and hard sign) do not have a sound.

In words where these letters and signs are absent, the number of letters and sounds usually coincides.

As far as I know, at present in the Russian language each consonant letter, except for soft and hard signs, dates has only one sound. In addition, each single vowel also dates only one sound, except for the vowels Equot ;, quot ;, Yu and Iquot ;, each of which already has two sounds.

I'll just add to the excellent answer of Zvenka.

The letters E, Yu, I can represent 2 sounds not only at the beginning of a word, but also at the beginning of a syllable.

Example: lighthouse pronounced like ma-yak - 5 sounds.

In a word, it is enough to remember that these letters after consonants denote one sound, and if there is no consonant before them or there is a soft or hard sign, then two.

And further. If the word has a double consonant, then it is considered as one sound.

For example bath - only 4 sounds.

But the bathroom is 6. Because of me (ya).

To find out how many sounds are in a word, you need:

1) Remember the sounds that represent 2 sounds -, e, u, i

2) Recall the letters that do not represent a sound -ъ ъ

3) Double consonants-1 sound denote

There are nine more sounds in Russian than letters.



Letters can mean from 0 to 2 sounds.

Most often, one letter means one sound.

When counting the total number of sounds, you should pay attention to the letters that do not give sounds, or give a double sound.





In addition, it should be noted that unpronounceable consonants also do not give sounds.

Also, special attention should be paid to verbs.

To find out how many sounds are in a word, first divide it into syllables and put the stress. The second step is to record its exact sound, that is, transcription. Everything in this case rests on the correct phonetic record of the analyzed word. In order not to be mistaken, we remember some phonetic processes that can occur in a word.

Letters e, , Yu, I designate two sounds in three positions:

1) at the beginning of a word

clear ya, capacity yo, spruce ye, yumbrik yu;

2) after dividing soft and hard sign

porter, curly, peignoir, matchmaker

corrosive, lifter, pre-anniversary, sarcastic;

3) after other vowels

shine e, yours, by Yu, hydrangeas I.

Some consonant combinations, such as zzh stands for one long sound:

bru zzh ahh, mo zzh echok, you zzh at.

Remember that b and b sign do not represent sound. The soft sign only softens the previous consonants:

swim t, love f, salt l, dud n, drizzle s.

A soft sign can be a morphological sign for feminine nouns, in which case it does not sound. This means that the number of letters and sounds will not match in words:

mouse, rye, buckshot, weakness.

There are words with unpronounceable consonants:

rados t ny, with l no, choo in stvo, giant t sky, prz d equal.

They will have fewer sounds than letters.

In reflexive verbs on -tsya or -tsya it sounds like tsa

be famous for la vie c a;

it is written p and sh y c a.

Spelling and writing two identical letters gives one sound:

yeast yeast.

In the words of the Russian language, the number of sounds is not always equal to the number of letters. To determine the number of sounds in a particular word, you need to follow a certain algorithm of actions. For example, like this:

1. We write a word.
2. We transcribe it taking into account the fact that the letters and b under no circumstances do they designate an independent sound, indicating only the softness or hardness of the previous sound. In transcription, softness is denoted with an apostrophe.
3. The vowels
4. The same vowel sounds (called yot), which is placed in front of it.
5. Next, we write the entire transcription and count the sounds.

• In order to find out how many sounds are in a certain word, it needs to be analyzed.

  We know that soft and hard signs do not produce sounds.

  But the vowels i, u, e can give two sounds, depending on the position in the word.

  These letters produce 2 sounds when they are at the beginning of a word, after a vowel, and after a hard or soft sign.

  Do not forget about the double consonant in the word, which gives one sound.

  Let's look at an example.

  Friend, enemy, house, school, table, chair, sofa. An example of words where the number of letters matches the number of sounds we hear.

  Communication, pain. An example of words where there are one less sounds than letters, since the soft sign does not give a sound, but only softens the letter in front.

  Blizzard, pit, friends, short. In these examples, the letters u, i, e give the sounds yu, ya and ye.

  We pronounce words, listen, analyze and make the correct phonetic analysis of words.

  To understand how many sounds are in a word, you need to remember that there are vowels that give two sounds - these are the letters quot ;, equot ;, yuquot ;, i. You also need to remember that the doubled consonant of dates is only one consonant sound. And what is important to remember is that hard and soft signs do not make sounds at all.

  Here is a reminder that will help a lot with the sound-letter parsing of the word:

  

  The Russian language has its own peculiarities in the sound-letter parsing of a word.

  So some letters do not give a sound, or vice versa, give two sounds.

  Let's take a look at these rules.

  It must be remembered that such letters as a hard sign and a soft sign in any case do not give sounds.

  The soft sign makes the preceding consonant soft.

  Letters such as I, Yu, E, which are after a vowel or at the very beginning of a word, give two sounds at once. One of them will be Y, and the second, respectively - A, U, E or O.

Before proceeding to perform phonetic analysis with examples, we draw your attention to the fact that letters and sounds in words are not always the same thing.

Letters- these are letters, graphic symbols, with the help of which the content of the text is conveyed or the conversation is outlined. Letters are used to visually convey meaning, we will perceive them with our eyes. The letters can be read. When you read letters aloud, you form sounds - syllables - words.

