How to make a phonetic analysis of a word? How phonetic analysis of a word is done: an example of sound analysis

Do you know why Russian is so difficult for foreigners to learn? Especially those whose languages are not at all similar to Russian? One of the reasons is that our language cannot be said to mean that words can be written the way they are heard. We say “MALAKO”, but we remember that the word must be written with 3 letters O: “MILKO”.

This is the simplest and most obvious example. And, as a rule, no one thinks about what transcription (that is, a graphic recording of sounds) of the words that are most familiar to us looks like. To learn to understand what sounds words are made of, in schools and even universities they perform such a task as phonetic analysis words.

It is not easy for everyone, but we will help you understand and successfully cope with it in class and when preparing homework.

Phonetic analysis of the word- a task aimed at parsing a word into letters and sounds. Compare how many letters it has and how many sounds it has. And find out that the same letters in different positions can mean different sounds.

Vowels

There are 10 vowel letters in the Russian alphabet: “a”, “o”, “u”, “e”, “y”, “ya”, “e”, “yu”, “e”, “i”.

But there are only 6 vowel sounds: [a], [o], [u], [e], [s], [i]. The vowels “e”, “e”, “yu”, “ya” consist of two sounds: vowel + y. They are written like this: “e” = [y’+e], “e” = [y’+o], “yu” = [y’+y], “i” = [y’+a]. And they are called iotized.

Remember that in transcription “e”, “e”, “yu”, “ya” are not always decomposed into two sounds. But only in following cases:

when words appear at the beginning: food [y’eda], ruff [y’orsh], skirt [y’upka], pit [y’ama];
when they come after other vowels: moi [moi'em], moe [mai'o], wash [moi'ut], warrior [vai'aka];
when they come after “ъ” and “ь”: pedestal [p’y’ed’estal], drinks [p’y’ot], drink [p’y’ut], nightingale [salav’y’a].

If “e”, “e”, “yu”, “ya” appear in a word after soft consonants, they can be confused with [a], [o], [y], [e]: ball [m'ach'] , honey [m'ot], muesli [m'usl'i], branch [v'etka]. They denote one sound in a position after consonants and under stress.

Not under stress “e”, “e”, “yu”, “ya” give the sound [i]: rows [r’ida], forest [l’isok]. In other cases, the letter “I” without stress can be pronounced as [e]: quagmire [tr’es’ina].

Another interesting thing about the relationship between “ь” and vowels: if after a soft sign in a word there is a letter “i”, it is pronounced as two sounds: streams [ruch’y’i].

But after the consonants “zh”, “sh” and “ts” the letter “i” gives the sound [s]: reeds [reeds].

The vowels “a”, “o”, “u”, “e”, “s” indicate the hardness of consonant sounds. The vowels “e”, “e”, “yu”, “ya”, “i” indicate the softness of consonant sounds.

By the way, in many words with the vowel “е” the emphasis always falls on it. But this rule does not work for borrowed words (amoebiasis) and complex words (such as trinuclear).

Consonants

There are 21 consonants in the Russian language. And these letters form as many as 36 sounds! How is this possible? Let's figure it out.

Thus, among the consonants there are 6 pairs according to the voicing of deafness:

[b] - [p]: [b]a[b]ushka – [p]a[p]a;
[v] - [f]: [v] water - [f] plywood;
[g] - [k]: [g]voice – [cow];
[d] - [t]: [d’] woodpecker - [t]ucha;
[f] - [w]: [f’]life – [sh]uba;
[z] - [s]: [z’]ima – o[s’]en.

This is interesting because paired sounds are represented by different letters. Such pairs do not exist in all languages. And in some, for example, Korean, paired unvoiced and voiced sounds are indicated by the same letter. Those. the same letter is read as a voiced or unvoiced sound depending on its position in the word.

There are also 15 pairs of hardness and softness:

[b] - [b’]: [b]a[b]glass – [b’]tree;
[v] - [v’]: [v]ata – [v’]fork;
[g] - [g’]: [g]amak – [g’]idrant;
[d] - [d’]: [d]ozh[d’];
[z] - [z’]: [z] gold – [z’] yawn;
[k] - [k’]: [k]ust – [k’]bist;
[l] - [l’]: [l]swallow – [l’]istik;
[m] - [m’]: [m]a[m]a – [m’]iska;
[n] - [n’]: [n]os – [n’]yuh;
[p] - [p’]: [p]archa – [p’]i [p’]etka;
[r] - [r’]: [r]lynx – [r’]is;
[s] - [s’]: [s] dog – [s’] herring;
[t] - [t’]: [t]apok – [t’]shadow;
[f] - [f’]: [f] camera - [f’] fencing;
[x] - [x’]: [x] hockey – [x’] ek.

As you can see, the softness of the sounds is ensured by the letter “b” and the soft consonants that come after the consonants.

There are unpaired consonant sounds in the Russian language that are never voiceless:

[y’] – [y’]od;
[l] – [l]ama;
[l’] – [l’]eika;
[m] – [m]carrot;
[m’] – [m’] muesli;
[n] – [n]osoceros;
[n’]– [n’] bat;
[r] – [r]daisy;
[r’] – [r’] child.

To make it easier to remember all the voiced sounds, you can use the following phrase: “We didn’t forget each other”.

And also unpaired sounds, which, in turn, are never voiced. Try reading the words from the examples out loud and see for yourself:

[x] – [x]orek;
[x'] - [x']surgeon;
[ts] – [ts]apple;
[h’] – [h’] person;
[sch’] – [sch’] bristles.

Two phrases will help you remember which sounds remain deaf in any situation: “Styopka, would you like some soup?” - “Fi!” And “Fokka, do you want to eat some soup?”.

If you carefully read the examples given above, you probably already noticed that some consonants in the Russian language are never soft:

[g] - [g]bug and even [g]acorn;
[sh] - [sh]uba and [sh]ilo are read equally firmly;
[ts] - [ts] scratch and [ts]irk - the same thing, the sound is pronounced firmly.

Remember that in some borrowed words and names “zh” is still soft [zh’]: jury [zh’]juri, Julien [zh’]julien.

Similarly, there are consonants in the Russian language that are never pronounced firmly:

[th’] – [th’] ogurt;
[h’] – [h’]chirp and [h’]asy – the sound is equally soft;
[sch'] - [sch']cheek and [sch']fingers - similar: no matter what vowel comes after this consonant, it is still pronounced softly.

Sometimes in some textbooks the softness of these sounds is not indicated by an apostrophe during transcription - since everyone already knows that these sounds are not hard in the Russian language. It is also often customary to denote “sch” as [w’:].

Remember also that the consonants “zh”, “sh”, “ch”, “sch” are called hissing.

Phonetic analysis plan

First you need to spell the word correctly in terms of spelling.
Then divide the word into syllables (remember that there are as many syllables in a word as there are vowels in it), designate the stressed syllable.
The next point is the phonetic transcription of the word. You don’t have to transcribe the word right away - first try saying it out loud. If necessary, speak several times until you can say with certainty which sounds need to be recorded.
Describe all vowel sounds in order: identify stressed and unstressed sounds.
Describe all consonant sounds in order: identify paired and unpaired sounds by voicedness/dullness and hardness/softness.
Count and write down how many letters and sounds there are in the word.
Note those cases in which the number of sounds does not correspond to the number of letters and explain them.

