What are vowel sounds? What is it and how do sounds differ from letters?

Quick answer: 10 and 21 letters respectively.

The Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters, as you probably know. Yes, and our site has already talked about, so today we will look at another, no less interesting question - how many vowels and consonants are in the Russian alphabet.

• Let's start with vowels, since there are fewer of them - only 10: a, u, o, s, i, e, i, yu, e, e.

• There are more consonant letters - 21: b, v, g, d, g, z, y, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, f, x, c, h, w, sch.

Here the attentive reader will immediately have a question - where did the two letters of the alphabet go if there are 31 vowels and consonants, while the alphabet contains 33 letters? This is explained simply: the soft and hard signs do not belong to any of these groups. They are necessary to indicate the softness or hardness of a sound.

Vowels and consonants

It would seem that we could finish our story if everything were so simple. The fact is that the number of vowels and consonants does not coincide with the number of vowels and consonants. Why?

There are only 6 vowel sounds in the Russian language: a, o, u, e, ы, i. The remaining 4 vowel letters are formed by merging two vowel sounds: е=й+о, е=й+е, ю=й+у, я=й+а.

There are significantly more consonant sounds than vowel letters - as many as 37 versus 21. Why? Because consonant sounds differ in hardness-softness and sonority-dullness.

Thus, in Russian:

• 33 letters (10 vowels + 21 consonants + 2 signs).

• 42 sounds (6 vowels and 36 consonants).

What is the difference between vowels and consonants and letters and sounds? What rules do they obey? How are the hardness and softness of sounds and letters indicated? You will receive answers to all these questions in this article.

General information about vowels and consonants

Vowels and consonants represent the basis of the entire Russian language. After all, with the help of their combinations, syllables are formed that form words, expressions, sentences, texts, etc. That is why quite a lot of hours are devoted to this topic in high school.

and sounds in Russian

A person learns what vowels and consonants are in the Russian alphabet already from the first grade. And despite the apparent simplicity of this topic, it is considered one of the most difficult for students.

So, in the Russian language there are ten vowel letters, namely: o, i, a, y, yu, ya, e, e, u, e. During their immediate pronunciation, you can feel how air passes freely through the oral cavity. At the same time, we hear our own voice quite clearly. It should also be noted that vowel sounds can be drawn out (a-a-a-a, uh-uh-uh, i-i-i-i-i, u-u-u-u-u and so on ).

Features and letters

Vowels are the basis of a syllable, that is, they are the ones who organize it. As a rule, Russian words have as many syllables as vowels themselves. Let's give a clear example: u-che-ni-ki - 5 syllables, re-bya-ta - 3 syllables, he - 1 syllable, o-no - 2 syllables, and so on. There are even words that consist of only one vowel sound. Usually these are interjections (A!, Oh!, Oooh!) and conjunctions (and, a, etc.).

Endings, suffixes and prefixes are very important topics in the Russian Language discipline. After all, without knowing how such letters are written in a particular word, it is quite problematic to compose a literate letter.

Consonants and sounds in Russian

Vowels and consonants letters and sounds vary significantly. And if the first ones can be easily pulled out, then the latter ones are pronounced as briefly as possible (except for hissing ones, since they can be pulled out).

It should be noted that in the Russian alphabet the number of consonant letters is 21, namely: b, v, g, d, zh, z, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, f, x, ts, h, w, shch. The sounds they denote are usually divided into dull and voiced. What is the difference? The fact is that during the pronunciation of voiced consonants, a person can hear not only the characteristic noise, but also his own voice (b!, z!, r!, etc.). As for the deaf, there is no way to pronounce them loudly or, for example, shout. They only create a kind of noise (sh-sh-sh-sh-sh, s-s-s-s-s, etc.).

Thus, almost everything is divided into two different categories:

• voiced - b, c, d, d, g, z, j, l, m, n, r;
• deaf - k, p, s, t, f, x, c, ch, sh.

Softness and hardness of consonants

Not everyone knows, but vowels and consonants can be hard and soft. This is the second most important feature in the Russian language (after voicedness and voicelessness).

A distinctive feature of soft consonants is that during their pronunciation the human tongue takes a special position. As a rule, it moves slightly forward, and its entire middle part rises slightly. As for when pronouncing them, the tongue is pulled back. You can compare the position of your speech organ yourself: [n] - [n’], [t] - [t’]. It should also be noted that voiced and soft sounds sound slightly higher than hard ones.

In the Russian language, almost all consonants have pairs based on softness and hardness. However, there are also those who simply do not have them. These include hard ones - [zh], [sh] and [ts] and soft ones - [th"], [h"] and [sh"].