A list of all letters is just an alphabet

Almost every student knows how many letters are in the Russian alphabet. That's right, there are 33 of them in total. The Russian alphabet is called Cyrillic. The letters of the alphabet are arranged in a certain sequence:

Russian alphabet:

In total, the Russian alphabet uses:

• 21 letters for consonants;
• 10 letters - vowels;
• and two: ь (soft sign) and ъ (hard sign), which indicate properties, but do not in themselves determine any sound units.

You often pronounce the sounds in phrases differently from how you write them down in writing. In addition, more letters than sounds can be used in a word. For example, "children's" - the letters "T" and "C" merge into one phoneme [ts]. Conversely, the number of sounds in the word "blacken" is greater, since the letter "Yu" in this case is pronounced as [yu].

What is phonetic parsing?

We perceive sound speech by ear. Under the phonetic analysis of the word is meant the characteristic of the sound composition. In the school curriculum, such an analysis is more often called “sound-letter” analysis. So, in phonetic parsing, you simply describe the properties of sounds, their characteristics depending on the environment, and the syllabic structure of a phrase united by a common word stress.

Phonetic transcription

For sound-letter analysis, a special transcription in square brackets is used. For example, the correct spelling is:

• black -> [h"orny"]
• apple -> [yablaka]
• anchor -> [yakar"]
• tree -> [yolka]
• sun -> [sontse]

The phonetic parsing scheme uses special characters. Thanks to this, it is possible to correctly designate and distinguish between the letter record (spelling) and the sound definition of letters (phonemes).

• the phonetically parsed word is enclosed in square brackets - ;
• a soft consonant is indicated by a transcription sign ['] - an apostrophe;
• shock [´] - with an accent;
• in complex word forms from several roots, a secondary stress sign [`] is used - grave (not practiced in the school curriculum);
• the letters of the alphabet Yu, Ya, E, Yo, b and b are NEVER used in transcription (in the curriculum);
• for double consonants, [:] is used - a sign of the longitude of pronouncing the sound.

Below are detailed rules for orthoepic, alphabetic and phonetic and word parsing with online examples, in accordance with the general school norms of the modern Russian language. For professional linguists, the transcription of phonetic characteristics is distinguished by accents and other symbols with additional acoustic features of vowels and consonant phonemes.

How to make a phonetic parsing of a word?

The following diagram will help you conduct a letter analysis:

• Write down the necessary word and say it out loud several times.
• Count how many vowels and consonants are in it.
• Mark the stressed syllable. (Stress with the help of intensity (energy) singles out a certain phoneme in speech from a number of homogeneous sound units.)
• Divide the phonetic word into syllables and indicate their total number. Remember that the syllable division in differs from the hyphenation rules. The total number of syllables always matches the number of vowels.
• In transcription, disassemble the word by sounds.
• Write the letters from the phrase in a column.
• Opposite each letter, in square brackets, indicate its sound definition (how it is heard). Remember that sounds in words are not always identical to letters. The letters "ь" and "ъ" do not represent any sounds. The letters "e", "e", "yu", "I", "and" can mean 2 sounds at once.
• Analyze each phoneme separately and mark its properties with a comma:
  • for a vowel, we indicate in the characteristic: the sound is a vowel; shock or unstressed;
  • in the characteristics of consonants we indicate: the sound is consonant; hard or soft, voiced or deaf, sonorous, paired / unpaired in hardness-softness and sonority-deafness.
• At the end of the phonetic analysis of the word, draw a line and count the total number of letters and sounds.

This scheme is practiced in the school curriculum.

An example of phonetic parsing of a word

Here is an example of phonetic analysis by composition for the word "phenomenon" → [yivl'e′n'iye]. In this example, there are 4 vowels and 3 consonants. There are only 4 syllables: I-vle′-ni-e. The emphasis falls on the second.

Sound characteristic of letters:

i [th] - acc., unpaired soft, unpaired voiced, sonorous [and] - vowel, unstressed in [c] - acc., paired solid, paired sound [l '] - acc., paired soft, unpaired . sound, sonorous [e ′] - vowel, percussion [n '] - consonant, paired soft, unpaired. sound, sonorous and [and] - vowel, unstressed [th] - acc., unpaired. soft, unpaired sound, sonorant [e] - vowel, unstressed ____________________ In total, the phenomenon in the word is 7 letters, 9 sounds. The first letter "I" and the last "E" represent two sounds.

Now you know how to do sound-letter analysis yourself. The following is a classification of sound units of the Russian language, their relationship and transcription rules for sound-letter parsing.

Phonetics and sounds in Russian

What are the sounds?

All sound units are divided into vowels and consonants. Vowel sounds, in turn, are stressed and unstressed. A consonant sound in Russian words can be: hard - soft, voiced - deaf, hissing, sonorous.

How many sounds are there in Russian live speech?

The correct answer is 42.

Doing phonetic analysis online, you will find that 36 consonants and 6 vowels are involved in word formation. Many have a reasonable question, why is there such a strange inconsistency? Why does the total number of sounds and letters differ for both vowels and consonants?

All this is easily explained. A number of letters, when participating in word formation, can denote 2 sounds at once. For example, pairs of softness-hardness:

• [b] - peppy and [b '] - squirrel;
• or [d] - [d ’]: home - do.

And some do not have a pair, for example [h '] will always be soft. If in doubt, try to say it firmly and make sure that this is impossible: stream, pack, spoon, black, Chegevara, boy, rabbit, bird cherry, bees. Thanks to this practical solution, our alphabet has not reached a dimensionless scale, and the sound units are optimally complemented, merging with each other.