In written phonetic analysis, sounds are written from top to bottom in a column, each sound is enclosed in square brackets -. At the end, you should draw a line and write down the number of letters and sounds in the word.

Special transcription characters

Now about how to correctly designate sounds during transcription:

[ " ] – this is how the stressed vowel in the main stressed syllable is designated (O"sen);
[`] – this is how a secondary (minor) substressed vowel sound is designated: usually such a substressed syllable is located at the beginning of a word, found in compound words and words with the prefixes anti-, inter-, near-, counter-, super-, super-, ex -, vice- and others (`aboutE'many);
[’] – a sign of softening a consonant sound;
[Λ] – transcription sign for “o” and “a” in the following cases: position at the beginning of a word, the first pre-stressed syllable in the position after a hard consonant (arka [Λrka], king [krol’]);
– a more “advanced” transcription sign for recording iotated sounds; you can also use [th’].
[and e] – something in between [i] and [e], used to denote the vowels “a”, “e”, “e” in the first pre-stressed syllable in the position after a soft consonant (blend [bl'i e sleep]) ;
[ы и] – something between [ы] and [е] or [ы] and [а], used to denote the vowels “e”, “e” in the first pre-stressed syllable in the position after a hard consonant (whisper [shi e ptat '];
[ъ] – transcription sign for the vowels “o”, “a”, “e” in positions after a hard consonant in a pre-stressed and post-stressed syllable (milk [milk]);
[b] – transcription sign for the vowels “o”, “a”, “ya”, “e” in the position after a soft consonant in an unstressed syllable (mitten [var'shka]);
[–] – a sign indicating the absence of sound in the place of “ъ” and “ь”;
[ ‾ ]/[ : ] – transcription signs (you can use one or the other of your choice - it will not be a mistake) to indicate the length of consonants (to be afraid [bΛй'ац:ъ]).

As you can see, everything is very difficult with the transcription of letters into sounds. In the school curriculum, as a rule, these complicated and more accurate transcription signs are not used or are used little. Only with in-depth study of the Russian language. Therefore, it is allowed to use the sounds [a], [o], [u], [e], [s], [i] and [th’] in phonetic analysis instead of “and with the overtone e” and other complex designations.

Transcription rules

Do not forget also about the following rules for transcribing consonants:

voicing of voiceless consonants in position before voiced ones (bending [zg’ibat’], mowing [kΛz’ba]);
deafening of voiced consonants in the position at the end of a word (ark [kΛfch’ek]);
deafening of a voiced consonant in a position in front of a voiceless one, for example, a voiced “g”, which can turn into voiceless sounds [k] and [x] (nails [nokt’i], light [l’ohk’iy’]);
softening of the consonants “n”, “s”, “z”, “t”, “d” in the position before soft consonants (kantik [kan’t’ik]);
softening of “s” and “z” in the prefixes s-, iz-, raz- in the position before “b” (remove [iz’y’at’]);
unreadable consonants “t”, “d”, “v”, “l” in combinations of several consonant letters in a row: in this case, the combination “stn” is pronounced as [sn], and “zdn” - as [zn] (district [uy 'ezny']);
combinations of letters “sch”, “zch”, “zsch” are read as [sch’] (accounts [sch’oty]);
combinations “chn”, “cht” are pronounced [sh] (what [shto], of course [kΛn’eshn]);
infinitive suffixes -tsya/-tsya are transcribed [ts] (bite [kusats:b]);
the endings of -ogo/-him are pronounced through the sound [v] (yours [tvy’evo]);
in words with double consonants, two transcription options are possible: 1) double consonants are located after the stressed syllable and form a double sound (kassa [kas:b]); 2) double consonants are located before the stressed syllable and give a regular consonant sound (million [m'il'ion]).

Now let's look at the phonetic transcription of words using examples. For recording we will use a simplified system of transcription of consonant sounds.

Examples of phonetic transcription of words

departure
ot-e"zd (2 syllables, stress falls on the 2nd syllable)
[aty'e "st]
o - [a] – vowel, unstressed
t- [t] – consonant, voiceless (paired), hard (paired)
ъ – [–]
e - [th’] - consonant, voiced (unpaired), soft (unpaired) and [e] - vowel, stressed
z - [s] – consonant, voiceless (paired), hard (paired)
d - [t] – consonant, voiceless (paired), hard (paired)
6 letters, 6 sounds
The letter “e” after the separating “b” gives two sounds: [th"] and [e]; the letter “d” at the end of the word is deafened to the sound [t]; the letter “z” is deafened to the sound [c] in the position before the voiceless sound.

Another example:

grammar
gram-ma"-ti-ka (4 syllables, stress falls on the 2nd syllable)
[gram:at"ika]
g – [g] – consonant, voiced (paired), hard (solid)
p – [p] – consonant, voiced (unpaired), hard (paired)
mm – [m:] – double sound, consonant, voiced (unpaired), hard (paired)
a – [a] – vowel, stressed
t – [t’] – consonant, voiceless (paired), soft (paired)
k – [k] – consonant, voiceless (paired), hard (paired)
a – [a] – vowel, unstressed
10 letters, 9 sounds
Double consonants “mm” give a double sound [m:]

And the last one:

became
sta-no-vi"-lis (4 syllables, stress falls on the 3rd syllable)
[stanav'i"l'is']
s – [s] – consonant, voiceless (paired), hard (paired)
t – [t] – consonant, deaf (paired), hard (paired)
a – [a] – vowel, unstressed
n – [n] – consonant, voiced (unpaired), hard (paired)
o – [a] – vowel, unstressed
in – [v’] – consonant, voiced (paired), soft (paired)
and – [and] – vowel, stressed
l – [l’] – consonant, voiced (unpaired), soft (paired)
and – [and] – vowel, unstressed
s – [s’] – consonant, voiceless (paired), soft (paired)
b – [–]
11 letters, 10 sounds
The letter “o” in an unstressed position produces the sound [a]; the letter “b” does not denote a sound and serves to soften the consonant preceding it.

Instead of an afterword

Well, did this article help you understand the phonetic analysis of words? It is not so easy to correctly write down the sounds that make up a word - there are many pitfalls hidden along this path. But we tried to make the task easier for you and explain all the slippery aspects in as much detail as possible. Now such a task at school will not seem very difficult to you. Don't forget to teach your classmates and show them our helpful instructions.

Uses this article when preparing for lessons and passing the State Exam and Unified State Exam. And be sure to tell us in the comments what examples of phonetic analysis of words you are asked at school.

website, when copying material in full or in part, a link to the original source is required.

Phonetic analysis of words is included in the compulsory school curriculum. This type of analysis often causes difficulties, since in this case it is not enough to learn the theory and know all the terms. It is imperative to develop phonetic and phonemic awareness. To do this you need to do it regularly practical tasks, and speak the words out loud. In higher educational institutions Phonetic analysis is also given a lot of attention. It is performed as part of the study of phonetics in the modern Russian language course. Students of philological faculties do the most detailed phonetic analysis of a word, use more terms and notations in analysis. However, in general, the parsing rules are the same for everyone, with the exception of some additions.