Softness and hardness of vowel sounds

Surely few people have heard that the Russian language has soft vowels. Soft consonants are sounds quite familiar to us, which cannot be said about the above-mentioned ones. This is partly due to the fact that in secondary school practically no time is devoted to this topic. After all, it is already clear with the help of which vowels the consonants become soft. However, we still decided to dedicate you to this topic.

So, those letters that are capable of softening the consonants preceding them are called soft. These include the following: i, e, i, e, yu. As for letters such as a, y, y, e, o, they are considered hard because they do not soften the consonants in front. To see this, here are a few examples:

Indication of the softness of consonant letters during phonetic analysis of a word

Phonetics studies the sounds and letters of the Russian language. Surely, in high school you were asked more than once to make a word. During such an analysis, it is imperative to indicate whether it is separately considered or not. If yes, then it must be designated as follows: [n’], [t’], [d’], [v’], [m’], [p’]. That is, at the top right next to the consonant letter before the soft vowel, you need to put a kind of dash. The following soft sounds are marked with a similar icon - [th"], [h"] and [w"].

The formation of vowel sounds, their difference from consonants, weak and strong positions of vowel sounds, stressed and unstressed vowel sounds and their designation by letters, syllable formation, vowel spellings.

In Russian there are 10 vowels 10: AND I, O-YO, U-YU, Y-I, E-E and everything
6 vowel sounds : [A], [O], [U], [Y], [E], [I ] .

When pronouncing vowels, exhaled air freely exits through the larynx and oral cavity between the vocal cords and does not encounter obstacles. Vowel sounds consist of voice in the complete absence of noise.

Consonant sounds differ from vowels in that when consonants are formed, air encounters an obstacle in the oral cavity, creating noise. Consonants consist of voice and noise (voiced) or only noise (voiceless).

If a word consists of several syllables, one of them sounds stronger, more clearly, than the rest. Such is called stressed, and pronouncing a syllable with greater force and duration is accent.
The vowel sound of a stressed syllable is percussion sound, vowels of unstressed syllables - unstressed vowels.

Stressed position - strong position for vowels. Here the vowels are pronounced clearly. There are 6 main vowel sounds that are emphasized under stress: [A], [O], [U], [Y], [E], [I].

Stressed vowel sounds and the letters by which they are designated.

Sound	Letters	Example
[A]	A	excitement[excitement]
	I	crumpled [m'al]
[O]	O	nose [nose]
	e	carried [n’os]
[y]	at	tour [tour]
	Yu	bale [t’uk], parachute [parachute]
[And]	And	type [t’ip]
[s]	s	soap [soap]
	and after w, w, c	lived [lived] awl [shilo] circus [circus]
[e]	uh	mayor [mayor]
	e	forest [l’es]

Position of vowels in unstressed position - weak position.
In unstressed syllables, vowels are pronounced differently than stressed syllables, weakened, more briefly. The sound is modified and may not correspond to the letter that is used to write the word, so unstressed vowels are .
Without stress, fewer vowel sounds are distinguished than under stress - only 4 unstressed vowel sounds: [A], [U], [Y], [I] .

The quality of an unstressed vowel depends on the hardness or softness of the preceding consonant. The same unstressed vowel sound can be represented by different letters in a letter.

In an unstressed position, the sounds [o], [e] and those indicated by the letter cannot be pronounced I sound [a] after soft consonants. The letter o denotes the sound [a] in an unstressed syllable; the letters e, e and i - in unstressed syllables the sound between [i] and [e].

Unstressed vowel sounds[a], [y]. [and], [s] and the letters by which they are designated

sound	letters	Condition	Example
[A]	A	at the beginning of a phonetic word, after firm agreement	artist[artist]; cow [carOva]; shocked [shak'iravan]
	I	after steamy soft ones, after [th’]	excitement[excitement]
	O	after hard ones, at the beginning of a phonetic word	toma [tama]; shocked [shak'iravan]; window [akno]
[y]	at	at the beginning of a word after hard and soft ([h’], [sch’])	lesson [lesson]; arc [arc]; make noise [noise’et’]; miracles[ch'ud'esa]
	Yu	after steamy soft ones, unpaired solids, after [th’]	loves [l’ub’it], jury [zhur’i] ([zhur’i]), huddle [y’ut’itsa]
[s]	s	after firm agreement (except w, w), after c	wash [washed’], gypsy [gypsy]
	e	after firm agreement	T e stirate [t s st'iravat'], and e fly [f s lt’et’], sixth [shystoy’]
	A	after hard hissing and c	Losh A dey [lash s d'ey']
	And		and And here [w s Here], lump [lump], circus performer [circus performer’]
	O	after hard hissing and c	chocolate[shikalat], Tsokotuha[tsikatuha]
[And]	And	at the beginning of the background word, after soft consonants	game [game], pie[p’irOk]
	uh	at the beginning of the background words	floor [itas]
	A	after soft consonants	watch [h'isy]
	e		lie down [l’izhat’]
	I		rows [r’ida]