Vowel sounds in the words of the Russian language

Vowel sounds unlike melodic consonants, they flow freely, as if in a singsong voice, from the larynx, without barriers and tension of the ligaments. The louder you try to pronounce the vowel, the wider you will have to open your mouth. And vice versa, the louder you strive to pronounce the consonant, the more vigorously you will close the oral cavity. This is the most striking articulatory difference between these classes of phonemes.

The stress in any word forms can only fall on a vowel sound, but there are also unstressed vowels.

How many vowels are in Russian phonetics?

Russian speech uses fewer vowel phonemes than letters. There are only six percussive sounds: [a], [i], [o], [e], [y], [s]. And, recall, there are ten letters: a, e, e, and, o, y, s, e, i, u. The vowels E, Yo, Yu, I are not "pure" sounds in transcription are not used. Often, when parsing words alphabetically, the letters listed are stressed.

Phonetics: characteristics of stressed vowels

The main phonemic feature of Russian speech is the clear pronunciation of vowel phonemes in stressed syllables. Stressed syllables in Russian phonetics are distinguished by the strength of exhalation, increased duration of sound and are pronounced undistorted. Since they are pronounced distinctly and expressively, the sound analysis of syllables with stressed vowels is much easier to perform. The position in which the sound does not change and retain the main form is called strong position. Only a stressed sound and a syllable can occupy such a position. Unstressed phonemes and syllables remain in a weak position.

• The vowel in the stressed syllable is always in a strong position, that is, it is pronounced more distinctly, with the greatest force and duration.
• A vowel in an unstressed position is in a weak position, that is, it is pronounced with less force and not so clearly.

In Russian, only one phoneme "U" retains unchanging phonetic properties: kuruza, plank, u chus, u catch - in all positions it is pronounced distinctly like [u]. This means that the vowel "U" is not subject to qualitative reduction. Attention: in writing, the phoneme [y] can also be indicated by another letter “U”: muesli [m’u ´sl’i], key [kl’u ´h’], etc.

Analysis of the sounds of stressed vowels

The vowel phoneme [o] occurs only in a strong position (under stress). In such cases, "O" is not subject to reduction: cat [ko´ t'ik], bell [kalako´ l'ch'yk], milk [malako´], eight [vo´ s'im'], search [paisko´ vaya], dialect [go´ var], autumn [o´ s'in'].

An exception to the rule of a strong position for “O”, when unstressed [o] is also pronounced clearly, are only some foreign words: cocoa [kaka "o], patio [pa" tio], radio [ra" dio], boa [bo a "] and a number of service units, for example, union no. The sound [o] in writing can be reflected by another letter “e” - [o]: turn [t’o´ rn], fire [kas’t’o´ r]. Parsing the sounds of the remaining four vowels in the stressed position will also not be difficult.

Unstressed vowels and sounds in Russian words

It is possible to make the correct sound analysis and accurately determine the characteristics of the vowel only after placing the stress in the word. Do not forget also about the existence of homonymy in our language: for "mok - zamok" and about the change in phonetic qualities depending on the context (case, number):

• I'm at home [ya to "ma].
• New houses [but "vye da ma"].

AT unstressed position the vowel is modified, that is, it is pronounced differently than it is written:

• mountains - mountain = [go "ry] - [ga ra"];
• he - online = [o "n] - [a nla" yn]
• witness = [sv'id'e "t'i l'n'itsa].

Similar vowel changes in unstressed syllables are called reduction. Quantitative, when the duration of the sound changes. And a qualitative reduction, when the characteristic of the original sound changes.

The same unstressed vowel can change its phonetic characteristic depending on its position:

• primarily with respect to the stressed syllable;
• at the absolute beginning or end of a word;
• in open syllables (consist of only one vowel);
• under the influence of neighboring signs (b, b) and a consonant.

Yes, different 1st degree of reduction. She is subject to:

• vowels in the first prestressed syllable;
• open syllable at the very beginning;
• repeated vowels.

Note: To make a sound-letter analysis, the first pre-stressed syllable is determined not from the “head” of the phonetic word, but in relation to the stressed syllable: the first to the left of it. In principle, it can be the only pre-shock: not-here [n'iz'd'e´shn'y].

(bare syllable) + (2-3 pre-stressed syllable) + 1st pre-stressed syllable ← Stressed syllable → stressed syllable (+2/3 stressed syllable)

• forward-re -di [fp'ir'i d'i´];
• e-ste-ve-nno [yi s’t’e´s’t’v’in: a];

Any other pre-stressed syllables and all pre-stressed syllables in sound analysis refer to reduction of the 2nd degree. It is also called "weak position of the second degree."

• kiss [pa-tsy-la-va´t '];
• model [ma-dy-l’i´-ra-vat’];
• swallow [la´-hundred-ch'ka];
• kerosene [k'i-ra-s'i'-na-vy].

The reduction of vowels in a weak position also differs in steps: the second, third (after hard and soft consonants, this is outside the curriculum): study [uch'i´ts: a], numb [atsyp'in'e´t '], hope [nad'e´zhda]. In a letter analysis, the reduction of a vowel in a weak position in a final open syllable (= at the absolute end of a word) will appear very slightly:

• cup;
• goddess;
• with songs;
• turn.