The basic principle of phonetic parsing of a word
The main problem that arises when parsing a word phonetically is the influence of the letter form of the word. It is difficult to abstract from letter writing and not confuse letters with sounds.

The main principle of phonetic analysis is to concentrate all attention on the sound of the word. It needs to be transcribed so that it is as close to the sound as possible. Some simple tips will help you transcribe the word correctly.

Be sure to say the word out loud several times, think about the features of its sound
Transcribe the word as you hear it.
Do not make corrections to the transcription if the word becomes different from its letter designation. The sound “y” after “zh” and “sh”, the appearance of “y”, violation of spelling norms should not be the reasons for corrections: the transcription of the word does not correspond to the rules that are familiar to us.
After recording, try to pronounce the word again, pronouncing each sound separately. Then you will probably make additional adjustments.
If some sounds are in doubt, choose one option or record both. Often a word can be transcribed in different ways, since the pronunciation itself allows for an alternative. Some sounds occupy an intermediate position between the two options.

To perform phonetic analysis of a word correctly, it is very important to transcribe it accurately using the recommendations.
Characteristics of sounds in phonetic analysis

When performing a phonetic analysis of a word, you need to characterize each sound recorded in the transcription. All sounds are divided into vowels and consonants. Vowels can be stressed or unstressed. When describing consonant sounds, you should indicate the following features in this sequence:

deafness/voice;
paired/unpaired;
hardness/softness.

You will need to learn voiced and voiceless consonants, always hard and always soft consonants, as well as special attention pay attention to unpaired consonants. It is better to have a special memo that lists all consonant sounds by position:

voiced pairs: b, c, d, d, g, h;
voiced unpaired: j, l, m, r, n;
voiceless pairs: p, f, k, t, sh, s;
voiceless unpaired: x, c, h, sch;
only hard ones: w, w, c;
only soft ones: th, ch’, shch’.

The graphic symbol for softness is an apostrophe. You need to remember that you shouldn’t indicate softness in “th”.

When performing a phonetic analysis of a word, one must constantly take into account that the vowel sounds “e”, “e”, “yu” and “ya” do not exist. Try to pronounce them - you will see that they are two sounds: “th” and, accordingly, “e”, “o”, “u” and “a”.

When transcribed, letters have two sound options.

After consonants, the letters “e”, “e”, “yu”, “ya” correspond to the sounds “e”, “o”, “u”, “a”. They soften the consonant that comes in front (except for those that are always hard). It must be remembered that in borrowed words the consonant sound before “e” can also be hard. Before denoting softness and starting to characterize the sound, you need to listen to the sound of the word and, if necessary, consult a dictionary.
After a vowel, a soft and a hard sign, at the beginning of a word, the letters break up in transcription into two sounds: the “th” in front of it is added to the vowel.

The sound “th” can appear where it is not in the usual letter designation, as in the previous examples. This is due to historical development language and its changes are discussed in detail in the course on the history of the Russian language at philological faculties. Most often the phenomenon is observed in possessive adjectives, answering the question whose?:

canine [sabach'yi]

foxes [l’is’yi]

Listen carefully to the sound of the word when pronouncing it out loud: then you will definitely find the sound “th” in it, if it is there.

Phonetic processes
When analyzing a word as a phonetic unit, you need to know what phonetic processes exist. At school they study 4 basic phonetic processes.

Stunning consonants at the end of a word. Voiced consonants become deaf, which is reflected in the transcription of the word and the characteristics of the sound. Mushroom [flu].
Softening hard consonants before soft ones. It is important to remember that mitigation does not always occur. Most often, s, s, d, t, n are softened. Here [z'd'es'].
Assimilation (similarity) of voiced consonants to voiceless ones. Voiced ones are deafened. Sponges [gupk’i].
Assimilation of voiceless consonants before voiced ones. Deaf people make voice calls. Shoot down [zb’it’].

In specialized gymnasium classes with a linguistic bias, as well as in philological faculties, the phenomena of accommodation, dissimilation and reduction are studied. They need to be learned, so that applicants can navigate them well. During accommodation, a partial adaptation of the articulation of a stressed vowel and consonant located nearby occurs: the beginning of the articulation of the vowel adapts to the end of the articulation of the preceding sound, the beginning of the articulation of the subsequent sound. Dissimilation is the dissimilarity of sounds. During the reduction process, the articulation of the vowel sound weakens and its sound changes. The reduction can be quantitative (the strength of the sound, longitude is reduced, the timbre is preserved, the vowels and and y are affected) and qualitative (signs of the timbre of the sound are lost, the vowels e, a, o are affected).

Algorithm for phonetic word parsing
Phonetic parsing of a word must be done in strict accordance with a given algorithm. At school, the word as a phonetic unit should be analyzed as follows:

First, write down the word.
Say it and listen to the sound.
Then, in square brackets, write a transcription of the word, reflecting all the sounds in it and denoting the syllable division with a hyphen.
Write how many syllables there are in the word, which syllable is stressed.
Write down all the letters of the word in a column, and indicate the sounds next to the corresponding letters in square brackets.
Give a description of each sound, starting with whether it is a vowel or a consonant.
Vowels and consonants are characterized differently:
- for vowels you need to indicate whether they are stressed;
- for consonants, indicate deafness/voice, paired/unpaired, give paired sound, indicate hardness/softness and pairing according to this characteristic, write hard or soft pairing.
Draw a horizontal line under the columns of letters and sounds, count the number of letters and sounds, and indicate it.

Students of philological faculties give a more detailed description of sounds. Vowels are divided into rows (front, middle, back) and rise (upper, middle, lower), as well as into labialized and non-labialized. Consonants differ in the way they are formed and in the participation of the voice. There are noisy and sonorant, labial and lingual consonant sounds, which, in turn, fall into a number of groups.

Phonetic analysis of a word requires the development of phonetic hearing and knowledge of the basic characteristics of sounds. It is enough to follow the parsing principle and adhere to the algorithm to perform it correctly.

Before moving on to 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 perceive them with our eyes. The letters can be read. When you read letters out loud, you form sounds - syllables - words.

A list of all letters is just an alphabet

Almost every schoolchild knows how many letters are in the Russian alphabet. That's right, there are 33 of them in total. The Russian alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet. 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 themselves define any sound units.

You often pronounce sounds in phrases differently from how you write them in writing. In addition, the word can use more letters than sounds. For example, “children’s” - the letters “T” and “S” merge into one phoneme [ts]. And vice versa, the number of sounds in the word “blacken” is greater, since the letter “Yu” in this case is pronounced as [yu].

What is phonetic analysis?

We perceive spoken speech by ear. By phonetic analysis of a word we mean the characteristics of the sound composition. In the school curriculum, such analysis is more often called “sound-letter” analysis. So, with phonetic analysis, you simply describe the properties of sounds, their characteristics depending on the environment and syllable structure phrases united by a common verbal stress.