• A, O, U, Y, E - letters that represent one sound; the consonants before these letters (except for the always soft [ch’], [sch’]) are read firmly: lama [lama], kora [kara], bud [ b uton], life [life]; But, [ h' A sch' a], watch [ h'iWith s].
• I, Yo, Yu, I, E - letters that indicate the softness of the previous consonant (except for the always hard [zh], [sh], [ts]): mile [ m'il'a], turn [ t'orn], loving [l ‘ dec 'A], lazy [l ‘ eneif]; BUT, cone [shishka], yellow [zholtye], circus [ ts yrk].
• Letters I, Yo, Yu, E - iotized. Can represent one or two sounds:
  • If these letters appear after consonants, then they indicate the softness of the previous consonant (except for [zh], [w], [ts]) and give one vowel sound : m cell[m 'A h], turn [t 'O rn], tulle [t ‘y l’], foam [p ‘ uh on the].
  • These letters are a consonant sound [th’] and the corresponding vowel sound ( I - [y'a], yo - [y'o], yu - [y'u], e - [y'e]), if they are worth
    • at the beginning of the word: poison [y’at], hedgehog [ y'o sh], cabin boy [y’ung], huntsman [ye ‘ger’];
    • after vowels: militant [bai'ev'ik], clown [pay'ats];
    • after separators Kommersant And b signs: volume [aby’om], monkey [ab’iz’y’ana], congress [with y'e st].
  • [th’] - consonant, always voiced, always soft sound.
  • In transcription (in the designation of sounds) letters I, Yo, Yu, E are not used. The sounds [e], [e], [yu], [ya] do not exist.
• Letter AND after b denotes two sounds: whose [h’ y'i], fox [fox’ y'i]

Spellings - vowels:

• unstressed vowels in the root:
  • verified by stress;
  • alternating;
  • unverifiable (dictionary);
  • vowels And And s at the beginning of the root after to consonants.
• Vowels in prefixes:
  • in consoles pre - And at — ;
  • in other consoles.
• Vowels (not after sibilants) in suffixes of different parts of speech:
  • nouns;
  • adjectives;
  • conjugated forms of the verb;
  • participles.
• Vowels at the end of words:
  • in nouns and numerals;
  • in adjectives, numerals and participles;
  • in verbs.
• • in the roots;
  • in suffixes and endings:
    • under stress;
    • no accent.
• Vowels after sibilants, ы and и after ц in different parts of the word:
  • in the roots;
  • in suffixes and endings:
    • under stress;
    • no accent.

References:

1. Babaytseva V.V. Russian language. Theory. 5th - 9th grade: textbook for in-depth study. studied Russian language. / V.V. Babaytseva. — 6th ed., revised. — M. Bustard, 2008
2. Kazbek-Kazieva M.M. Preparation for Russian language Olympiads. 5-11 grades / M.M. Kazbek-Kazieva. – 4th ed. – M.J. Iris-press, 2010
3. Litnevskaya E.I. Russian language. A short theoretical course for schoolchildren. - MSU, Moscow, 2000, ISBN 5-211-05119-x
4. Svetlysheva V.N. Handbook for high school students and applicants to universities / V.N. Svetlysheva. — M.: AST-PRESS SCHOOL, 2011

Introduction

In the Russian language, all letters, both vowels and consonants, are its basis. After all, thanks to letters, syllables are formed, and with the help of syllables we make words, from words expressions, sentences, and so on.

But we will start today's lesson by studying the consonants of the Russian language.

Consonants

There are consonant letters and sounds. What kind of letters are these that are called consonants? To understand what consonants are, let's learn about the origin of the word "consonants". And they are called that because they always go next to vowels or together with vowels.

There is a fundamental difference between consonants and vowels. If we remember that all vowels can be easily drawn out or even sung, then consonant letters should be pronounced as briefly as possible. The only exceptions are sibilant consonant letters, since they can also be drawn.

There are twenty-one consonant letters and 37 consonant sounds in the Russian alphabet.

Consonants

Voiced and unvoiced sounds

Consonants are divided into voiced and unvoiced sounds. Pay attention to the letters that are written in pairs. If you look closely, each pair contains one letter that has a voiceless sound, and the other has a voiced sound.

Unvoiced letters mean a dull sound, and when we pronounce them we hear only noise, while when pronouncing voiced letters, we can hear not only noise, but also a voice.

B – P, G – S, D – T, G – K

But at the moment we see letters that have a pair. There are eleven of these pairs in the Russian language. But not all letters got pairs, so in the Russian alphabet there are also unpaired voiced ones, as well as unpaired voiceless ones.