Sound letter analysis: iotized sounds

Phonetically, the letters E - [ye], Yo - [yo], Yu - [yu], I - [ya] often denote two sounds at once. Have you noticed that in all the indicated cases, the additional phoneme is “Y”? That is why these vowels are called iotized. The meaning of the letters E, E, Yu, I is determined by their positional position.

During phonetic analysis, the vowels e, e, u, i form 2 sounds:

◊ Yo - [yo], Yu - [yu], E - [ye], I - [ya] in cases where there are:

• At the beginning of the word "Yo" and "Yu" always:
  • - cringe [yo´ zhyts: a], Christmas tree [yo´ lach’ny], hedgehog [yo´ zhyk], capacity [yo´ mkast’];
  • - jeweler [yuv ’il’i´r], yule [yu la´], skirt [yu´ pka], Jupiter [yu p’i´t’ir], briskness [yu ´rkas’t’];
• at the beginning of the word "E" and "I" only under stress *:
  • - spruce [ye´ l '], I go [ye´ f: y], huntsman [ye´ g'ir '], eunuch [ye´ vnuh];
  • - yacht [ya´ hta], anchor [ya´ kar’], yaki [ya´ ki], apple [ya´ blaka];
  • (*to perform sound-letter analysis of unstressed vowels “E” and “I”, a different phonetic transcription is used, see below);
• in the position immediately after the vowel "Yo" and "Yu" always. But "E" and "I" in stressed and unstressed syllables, except when the indicated letters are located behind the vowel in the 1st pre-stressed syllable or in the 1st, 2nd stressed syllable in the middle of words. Phonetic analysis online and examples for specific cases:
  • - reception mnik [pr’iyo´mn’ik], sing t [payo´t], kluyo t [kl’uyo ´t];
  • -ay rveda [ayu r’v’e´da], sing t [payu ´t], melt [ta´yu t], cabin [kayu ´ta],
• after the separating solid “b” sign “Yo” and “Yu” - always, and “E” and “I” only under stress or at the absolute end of the word: - volume [ab yo´m], shooting [syo´mka], adjutant [adyu "ta´nt]
• after the dividing soft "b" sign "Yo" and "Yu" - always, and "E" and "I" under stress or at the absolute end of the word: - interview [intyrv'yu´], trees [d'ir'e´ v'ya], friends [druz'ya´], brothers [bra´t'ya], monkey [ab'iz'ya´ na], blizzard [v'yu´ ha], family [s'em'ya´ ]

As you can see, in the phonemic system of the Russian language, stresses are of decisive importance. Vowels in unstressed syllables undergo the greatest reduction. Let's continue the literal analysis of the remaining iotized sounds and see how they can still change their characteristics depending on the environment in the words.

◊ Unstressed vowels"E" and "I" denote two sounds and in phonetic transcription and are written as [YI]:

• at the very beginning of a word:
  • - unity [yi d'in'e´n'i'ye], spruce [yilo´vy], blackberry [yizhiv'i´ka], his [yivo´], egoza [yigaza´], Yenisei [yin'is 'e´y], Egypt [yig'i´p'it];
  • - January [yi nva´rsky], core [yidro´], sting [yiz'v'i´t'], label [yirly´k], Japan [yipo´n'iya], lamb [yign'o´nak ];
  • (The only exceptions are rare foreign word forms and names: Caucasoid [ye wrap’io´idnaya], Eugene [ye] vge´niy, European [ye wrap’e´yits], diocese [ye] pa´rchia, etc.).
• immediately after a vowel in the 1st pre-stressed syllable or in the 1st, 2nd stressed syllable, except for the location at the absolute end of the word.
  • in a timely manner [piles vr'e´m'ina], trains [payi zda´], let's eat [payi d'i´m], run into [nayi zh: a´t '], Belgian [b'il'g'i´ yi c], students [uch'a´shch'iyi s'a], sentences [pr'idlazhe´n'iyi m'i], vanity [suyi ta´],
  • bark [la´yi t '], pendulum [ma´yi tn'ik], hare [za´yi ts], belt [po´yi s], declare [zai v'i´t '], I will manifest [prayi in 'l'u´]
• after a separating hard "b" or soft "b" sign: - intoxicates [p'yi n'i´t], express [izyi v'i´t'], announcement [abyi vl'e´n'iye], edible [sii do´bny].

Note: The St. Petersburg phonological school is characterized by "ekanye", while the Moscow school has "hiccups". Previously, the yottered "Yo" was pronounced with a more accentuated "ye". With the change of capitals, performing sound-letter analysis, they adhere to Moscow standards in orthoepy.

Some people in fluent speech pronounce the vowel "I" in the same way in syllables with a strong and weak position. This pronunciation is considered a dialect and is not literary. Remember, the vowel “I” under stress and without stress is pronounced differently: fair [ya ´marka], but egg [yi ytso´].

Important:

The letter "I" after the soft sign "b" also represents 2 sounds - [YI] in sound-letter analysis. (This rule is relevant for syllables in both strong and weak positions). Let's conduct a sample of sound-letter online analysis: - nightingales [salav'yi´], on chicken legs [on ku´r'yi' x "no´shkakh], rabbit [cro´l'ich'yi], no family [with 'yi´], judges [su´d'yi], draws [n'ich'yi´], streams [ruch'yi´], foxes [li´s'yi] But: The vowel "O" after a soft sign "b" is transcribed as an apostrophe of softness ['] of the preceding consonant and [O], although when pronouncing the phoneme, iotation can be heard: broth [bul'o´n], pavillo n [pav'il'o´n], similarly: postman n , champignon n, shigno n, companion n, medallion n, battalion n, guillotina, carmagno la, mignon n and others.