Phonetic transcription

For sound-letter parsing, a special transcription in square brackets is used. For example, it is correctly written:

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

The phonetic parsing scheme uses special symbols. Thanks to this, it is possible to correctly designate and distinguish the letter notation (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;
percussive [´] - accent;
in complex word forms from several roots, the secondary stress sign [`] - gravis is used (not practiced in the school curriculum);
the letters of the alphabet Yu, Ya, E, Ё, ь and Ъ are NEVER used in transcription (in the curriculum);
for doubled consonants, [:] is used - a sign of the longitude of the sound.

Below are detailed rules for orthoepic, alphabetic and phonetic and analysis of words with examples online, in accordance with general school standards of the modern Russian language. Professional linguists' transcriptions of phonetic characteristics are distinguished by accents and other symbols with additional acoustic features of vowel and consonant phonemes.

How to make a phonetic analysis of a word?

The following diagram will help you carry out letter analysis:

Write out necessary word and say it out loud several times.
Count how many vowels and consonants there are in it.
Indicate the stressed syllable. (Stress, using intensity (energy), distinguishes 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 syllable division in is different from the rules of transfer. The total number of syllables always matches the number of vowels.
In the transcription, sort 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”, “ya”, “i” can represent 2 sounds at once.
Analyze each phoneme separately and indicate its properties separated by commas:
- for a vowel we indicate in the characteristic: vowel sound; stressed or unstressed;
- in the characteristics of consonants we indicate: consonant sound; hard or soft, voiced or deaf, sonorant, paired/unpaired in hardness-softness and sonority-dullness.
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 analysis of a word

Here is a sample phonetic analysis of the composition for the word “phenomenon” → [yivl’e′n’ie]. IN in this example 4 vowels and 3 consonants. There are only 4 syllables: I-vle′-n-e. The emphasis falls on the second.

Sound characteristics of letters:

i [th] - acc., unpaired soft, unpaired voiced, sonorant [i] - vowel, unstressedv [v] - acc., paired hard, paired sound l [l'] - acc., paired soft., unpaired . sound, sonorant [e′] - vowel, stressed [n’] - consonant, paired soft, unpaired sound, sonorant and [i] - vowel, unstressed [th] - consonant, unpaired. soft, unpaired sound, sonorant [e] - vowel, unstressed________________________In total, the word phenomenon has 7 letters, 9 sounds. The first letter “I” and the last “E” each 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 relationships and transcription rules for sound-letter parsing.

Phonetics and sounds in Russian

What sounds are there?

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

How many sounds are there in Russian living speech?

The correct answer is 42.

Doing phonetic analysis online, you will find that 36 consonant sounds and 6 vowels are involved in word formation. Many people have a reasonable question: why is there such a strange inconsistency? Why does it vary? total number sounds and letters, 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, softness-hardness pairs:

[b] - cheerful and [b’] - squirrel;
or [d]-[d’]: home - to do.

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

Vowel sounds in Russian words

Vowel sounds Unlike consonants, they are melodic; they flow freely, as if in a chant, from the larynx, without barriers or 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 try to pronounce a consonant, the more energetically you will close your mouth. It's the brightest articulatory difference between these phoneme classes.

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

How many vowel sounds are there in Russian phonetics?

Russian speech uses fewer vowel phonemes than letters. There are only six shock sounds: [a], [i], [o], [e], [u], [s]. And let us remind you that there are ten letters: a, e, e, i, o, u, y, e, i, yu. The vowels E, E, Yu, I are not “pure” sounds in transcription are not used. Often, when parsing words by letter, the emphasis falls on the listed letters.

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 force of exhalation, increased duration of sound and are pronounced undistorted. Since they are pronounced clearly and expressively, sound analysis of syllables with stressed vowel phonemes is much easier to carry out. The position in which the sound does not undergo changes and retains its basic form is called strong position. This position can only be occupied by a stressed sound and a syllable. Unstressed phonemes and syllables remain in a weak position.

The vowel in a stressed syllable is always in strong position, that is, it is pronounced more clearly, with the greatest strength 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 the Russian language, only one phoneme “U” retains unchangeable phonetic properties: kuruza, tablet, u chus, u lov - in all positions it is pronounced clearly as [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 ´ch’], 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 the 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, the conjunction but. The sound [o] in writing can be reflected by another letter “ё” - [o]: thorn [t’o´ rn], fire [kas’t’o´ r]. It will also not be difficult to analyze the sounds of the remaining four vowels in the stressed position.

Unstressed vowels and sounds in Russian words

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

I'm home [ya do "ma].
New houses [no "vye da ma"].

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

mountains - mountain = [go "ry] - [ga ra"];
he - online = [o "n] - [a nla"yn]
witness line = [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 high-quality reduction, when the characteristics of the original sound change.

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

primarily relative to the stressed syllable;
at the absolute beginning or end of a word;
in open syllables (consisting of only one vowel);
on the influence of neighboring signs (ь, ъ) and consonant.

Yes, it varies 1st degree of reduction. It is subject to:

vowels in the first pre-stressed syllable;
naked 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’ii].

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

vper-re -di [fp’ir’i d’i´];
e -ste-ste-st-no [yi s’t’e´s’t’v’in:a];

Any other pre-stressed syllables and all post-stressed syllables during sound analysis are classified as reduction of the 2nd degree. It is also called a “weak position of the second degree.”

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

The reduction of vowels in a weak position also differs in stages: second, third (after hard and soft consonants - this is beyond curriculum): learn [uch’i´ts:a], become numb [atsyp’in’e´t’], hope [nad’e´zhda]. During letter analysis, a very slight reduction will appear in the vowel in the weak position in the final open syllable(= at the absolute end of a word):

cup;
goddess;
with songs;
change.

Sound-letter analysis: iotized sounds

Phonetically, the letters E - [ye], Yo - [yo], Yu - [yu], Ya - [ya] often mean 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.

When analyzed phonetically, the vowels e, e, yu, i form 2 sounds:

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

At the beginning of the words “Yo” and “Yu” are always:
- - shudder [yo´ zhyts:a], Christmas tree [yo´ lach’nyy], hedgehog [yo´ zhyk], container [yo´ mcast’];
- - jeweler [yuv ’il’i´r], top [yu la´], skirt [yu´ pka], Jupiter [yu p’i´t’ir], nimbleness [yu ´rkas’t’];
at the beginning of the words “E” and “I” only under stress*:
- - spruce [ye´ l’], travel [ye´ w:u], huntsman [ye´ g’ir’], eunuch [ye´ vnukh];
- - yacht [ya´ hta], anchor [ya´ kar’], yaki [ya´ ki], apple [ya´ blaka];
- (*to perform sound-letter analysis of the 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” are in stressed and unstressed syllables, except in cases where these letters are located after a vowel in the 1st pre-stressed syllable or in the 1st, 2nd unstressed syllable in the middle of words. Phonetic analysis online and examples in specified cases:
- - receiver [pr’iyo´mn’ik], sings t [payo´t], klyyo t [kl’uyo ´t];
- -ayu rveda [ayu r’v’e´da], I sing t [payu ´t], melt [ta´yu t], cabin [kayu ´ta],
after the dividing solid “Ъ” the sign “Ё” 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” the sign “Ё” and “Yu” is always, and “E” and “I” are 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´ ga], family [s'em'ya´ ]

As you can see, in the phonemic system of the Russian language, stress is of decisive importance. Vowels in unstressed syllables undergo the greatest reduction. Let's continue the sound-letter analysis of the remaining iotized ones and see how they can still change characteristics depending on the environment in the words.

◊ Unstressed vowels“E” and “I” designate two sounds and in phonetic transcription and are written as [YI]:

at the very beginning of the word:
- - unity [yi d'in'e´n'i'ye], spruce [yil´vyy], blackberry [yizhiv'i´ka], him [yivo´], fidget [yigaza´], Yenisei [yin'is 'e´y], Egypt [yig'i´p'it];
- - January [yi nvarskiy], 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 vrap'io´idnaya], Evgeniy [ye] vgeny, European [ye vrap'e´yits], diocese [ye] pa´rkhiya, etc.).
immediately after a vowel in the 1st pre-stressed syllable or in the 1st, 2nd post-stressed syllable, except for the location at the absolute end of the word.
- in a timely manner [svai vr'e´m'ina], trains [payi zda´], let's eat [payi d'i´m], run into [nayi w:a´t'], Belgian [b'il'g'i´ yi ts], students [uch'a´sh'iyi s'a], with sentences [pr'idlazhe´n'iyi m'i], vanity [suyi ta´],
- bark [la´yi t'], pendulum [ma´yi tn'ik], hare [za´yi c], belt [po´yi s], declare [zayi v'i´t'], show [prayi in 'l'u´]
after the dividing hard “Ъ” or soft “b” sign: - intoxicating [p'yi n'i´t], express [izyi v'i´t'], announcement [abyi vl'e´n'iye], edible [syi dobny].

Note: The St. Petersburg phonological school is characterized by “ecane”, and the Moscow school is characterized by “hiccup”. Previously, the iotrated “Yo” was pronounced with a more accented “Ye”. When changing capitals, performing sound-letter analysis, they adhere to Moscow norms in orthoepy.

Some people in fluent speech pronounce the vowel “I” 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 voiced 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 online sound-letter analysis: - nightingales [salav'yi´], on chicken legs [na ku´r'yi' x" no´shkah], rabbit [kro´l'ich'yi], no family [s'im 'yi´], judges [su´d'yi], draws [n'ich'yi´], streams [ruch'yi´], foxes [li´s'yi]. But: 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, iotization can be heard: broth [bul'o´n], pavilion n [pav'il'o´n], similarly: postman n , champignon n, chignon n, companion n, medallion n, battalion n, guillot tina, carmagno la, mignon n and others.

Phonetic analysis of words, when the vowels “Yu” “E” “E” “I” form 1 sound

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

sound units “Yo” “Yu” “E” are under stress after an unpaired consonant in hardness: zh, sh, ts. Then they represent phonemes:
- ё - [o],
- e - [e],
- yu - [y].
Examples of online analysis by sounds: yellow [zho´ lty], silk [sho´ lk], whole [tse´ ly], recipe [r'itse´ pt], pearls [zhe´ mch'uk], six [she´ st '], hornet [she'rshen'], parachute [parashu't];
The letters “I” “Yu” “E” “E” and “I” indicate the softness of the preceding consonant [’]. Exception only for: [f], [w], [c]. In such cases in a striking position they form one vowel sound:
- ё – [o]: ticket [put'o´ fka], easy [l'o´ hk'iy], honey fungus [ap'o´ nak], actor [akt'o´ r], child [r'ib' o´nak];
- e – [e]: seal [t’ul’e´ n’], mirror [z’e’ rkala], smarter [umn’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 a phonetic analysis of the composition, such a vowel sound is transcribed as [e] without a preceding apostrophe of softness: 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 [table´ t].
Attention! After soft consonants in prestressed syllables the vowels “E” and “I” undergo qualitative reduction and are transformed into the sound [i] (except for [ts], [zh], [sh]). Examples of phonetic analysis 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'i sno´y], blizzard [m'i t'e´l'itsa], feather [p'i ro´], brought [pr' in'i sla´], knit [v'i za´t'], lie [l'i ga´t'], five grater [p'i t'o´rka]

Phonetic analysis: consonants of the Russian language

There is an absolute majority of consonants in the Russian language. 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 ringing appears in the voice.

How many consonants are there in Russian speech?

In the alphabet they are designated by 21 letters. However, when performing sound-letter analysis, you will find that in Russian phonetics consonant sounds more, namely 36.

Sound-letter analysis: what are the consonant sounds?

In our language there are consonants:

hard - soft and form the corresponding pairs:
- [b] - [b’]: b anan - b tree,
- [in] - [in’]: in height - in yun,
- [g] - [g’]: city - duke,
- [d] - [d’]: dacha - dolphin,
- [z] - [z’]: z von - z ether,
- [k] - [k’]: k onfeta - to enguru,
- [l] - [l’]: boat - l lux,
- [m] - [m’]: magic - dreams,
- [n] - [n’]: new - nectar,
- [p] - [p’]: p alma- p yosik,
- [r] - [r’]: daisy - row of poison,
- [s] - [s’]: with uvenir - with urpriz,
- [t] - [t’]: tuchka - t ulpan,
- [f] - [f’]: f lag - f February,
- [x] - [x’]: x orek - x seeker.
Certain consonants do not have a hard-soft pair. Unpaired ones include:
- sounds [zh], [ts], [sh] - always hard (zhzn, tsikl, mouse);
- [ch’], [sch’] and [th’] are always soft (daughter, more often than not, yours).
The sounds [zh], [ch’], [sh], [sh’] in our language are called hissing.

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

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

Sonorant (l, m, n, r, y) are the most sonorous phonemes, in them a maximum of voices and a few noises are heard: l ev, rai, nol.
If, when pronouncing a word during sound analysis, both a voice and noise are formed, it means that you have a voiced consonant (g, b, z, etc.): plant, b people, zh.
When pronouncing voiceless consonants (p, s, t and others) vocal cords they don’t strain, only noise is made: st opka, fishka, k ost yum, tsirk, sew up.

Note: In phonetics, consonant sound units also have a division according to the nature of formation: stop (b, p, d, t) - cleft (zh, w, z, s) and method of articulation: labiolabial (b, p, m) , labiodental (f, v), anterior lingual (t, d, z, s, c, g, w, sch, h, n, l, r), midlingual (th), posterior lingual (k, g, x) . The names are given based on the organs of articulation that are involved in sound production.

Tip: If you're just starting to practice phonetically spelling words, try placing your hands on your ears and saying the phoneme. If you were able to hear a voice, then the sound being studied is a voiced consonant, but if noise is heard, then it is voiceless.

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

Positional changes of consonants in Russian

The consonant sound, just like the vowel, undergoes changes. The same letter phonetically can mean different sound, depending on the position occupied. In the flow of speech, the sound of one consonant is compared to the articulation of a consonant located next to it. This effect makes pronunciation easier and is called assimilation in phonetics.