Phonetic analysis of words, when the vowels "Yu" "E" "Yo" "I" form 1 sound

According to the rules of phonetics of the Russian language, at a certain position in words, the indicated letters give one sound when:

• sound units "Yo" "Yu" "E" are under stress after an unpaired consonant in hardness: w, w, c. Then they denote phonemes:
  • yo - [o],
  • e - [e],
  • yu - [y].
  Examples of online parsing by sounds: yellow [yellow], silk [sho´ lx], whole [tse´ ly], recipe [r'ice´ Fri], pearls [zhe´ mch'uk], six [she´ st '], hornet [she´ rshen'], parachute [parashu´ t];
• The letters "I" "Yu" "E" "Yo" and "I" denote the softness of the preceding consonant [']. Exception only for: [w], [w], [c]. In such cases in a striking position they form one vowel sound:
  • ё - [o]: voucher [put'o´ fka], light [l'o´ hk'y], honey agaric [ap'o´ nak], actor [act'o´ r], child [r'ib' o´ nak];
  • e - [e]: seal [t'ul'e´ n '], mirror [z'e´ rkala], smarter [smart'e´ ye], conveyor [kanv'e´ yir];
  • i - [a]: kittens [kat'a´ ta], softly [m'a´ hka], oath [kl'a´ tva], took [vz'a´ l], mattress [t'u f'a ´ k], swan [l'ib'a´ zhy];
  • yu - [y]: beak [kl'u´ f], people [l'u´ d'am], gateway [shl'u´ s], tulle [t'u´ l'], suit [kas't 'mind].
  • Note: in words borrowed from other languages, the stressed vowel "E" does not always signal the softness of the previous consonant. This positional softening ceased to be a mandatory norm in Russian phonetics only in the 20th century. In such cases, when you do phonetic analysis by composition, such a vowel sound is transcribed as [e] without the preceding softness apostrophe: hotel [ate´ l '], strap [br'ite´ l'ka], test [te´ st] , tennis [te´ n: is], cafe [cafe´], puree [p'ure´], amber [ambre´], delta [de´ l'ta], tender [te´ nder], masterpiece [shede´ vr], tablet [tablet´ t].
• Attention! After soft consonants in prestressed syllables the vowels "E" and "I" undergo a qualitative reduction and are transformed into the sound [i] (excl. for [c], [g], [w]). Examples of phonetic parsing of words with similar phonemes: - grain [z'i rno´], earth [z'i ml'a´], cheerful [v'i s'o´ly], ringing [z'v 'and n'i´t], forest [l'and snowy], blizzard [m'i t'e´l'itsa], feather [n'i ro´], brought [pr' in'i sla´], knit [v'i za´t'], lay down [l'i ga´t'], five grater [n'i t'o´rka]

Phonetic analysis: consonant sounds of the Russian language

There is an absolute majority of consonants in Russian. When pronouncing a consonant sound, the air flow encounters obstacles. They are formed by organs of articulation: teeth, tongue, palate, vibrations of the vocal cords, lips. Due to this, noise, hissing, whistling or sonority occurs in the voice.

How many consonant sounds are there in Russian speech?

In the alphabet for their designation is used 21 letters. However, performing a sound-letter analysis, you will find that in Russian phonetics consonants more, namely - 36.

Sound-letter analysis: what are consonant sounds?

In our language, consonants are:

• hard - soft and form the corresponding pairs:
  • [b] - [b ’]: b anan - b tree,
  • [in] - [in ’]: in height - in June,
  • [g] - [g ’]: city - duke,
  • [d] - [d ']: dacha - d elfin,
  • [h] - [h ’]: z won - z ether,
  • [k] - [k ’]: to onfeta - to engur,
  • [l] - [l ’]: l odka - l lux,
  • [m] - [m ’]: magic - dreams,
  • [n] - [n ’]: new - n ectar,
  • [n] - [n ’]: n alma-p yosik,
  • [p] - [p ’]: r chamomile - r poison,
  • [s] - [s ’]: with uvenir - with a surprise,
  • [t] - [t ’]: t uchka - t tulip,
  • [f] - [f ']: flag - February,
  • [x] - [x ’]: x orek - x hunter.
• Certain consonants do not have a hardness-softness pair. Unpaired include:
  • sounds [g], [c], [w] - always solid (life, cycle, mouse);
  • [h ’], [u’] and [y ’] are always soft (daughter, more often, yours).
• The sounds [w], [h ’], [w], [u’] in our language are called hissing.

A consonant can be voiced - deaf, as well as sonorous and noisy.

You can determine the sonority-deafness or sonority of a consonant by the degree of noise-voice. These characteristics will vary depending on the method of formation and participation of the organs of articulation.

• Sonorants (l, m, n, p, d) are the most sonorous phonemes, they hear a maximum of voice and a little noise: lion, paradise, zero.
• If, during the pronunciation of a word, both a voice and noise are formed during the sound analysis, it means that you have a voiced consonant in front of you (g, b, z, etc.): factory, b people, life from n.
• When pronouncing deaf consonants (p, s, t, and others), the vocal cords do not tense, only noise is emitted: stack a, chip a, k ost yum, circus, sew up.

Note: In phonetics, consonant sound units also have a division according to the nature of formation: a bow (b, p, d, t) - a gap (g, w, h, s) and the method of articulation: labial-labial (b, p, m) , labio-dental (f, c), anterior lingual (t, d, h, s, c, f, w, u, h, n, l, r), middle lingual (d), posterior lingual (k, d, x) . The names are given based on the organs of articulation that are involved in sound production.

Hint: If you are just starting to practice phonetic parsing, try placing your hands over your ears and pronouncing the phoneme. If you managed to hear a voice, then the sound being studied is a voiced consonant, but if noise is heard, then it is deaf.

Hint: For associative communication, remember the phrases: “Oh, we didn’t forget a friend.” - this sentence contains absolutely the entire set of voiced consonants (excluding softness-hardness pairs). “Styopka, do you want to eat cabbage soup? - Fi! - similarly, these replicas contain a set of all voiceless consonants.

Positional changes of consonant sounds in Russian

The consonant sound, like the vowel, undergoes changes. The same letter can phonetically denote a different sound, depending on the position it occupies. In the flow of speech, the sound of one consonant is likened to the articulation of a nearby consonant. This effect facilitates pronunciation and is called assimilation in phonetics.

Positional stun/voicing

In a certain position for consonants, the phonetic law of assimilation by deafness-voicedness operates. The voiced double consonant is replaced by a voiceless one:

• at the absolute end of the phonetic word: but [no´sh], snow [s’n’e´k], garden [agaro´t], club [club´p];
• before deaf consonants: forget-me-not a [n’izabu´t ka], hug [aph wat’i´t’], Tuesday [ft o´rn’ik], tube a [corpse a].
• making sound letter parsing online, you will notice that a voiceless double consonant standing before a voiced one (except for [d'], [v] - [v'], [l] - [l'], [m] - [m'] , [n] - [n '], [r] - [r ']) is also voiced, that is, it is replaced by its voiced pair: surrender [zda´ch'a], mowing [kaz'ba´], threshing [malad 'ba´], request [pro´z'ba], guess [adgada´t'].

In Russian phonetics, a deaf noisy consonant does not combine with a subsequent voiced noisy consonant, except for the sounds [v] - [v’]: whipped cream. In this case, the transcription of both the phoneme [h] and [s] is equally acceptable.

When parsing by the sounds of words: total, today, today, etc., the letter "G" is replaced by the phoneme [v].

According to the rules of sound-letter analysis, in the endings of the "-th", "-his" names of adjectives, participles and pronouns, the consonant "G" is transcribed as a sound [v]: red [kra´snava], blue [s'i´n'iva] , white [b'e'lava], sharp, full, former, that, this, whom. If, after assimilation, two consonants of the same type are formed, they merge. In the school program on phonetics, this process is called contraction of consonants: separate [ad: 'il'i´t'] → the letters "T" and "D" are reduced to sounds [d'd'], silent smart [b'ish: u ´many]. When parsing by composition, a number of words in sound-letter analysis show dissimilation - the process is the opposite of assimilation. In this case, the common feature of the two adjacent consonants changes: the combination “GK” sounds like [hk] (instead of the standard [kk]): light [l'o′h'k'y], soft [m'a′h' k'iy].

Soft consonants in Russian

In the phonetic parsing scheme, the apostrophe ['] is used to indicate the softness of consonants.

• Softening of paired hard consonants occurs before "b";
• the softness of the consonant sound in the syllable in the letter will help determine the vowel that follows it (e, e, i, u, i);
• [u’], [h’] and [th] are only soft by default;
• the sound [n] always softens before the soft consonants “Z”, “S”, “D”, “T”: claim [pr'iten'z 'iya], review [r'icen'z 'iya], pension [pen 's' iya], ve [n'z '] spruce, face [n'z '] iya, ka [n'd '] idat, ba [n'd '] um, and [n'd '] ivid , blo[n'd'] in, stipe[n'd'] ia, ba[n't'] ik, wi[n't'] ik, zo[n't'] ik, ve[n' t '] il, a [n't '] personal, co[n't '] text, remo[n't '] to edit;
• the letters "N", "K", "R" during phonetic analysis of the composition can soften before soft sounds [h '], [u ']: glass ik [staka′n'ch'ik], changer ik [sm'e ′n'shch'ik], donut ik [po′n'ch'ik], mason ik [kam'e′n'sh'ik], boulevard ina [bul'var'r'shch'ina], borscht [ borsch'];
• often the sounds [h], [s], [r], [n] in front of a soft consonant undergo assimilation in terms of hardness-softness: wall [s't'e'nka], life [zhyz'n'], here [ z'd'es'];
• in order to correctly perform sound-literal analysis, consider the words of the exception when the consonant [r] before soft teeth and lips, as well as before [h ’], [u’] is pronounced firmly: artel, feed, cornet, samovar;

Note: the letter "b" after a consonant unpaired in hardness / softness in some word forms performs only a grammatical function and does not impose a phonetic load: study, night, mouse, rye, etc. In such words, during literal analysis, a [-] dash is placed in square brackets opposite the letter “b”.

Positional changes in paired voiced-voiced consonants before sibilant consonants and their transcription in sound-letter parsing

To determine the number of sounds in a word, it is necessary to take into account their positional changes. Paired voiced-voiced: [d-t] or [s-s] before hissing (w, w, u, h) are phonetically replaced by a hissing consonant.