Positional stun/voicing

In a certain position for consonants, the phonetic law of assimilation according to deafness and voicedness applies. The voiced paired consonant is replaced by a voiceless one:

at the absolute end of a phonetic word: but [no´sh], snow [s’n’e´k], garden [agaro´t], club [klu´p];
before voiceless consonants: forget-me-not a [n’izabu´t ka], obkh vatit [apkh vat’i´t’], Tuesday [ft o´rn’ik], tube a [corpse a].
doing a sound-letter analysis online, you will notice that the voiceless paired consonant standing before the voiced one (except for [th'], [v] - [v'], [l] - [l'], [m] - [m'] , [n] - [n'], [r] - [r']) is also voiced, that 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 voiceless 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 [z] and [s] is equally acceptable.

When parsing 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 “-ogo”, “-ego” of adjectives, participles and pronouns, the consonant “G” is transcribed as the sound [v]: red [kra´snava], blue [s'i´n'iva] , white [b'e´lava], sharp, full, former, that, that, whom. If, after assimilation, two consonants of the same type are formed, they merge. In the school curriculum on phonetics, this process is called consonant contraction: separate [ad:'il'i´t'] → the letters “T” and “D” are reduced into sounds [d'd'], besh smart [b'ish: u ´much]. When analyzing the composition of a number of words in sound-letter analysis, dissimilation is observed - the opposite process to assimilation. In this case it changes common feature for two adjacent consonants: the combination “GK” sounds like [xk] (instead of the standard [kk]): light [l’o′kh’k’ii], soft [m’a′kh’k’ii].

Soft consonants in Russian

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

Softening of paired hard consonants occurs before “b”;
the softness of the consonant sound in a syllable in writing will help determine the vowel letter that follows it (e, ё, i, yu, i);
[ш'], [ч'] and [й] are only soft by default;
The sound [n] is always softened before soft consonants “Z”, “S”, “D”, “T”: claim [pr'iten'z 'iya], review [r'itseen'z 'iya], pension [pen 's' iya], ve[n'z'] el, licé[n'z'] iya, ka[n'd'] idat, ba[n'd'] it, i[n'd'] ivid , blo[n'd']in, stipe[n'd']iya, ba[n't']ik, vi[n't']ik, zo[n't']ik, ve[n' t'] il, a[n't'] ical, co[n't'] text, remo[n't'] edit;
the letters “N”, “K”, “P” during phonetic analysis of their composition can be softened before the soft sounds [ch'], [sch']: glass ik [staka'n'ch'ik], smenschik ik [sm'e ′n'sch'ik], donch ik [po'n'ch'ik], mason ik [kam'e'n'sch'ik], boulevard [bul'va'r'sh'ina], borscht [ borsch'];
often the sounds [з], [с], [р], [н] before 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-letter analysis, take into account the exception words when the consonant [r] before soft teeth and labials, as well as before [ch’], [sch’] 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 letter analysis, a [-] dash is placed in square brackets opposite the letter “b”.

Positional changes in paired voiced-voiceless consonants before hissing consonants and their transcription during sound-letter parsing

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

Literal analysis and examples of words with hissing sounds: arrival [pr'ie'zhzh ii], ascend [vashsh e´st'iye], izzh elta [i´zhzh elta], take pity [zzh a´l'its: A].

The phenomenon when two different letters pronounced as one, is called complete assimilation in all respects. When performing sound-letter analysis of a word, you must denote one of the repeated sounds in the transcription with the longitude symbol [:].

Letter combinations with a hissing “szh” - “zzh” are pronounced like a double hard consonant [zh:], and “ssh” - “zsh” - like [sh:]: squeezed, sewed, without a splint, climbed in.
The combinations “zzh”, “zhzh” inside the root, when parsed in letters and sounds, are written in transcription as a long consonant [zh:]: I ride, I squeal, later, reins, yeast, zhzhenka.
The combinations “sch”, “zch” at the junction of a root and a suffix/prefix are pronounced as a long soft [sch’:]: account [sch’: o´t], scribe, customer.
At the junction of the preposition with the next word in place of “sch”, “zch” is transcribed as [sch'ch']: without a number [b'esh' ch' isla´], with something [sch'ch' e'mta] .
During sound-letter analysis, the combinations “tch”, “dch” at the junction of morphemes are defined as double soft [ch':]: pilot [l'o´ch': ik], good fellow [little-ch': ik], report [ach': o´t].

Cheat sheet for comparing consonant sounds by place of formation

сч → [ш':]: happiness [ш': а´с'т'е], sandstone [п'ish': а´н'ik], peddler [vari´sch': ik], paving stones, calculations, exhaust, clear;
zch → [sch’:]: carver [r’e’sch’: ik], loader [gru’sch’: ik], storyteller [raska’sch’: ik];
zhch → [sch’:]: defector [p’ir’ibe´ sch’: ik], man [musch’: i´na];
shch → [sch’:]: freckled [in’isnu’sch’: ity];
stch → [sch’:]: tougher [zho’sch’: e], biting, rigger;
zdch → [sch’:]: roundabout [abye’sch’: ik], furrowed [baro’sch’: ity];
ssch → [sch’:]: split [rasch’: ip’i′t’], became generous [rasch’: e’dr’ils’a];
thsch → [ch'sch']: to split off [ach'sch' ip'i′t'], to snap off [ach'sch' o´lk'ivat'], in vain [ch'sch' etna], carefully [ch' sch' at'el'na];
tch → [ch’:] : report [ach’: o′t], fatherland [ach’: i′zna], ciliated [r’is’n’i′ch’: i′ty];
dch → [ch’:]: emphasize [pach’: o’rk’ivat’], stepdaughter [pach’: ir’itsa];
szh → [zh:]: compress [zh: a´t’];
zzh → [zh:]: get rid of [izh: y´t’], kindle [ro´zh: yk], leave [uyizh: a´t’];
ssh → [sh:]: brought [pr’in’o′sh: y], embroidered [rash: y’ty];
zsh → [sh:]: lower [n’ish: y′y]
th → [pcs], in word forms with “what” and its derivatives, doing a sound-letter analysis, we write [pcs]: so that [pcs about'], no way [n'e′ zasht a], something [ sht o n'ibut'], something;
th → [h't] in other cases of letter parsing: dreamer [m'ich't a´t'il'], mail [po´ch't a], preference [pr'itpach't 'e´n' ie] etc;
chn → [shn] in exception words: of course [kan’e´shn a′], boring [skuk´shn a′], bakery, laundry, scrambled eggs, trifling, birdhouse, bachelorette party, mustard plaster, rag, as well as in female patronymics ending in “-ichna”: Ilyinichna, Nikitichna, Kuzminichna, etc.;
chn → [ch'n] - letter analysis for all other options: fabulous [ska´zach'n y], dacha [da´ch'n y], strawberry [z'im'l'in'i´ch'n y], wake up, cloudy, sunny, etc.;
!zhd → in place of the letter combination “zhd”, double pronunciation and transcription [sch’] or [sht’] is allowed in the word rain and in the word forms derived from it: rainy, rainy.

Unpronounceable consonants in Russian words

During the pronunciation of an entire phonetic word with a chain of many different consonant letters, one or another sound may be lost. As a result, in the spelling 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. Number of sounds in similar phonetic words will be less than letters.

In Russian phonetics, unpronounceable consonants include:

"T" - in combinations:
- stn → [sn]: local [m’e´sn y], reed [tras’n ’i´k]. By analogy, one can perform a phonetic analysis of the words staircase, honest, famous, joyful, sad, participant, messenger, rainy, furious and others;
- stl → [sl]: happy [sh':asl 'i´vyy"], happy, conscientious, boastful (exception words: bony and postlat, in them the letter “T” is pronounced);
- ntsk → [nsk]: gigantic [g'iga´nsk 'ii], agency, presidential;
- sts → [s:]: sixs from [shes: o´t], to eat up [take´s: a], to swear I [kl’a´s: a];
- sts → [s:]: tourist [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]: x-ray en [r’eng ’e´n];
- “–tsya”, “–tsya” → [ts:] in verb endings: smile [smile´ts: a], wash [my´ts: a], looks, will do, bow, shave, fit;
- ts → [ts] for adjectives in combinations at the junction of a root and a suffix: childish [d’e´ts k’ii], bratskiy [bratskyi];
- ts → [ts:] / [tss]: athlete [sparts: m’e´n], send [atss yla´t’];
- tts → [ts:] at the junction of morphemes during phonetic analysis online is written as a long “ts”: bratz a [bra´ts: a], father epit [ats: yp'i´t'], to father u [k atz: y´];
“D” - when parsing by sounds in the following letter combinations:
- zdn → [zn]: late [z'n'y], star [z'v'ozn'y], holiday [pra'z'n'ik], gratuitous [b'izvazm' e′know];
- ndsh → [nsh]: mundsh tuk [munsh tu´k], landsh aft [lansh a´ft];
- NDsk → [NSK]: Dutch [Galansk ’ii], Thai [Thailansk ’ii], Norman [Narmansk ’ii];
- zdts → [ss]: under the bridles [fall uss s´];
- ndts → [nts]: Dutch [galans];
- rdc → [rts]: heart [s’e´rts e], serdts evin [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 parsed soundly, the word is written as double [ts]: pick up [pats: yp'i´t'], twenty [dva´ts: yt'] ;
- ds → [ts]: factory [zavac ko´y], rods tvo [rac tvo´], means [sr’e´ts tva], Kislovods k [k’islavo´ts k];
“L” - in combinations:
- sun → [nz]: sun [so´nts e], solar state;
“B” - in combinations:
- vstv → [stv] literal analysis of words: hello [hello, go away], feelings about [ch'ustva], sensuality [ch'ustv 'inas't'], pampering about [pampering o´], virgin [d'e´stv 'in:y].

Note: In some words of the Russian language, when there is a cluster of consonant sounds “stk”, “ntk”, “zdk”, “ndk” the loss of the phoneme [t] is not allowed: trip [payestka], daughter-in-law, typist, summons, laboratory assistant, student , patient, bulky, Irish, Scottish.

When parsing letters, two identical letters immediately after the stressed vowel are transcribed as a single sound and a longitude symbol [:]: 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 phonetic analysis of a word online according to the indicated rules or you have an ambiguous analysis of the word being studied, use the help of a reference dictionary. Literary standards orthoepies are regulated by the publication: “Russian literary pronunciation and stress. Dictionary - reference book." M. 1959

Used literature:

Litnevskaya E.I. Russian language: short theoretical course for schoolchildren. – MSU, M.: 2000
Panov M.V. Russian phonetics. – Enlightenment, M.: 1967
Beshenkova E.V., Ivanova O.E. Rules of Russian spelling with comments.
Study guide. – “Institute for Advanced Training of Education Workers”, Tambov: 2012
Rosenthal D.E., Dzhandzhakova E.V., Kabanova N.P. Handbook of 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 school curriculum. They will help you phonetically characterize any letter.

SEARCH IN THE SPELLING DICTIONARY

PHONETIC ANALYSIS OF THE WORD “MAKE”

In a word do:
1. 2 syllables (do -lat);
2. the stress falls on the 1st syllable: make

1st option

1 ) Transcription of the word “do”: [з❜д❜елът❜].

LETTER/ [SOUND]				SOUND CHARACTERISTICS
With	-	[z❜]	-	acc., soft (par.), ringing (boys). A paired voiceless voice is voiced if it is preceded by a voiced consonant (see § 86 below). Below see § 88.
d	-	[d❜]	-	acc., soft (par.), ringing (boys). Before a vowel sound there is no replacement of a consonant in terms of voicedness/voicelessness.Below see § 66, para. 2, 3.
e	-	[uh]	-	vowel, percussion; see below § 27.
l	-	[l]	-	acc., hard (boys) , ringing (unpaired), sonorant. The sound [l] is an unpaired voiced sound, so it is pronounced the same way as it is written.Before letters A, O, at, uh, s syllables paired in terms of hardness and softness are always pronounced firmly.
A	-	[ъ]	-	vowel, unstressed; see below § 48.
T	-	[t❜]	-	acc., soft (par.), deaf. (boys). At the end of a word, sound replacement occurs only for paired voiced consonants.Below see § 66, para. 1, 3 (examples).
b	-	[ ]	-	no sound

7 letters, 6 sounds

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PRONUNCIATION RULES 1

§ 27

§ 27. The letter e (in cases where it is impossible to place two dots above it) denotes the stressed vowel [e] after consonants. Consonants (except for [ш], [ж], [ц]) before [е] in native Russian words, as well as in a significant part of borrowed words, are pronounced softly, for example: sang, white, vera, chalk, gray, ze rkalo, delo, dark, cedar, leggings, nerve, terminology, museum, inspector, medic - combinations are pronounced in them: [p❜ e], [b❜ e], [v❜ e], [m❜ e], [s❜ é ], [z❜ é ], [d❜ é ], [t❜ é ], [k❜ é], [g❜ é ], [n❜ é], [t ❜ é ], [z❜ é ], [p❜ é ], [m❜ é ] 2 .

The consonants [w], [zh] and [ts] before the vowel [e] (written with the letter e) are pronounced firmly, as in other positions. Wed. pole, gesture, valuable (pronounced [she], [zhe], [tse]).

§ 48

§ 48. In overstressed syllables, after hard consonants, except for the vowels [ы] and [у] (about them, see §§ 5-13), the vowel [ъ] is pronounced, which is denoted in writing by the letters o and a.

Thus, in place of the letters A And O in overstressed syllables the vowel [ъ] is pronounced: a) vý dan (pronounced [vý dān]), selected (pronounced [vý brnʹ]), pulled out (pronounced [vý taskl]), worked tal (pronounced [raboʹ tʹl]), according fences (pronounced [пъ-зо́ръм]), on the fences (pronounced [нъ-зabó ръх]), behind the fences (pronounced [зъ-зabó ръмь]), cow (pronounced [ко́ въ]), windows ( pronounced [о́ кнъ]), dela (pronounced [dé l]), squeezed out (pronounced [vý zhъl]), through the puddles (pronounced [pa-lú zhъm]), in the puddles (pronounced [v-lú zhъh] ), behind the puddles (pronounced [za-lú zh'mi]), puddle (pronounced [lúzh]), you scratched (pronounced [vý tsarʹpʹl]), chicken (pronounced [kuricz]), in the faces (pronounced [pa-u face]); b) take out (pronounced [vý nъs]), throw (pronounced [vý brъs]), head (pronounced [golvu]), on the head (pronounced [na -gulvu]), on the house (pronounced [na - dʹm], narrow (pronounced [у́ зак]), behind the house (pronounced [za-dó mъm]), on the old (pronounced [na-stá rъm]), behind the ditch (pronounced [z-kana voy] ), hay (pronounced [se ́ n]), delo (pronounced [de ́ l]), a lot (pronounced [mno ́ g]), na ́ do (pronounced [na ́ d]).