• Letter analysis and examples of words with hissing sounds: visitor [pr'iye´zhzh y], ascension [your e´stv'iye], izzhelta [i´zhzh elta], take pity [zhzh a´l'its: a].

The phenomenon when two different letters are pronounced as one is called complete assimilation in all respects. Performing sound-letter parsing of a word, you should designate one of the repeated sounds in transcription with the longitude symbol [:].

• Letter combinations with hissing "szh" - "zzh", are pronounced as a double solid consonant [zh:], and "ssh" - "zsh" - like [w:]: squeezed, sewn, without a tire, climbed.
• The combinations "zh", "zhzh" inside the root during sound-letter analysis is recorded in transcription as a long consonant [zh:]: I drive, squeal, later, reins, yeast, burnt.
• The combinations "sch", "sch" at the junction of the root and the suffix / prefix are ​​pronounced as a long soft [u':]: account [u': o´t], scribe, customer.
• At the junction of the preposition with the next word in place "sch", "zch" is transcribed as [sch'h']: without a number [b'esch' h' isla´], with something [sch'ch' em mta] .
• With a sound-letter analysis, the combinations "tch", "dch" at the junction of morphemes are defined as double soft [h ':]: pilot [l'o´ch': ik], young man ik [little´h ': ik], report ot [ah': o´t].

Cheat sheet for likening consonants at the place of formation

• mid → [u':]: happiness [u': a´s't'ye], sandstone [n'isch': a´n'ik], peddler [razno´sh': ik], cobbled, calculations, exhaust, clear;
• zch → [u’:]: carver [r’e´shch’: hic], loader [gru´shch’: hic], storyteller [raska´shch’: hic];
• ZhCh → [u’:]: defector [p’ir’ibe´ u’: ik], man [mush’: i´na];
• shh → [u’:]: freckled [v’isnu′shch’: common];
• stch → [u’:]: tougher [zho´shch’: e], whip, rigger;
• zdch → [u’:]: traverser [abye´shch’: ik], furrowed [baro´shch’: whit];
• ss → [u’:]: split [rasch’: ip’i′t ’], generous [rasch’: e′dr’ils’a];
• van → [h'sh']: split off [ach'sh' ip'i′t'], snap off [ach'sh' o'lk'ivat'], in vain [h'sh' etna], carefully [h' sh'at'el'na];
• tch → [h ':] : report [ah ': o't], homeland [ah ': izna], ciliated [r'is'n'i'ch ': i'ty];
• dh → [h’:] : underline [patch’: o’rk’ivat’], stepdaughter [pach’: ir’itsa];
• szh → [zh:]: compress [zh: a´t '];
• zzh → [zh:]: get rid of [izh: y´t '], ignition [ro´zh: yk], leave [uyizh: a´t '];
• ssh → [sh:]: bringing [pr’in’o′sh: th], embroidered [rash: y´ty];
• zsh → [w:] : inferior [n'ish: y'y]
• th → [pcs], in word forms with “what” and its derivatives, making a sound-literal analysis, we write [pcs]: so that [pcs about′by], ​​not for anything [n'e′ zasht a], anything [ sht o n'ibut'], something;
• thu → [h't] in other cases of literal parsing: dreamer [m'ich't a´t'il'], mail [po´ch't a], preference [pr'itpach't 'e´n' ie] and so on;
• ch → [shn] in exception words: of course [kan'e´shn a′], boring [sku´shn a′], bakery, laundry, scrambled eggs, trifling, birdhouse, bachelorette party, mustard plaster, rag, and also in female patronymics ending in "-ichna": Ilyinichna, Nikitichna, Kuzminichna, etc.;
• ch → [ch'n] - literal analysis for all other options: fabulous [fairytale'n], country [yes'ch'n], strawberry [z'im'l'in'i´ch'n th], wake up, cloudy, sunny, etc.;
• !zhd → in place of the letter combination “zhd”, a double pronunciation and transcription [u ’] or [pcs ’] in the word rain and in the word forms formed from it: rainy, rainy.

Unpronounceable consonants in the words of the Russian language

During the pronunciation of a whole phonetic word with a chain of many different consonant letters, one or another sound may be lost. As a result, in the orthograms of words there are letters devoid of sound meaning, the so-called unpronounceable consonants. To correctly perform phonetic analysis online, the unpronounceable consonant is not displayed in the transcription. The number of sounds in such phonetic words will be less than letters.

In Russian phonetics, unpronounceable consonants include:

• "T" - in combinations:
  • stn → [sn]: local [m’e´sny], reed [tras’n ’i´k]. By analogy, you can perform a phonetic analysis of the words ladder, honest, famous, joyful, sad, participant, messenger, rainy, furious and others;
  • stl → [sl]: happy [w’: asl ’and’vy "], happy ivchik, conscientious, boastful (exception words: bony and spread, the letter “T” is pronounced in them);
  • ntsk → [nsk]: gigantic [g’iga´nsk ’y], agency, presidential;
  • sts → [s:]: sixs from [shes: o´t], eat up I [vzye´s: a], swear I [kl’a´s: a];
  • sts → [s:] : tourist cue [tur'i´s: k'iy], maximalist cue [max'imal'i´s: k'iy], racist cue [ras'i´s: k'iy] , bestseller, propaganda, expressionist, hindu, careerist;
  • ntg → [ng]: roentgen en [r'eng 'e´n];
  • “-tsya”, “-tsya” → [c:] in verb endings: smile [smile´ts: a], wash [we´ts: a], look, fit, bow, shave, fit;
  • ts → [ts] for adjectives in combinations at the junction of the root and the suffix: children's [d'e'ts k'y], fraternal [brother's];
  • ts → [ts:] / [tss]: athlete men [sparts: m’e´n], send [acs yla´t ’];
  • ts → [ts:] at the junction of morphemes during phonetic analysis online is written as a long “ts”: bratts a [bra´ts: a], ottsepit [atz: yp'i´t'], to father u [katz: y'];
• "D" - when parsing by sounds in the following letter combinations:
  • zdn → [zn]: late [po´z'n' y], starry [z'v'o´zn y], holiday [pra′z'n 'ik], gratuitous [b'izvazm' e′zn y];
  • ndsh → [nsh]: mundsh tuk [munsh tu´k], landsh aft [lansh a´ft];
  • ndsk → [nsk]: Dutch [gala´nsk ’y], Thai [taila´nsk ’y], Norman y [narm´nsk ’y];
  • zdts → [sts]: under the bridles [pad sts s´];
  • nds → [nc]: Dutch s [gala´nts s];
  • rdts → [rc]: heart [s’e´rts e], evina’s heart [s’irts yv’i´na];
  • rdch → [rch "]: heart-ishko [s’erch ’i´shka];
  • dts → [ts:] at the junction of morphemes, less often in roots, are pronounced and when parsing the word it is written as a double [ts]: pick up [pats: yp'i´t '], twenty [two´ts: yt '] ;
  • ds → [ts]: factory [zavats ko´y], kinship [rational tvo´], means [sr’e´ts tva], Kislovods to [k’islavo´ts k];
• "L" - in combinations:
  • sun → [nc]: sun e [so´nts e], sun state;
• "B" - in combinations:
  • vstv → [stv] literal analysis of words: hello [hello uyt'e], feelings about [h'u´stva], sensuality [h'u´stv 'inas't'], pampering about [pampering o´], virgin [d'e´st 'in: y].

Note: In some words of the Russian language, with the accumulation of consonant sounds “stk”, “ntk”, “zdk”, “ndk”, dropping out of the phoneme [t] is not allowed: trip [paye´stka], daughter-in-law, typist, agenda, laboratory assistant, student , patient, bulky, Irish, Scottish.

• Two identical letters immediately after the stressed vowel are transcribed as a single sound and a longitude character [:] in literal parsing: class, bath, mass, group, program.
• Doubled consonants in pre-stressed syllables are indicated in transcription and pronounced as one sound: tunnel [tane´l '], terrace, apparatus.

If you find it difficult to perform a phonetic analysis of a word online according to the indicated rules or you have an ambiguous analysis of the word under study, use the help of a reference dictionary. The literary norms of orthoepy are regulated by the publication: “Russian literary pronunciation and stress. Dictionary - reference book. M. 1959

References:

• Litnevskaya E.I. Russian language: a short theoretical course for schoolchildren. – Moscow State University, Moscow: 2000
• Panov M.V. Russian phonetics. – Enlightenment, M.: 1967
• Beshenkova E.V., Ivanova O.E. Rules of Russian spelling with comments.
• Tutorial. - "Institute for advanced training of educators", Tambov: 2012
• Rosenthal D.E., Dzhandzhakova E.V., Kabanova N.P. A guide to spelling, pronunciation, literary editing. Russian literary pronunciation. - M .: CheRo, 1999

Now you know how to parse a word into sounds, make a sound-letter analysis of each syllable and determine their number. The described rules explain the laws of phonetics in the format of a school curriculum. They will help you phonetically characterize any letter.

Students begin to study the sound composition of words and perform phonetic analysis already in the elementary grades. It is during the performance of phonetic analysis that they must count the number of letters and sounds. Their number is not always the same. In order not to make a mistake when counting, you need to get acquainted with situations where a letter will denote two sounds or vice versa.

Instruction

• Most often in Russian one letter corresponds to the same sound. For example, the word "table" has four letters and the same number of sounds. This becomes well understood by children when they perform a phonetic analysis of a word or simply make up its transcription.
• A mismatch occurs if the letters "e", "i", "u" are at the beginning of a word, after a vowel, and also after a hard or soft sign. In addition to softening the consonant in front, they also form two sounds. For example, in the word "apple" the letter "i" means two sounds [th] and [a]. Thus, in this word there are six letters, and seven sounds. And in the word "blizzard" the letter "u", located after the soft sign, denotes two sounds: [th] and [y]. This means that there will be one more sound in this word than letters.
• The number of letters and sounds in words with unpronounceable consonants does not match. It will have more letters, as some will not be indicated by sounds. For example, in the word "flattering" there is an unpronounceable consonant "t". It has no sound. Therefore, this word will have seven letters and only six sounds. And in the word "heart" the letter "d" is not pronounced. It has six letters and five sounds.
• If you try to count the number of sounds in verbs ending in "tsya" and "tsya", you will see that there are fewer of them than letters. This is clearly seen in the transcription of the word. "Tsya" or "tsya" in it are indicated by two sounds [ts a]. So, in the word "learns" there are six letters, and there are five sounds.
• Hard and soft signs are not indicated by sounds. For example, the word "fire" will have five letters and only four sounds.
• To learn how to correctly count the number of sounds, you need to understand the basic rules of phonetics and master the sound analysis of a word.