Thus, if the ending of the form is unstressed. n. and gen. p.un. h. matter and cases or forms average. and female birth past the time has set and set (there is business and there is no business; the sun has set and the moon has set) are pronounced the same way - with a vowel [ъ] at the end: [del ъ], [зхади лъ]. The TV forms are also pronounced the same. p.un. hours and dates p.m. h. husband and average genera: technicians and technicians, fences and fences, barrels and barrels, chairs and chairs: [technics], [fences], [dulums], [chairslam].

Note. At the end of some unchangeable words foreign language origin in place of the letter o in an overstressed syllable, a vowel [o] can be pronounced without reduction, for example: aviso (can be pronounced [zo]), veto (can be pronounced [to]), cre do (can be pronounced [do]), lega to ( can be pronounced [to]), alle gro (can be pronounced [ro]). For such words, pronunciation marks are given in the dictionary.

§ 66

§ 66. The following consonants are both hard and soft: [l] and [b], [f] and [v], [t] and [d], [s] and [z], [m], [ p], [l], [n]. For each of these consonants in Russian graphics there is a corresponding letter. The softness of these consonants at the end of a word is indicated by the letter b. Wed. top and top (pronounced [top❜ ]), econom and econom (pronounced [ekanó m❜ ]), blow and blow (pronounced [ud❜ ]), was and reality (pronounced [was❜ ]). The softness of these consonants before the consonants is also indicated: corner and coal (pronounced [ugal❜ ka]), banku and banku (pronounced [bá n❜ ku]), rarely and radish (pronounced [ré t❜ kъ]) .

The softness of these consonants before vowels is indicated by the letters of the following vowels: letter I(unlike A) denotes the vowel [a] after a soft consonant; Wed small and crumpled (pronounced [m❜ al]); letter e(unlike O) denotes the vowel [o] after a soft consonant; Wed mole and chalk (pronounced [m❜ ol]); letter yu(unlike at) denotes the vowel [y] after a soft consonant; Wed tuk and bale (pronounced [t❜ uk]). The distribution of letters is approximately the same And And s: the letter and is used after soft consonants and at the beginning of a word, and the letter s after hard consonants that have a soft pair; Wed play, hut, clean, sew, drank and ardor, sweet and washed, pitched and howled, thread and whine, wear and noses.

Examples for distinguishing between hard and soft consonants: top and top (pronounced [top❜ ]), bódro and hips (pronounced [b❜ о́ drъ]), graph and graph (pronounced [graph❜ а́ ]), val and vyal (pronounced [v❜ al]), raft and flesh (pronounced [raft❜ ]), shame and shame (pronounced [shame❜ á ]), os and axis (pronounced [os❜ ]); thunderstorm and thunderstorm (pronounced [graz❜ á ]), ox and led (pronounced [v❜ ol]), coffin and row (pronounced [gr❜ op]), steel and steel (pronounced [stall❜ ]), nose and carried (pronounced [n❜ os]), onion and hatch (pronounced [l❜ uk]), goŕ and bitterly (pronounced [gor ́ r❜ kъ]).

§ 86

§ 86. In place of voiceless consonants before voiced ones (except [in]), the corresponding voiced ones are pronounced. Thus, in place of s it is pronounced [z], in place of t - [d], in place of k - [g], etc. For example:

[about z❜ b] (request), [kaz❜ ba ] (mowing), [zbyt❜ ] (sale), [zbyt] (sale), [zgarel] (burnt), [z-mountains ] ( from the mountain), [zzadi] (behind), [malad❜ ba ] (threshing), [adgada t❜ ] (guess), [o dbyl] (o left), [addala] (gave away), [to d-zhy e] (same), [Mrs. ), [egza m❜ t] (exam), [g-gare ] (to the mountain).a s❜ s❜ ] (on the highway);

[s❜ k❜ ]: [s❜ nek] (snow), [sas❜ n❜ ak] (pine k), [us❜ ni] (sleep), [vskré s❜ nik] (Sunday);

[z❜ n❜ ]: [tease❜ ní t❜ ] (tease), [maz❜ n❜ á ] (daub), [kuz❜ netc] (blacksmith), [kaz❜ n❜ ] (execution) , [illness z❜ n❜ ] (illness).

1 Orthoepic dictionary of the Russian language: Pronunciation, stress, grammatical forms/ S.N. Borunova, V.L. Vorontsova, N.A. Eskova; Ed. R.I. Avanesova. - 4th ed., erased. - M.: Rus. lang., 1988. - 704 pp.

How to correctly make a phonetic analysis of a word?

- this is a characteristic of the structure of syllables and the composition of a word from sounds.

Memo

Phonetic analysis plan

Write the word spelling correctly.
Divide the word into syllables and find the stress point.
Note the possibilities of word transfer into syllables.
Phonetic transcription of the word.
Characterize all sounds in order: a. consonant - voiced - voiceless (paired or unpaired), hard or soft, what letter it is designated by; b. vowel: stressed or unstressed.
Count the number of letters and sounds.
Mark cases where the sound does not correspond to the letter.

Samples phonetic analysis of words:

I really like to eat carrots.

Phonetic analysis of the word love:

I love
lyub – lyu (the stress falls on the second syllable, 2 syllables)
I love
[l"ubl"u]
L – [l "] consonant, soft, voiced and unpaired;
Yu – [u] – vowel and unstressed;
B – [b] – consonant, hard, voiced and paired
L – [l "] – consonant, soft, voiced and unpaired;
Yu – [u] – vowel and stressed
The word has 5 letters and 5 sounds.

Phonetic analysis of the word carrot:

carrot
sea-cow (the stress falls on the second syllable, 2 syllables).
Carry: carrots
[markof"]
M - [m] - consonant, hard, voiced and unpaired.
O – [a] – vowel and unstressed.
R - [r] - consonant, hard, voiced and unpaired.
K – [k] – consonant, hard, voiceless and paired.
O – [o] – vowel and stressed.
V – [f"] – consonant, soft, voiceless and paired.
b —————————–
The word has 7 letters and 6 sounds.
o - a, v - the dull sound f, b softens v.

Video about phonetic transcription

Useful tips:

When doing phonetic analysis, you need to say the word out loud.
It is important to always check the transcription.
Be sure to pay attention to spellings during phonetic analysis.
Also pay attention to sounds that are pronounced in weak positions, such as: a confluence of consonants or a confluence of vowels, hissing consonants, unpaired consonants that are hard and soft or sonorous and deaf.

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