Exercise: Come up with words for paired voiced and unvoiced sounds.

Soft and hard sounds

In addition to voiced and unvoiced letters of the alphabet, they can have soft and hard consonant sounds.

During the pronunciation of sounds, the position of our tongue changes according to the sound we pronounce. When pronouncing soft consonants, our tongue takes one position, and when pronouncing hard consonants, it takes a completely different position.

Now let's try to pronounce soft sounds first, and then hard ones. If you noticed, when pronouncing soft consonants, we move the tongue slightly forward and at the same time its middle part rises slightly. But when we pronounce hard consonants, our tongue is slightly pulled back.

Vowels and sounds in Russian

Now we invite you to remember what vowel sounds and letters there are in the Russian language. There are only ten of these letters:

When pronouncing vowel sounds, unlike consonants, during pronunciation we can draw out or sing them, and at the same time we feel how air passes through the entire oral cavity, and we clearly hear our voice.

Exercise 1.

Write the word rose

1. Change the letter z in this word to s.
2. What word did you get?
3. What has now changed in the third sound, and how does it sound?
4. Name all the vowels in this word?
5. What consonants are in this word?

Exercise 2.

Cat, juice, mal, feast, bow, ball

1. Replace the vowels in these words with other vowels.
2. What words did you receive?
3. Write down the new words that you come up with.
4. How are vowel sounds in previous words read?
5. How should you read sounds, hard or soft, in newly formed words?

Homework

1. Vowels and consonants - what is their difference?
2. What is the difference between letters and sounds?
3. Does the number of letters of the Russian alphabet coincide with the number of sounds?
4. Why are there fewer vowel sounds in the Russian language than vowel letters?
5. How can you explain why there are more sounds than letters?
6. What types of consonants are divided into?

The modern Russian alphabet has 33 letters. Of these, 10 represent vowel sounds, which is why they are called vowel letters. All vowel letters of the Russian alphabet: a, e, ё, i, o, u, y, e, yu, ya.

There are 6 vowel sounds in the Russian language: [a], [e], [o], [i], [u], [s].

Letters denoting vowel sounds that are similar in sound are combined into pairs: a - i, e - e, y - i, o - e, u - yu. Paired vowel letters in the table look like this:

To determine what vowel sounds are made of, it is enough to chant them and feel how the air passes through the oral cavity. When pronounced, they do not encounter any obstacles on their way, therefore they consist only of voice, unlike consonants. Hence the name.

Sometimes schoolchildren have difficulty determining a stressed vowel sound. The stressed syllable in a word is the one that is pronounced with greater force. Therefore, it is enough to say the word out loud and listen to yourself.

Vowels in the Russian language perform a syllabic function. A syllable can consist of only a vowel or a vowel combined with a consonant (or several consonants). For example: u-li-tsa, i-goal. Hence the rule: the number of vowels in a word, the number of syllables it contains.

Stressed vowels are in a strong position: all 6 vowel sounds are clearly distinguished under stress. An unstressed syllable is a weak position in which the vowel sounds short, less legible, and unclear.

Without stress, only 4 sounds are distinguished: [a], [i], [u], [s]. Orthoepic rules read: that for the Russian literary language the norm is hiccups and akanes: that is, the unstressed vowel E sounds [i], the unstressed O sounds like [a]. Examples: wheel - k[a]l[i]soʹ.

Usually a word has one vowel with stress, that is, one stressed syllable. The exception is complex words. In them, one emphasis is primary, and the other is secondary. For example, logging, pulp and paper. The main stress is that which falls on the second part of the compound word. During phonetic analysis, only this is taken into account.

Vowel reduction

In a position without stress, a change in sound is observed, vowels are reduced (or reduced). In modern Russian, reduced vowels are vowels that are subject to reduction. The further the vowel sound is from the stressed syllable, the less long and clear it sounds. The sounds [a], [o], [e] are reduced. Stressed and unstressed vowel sounds [i], [s], [u] sound equally legible.

Quantitative and qualitative reduction of vowels is distinguished. In the first case, the sound becomes shorter (compare: m[uʹ]ka - m[u]kaʹ), in the second, its sound changes (m[i]shock).

In modern phonetics, [ъ] and [ь] are used to denote reduced vowels in unstressed syllables, in addition to the first prestressed one. In transcription, [ъ] denotes a vowel if it comes after a hard consonant, and [ь] - after a soft one. For example: n[b]rehoʹd, m[ʹ]lokoʹ.

General education school programs in the Russian language do not provide for such in-depth study; usually the phonetic recording of such sounds is performed as follows: p[i]rehoʹd, m[a]lokoʹ.

Vowel classification

The classification of vowel sounds in the Russian language is related to the place and method of their formation and is possible for several reasons.

By rise

The tongue in the oral cavity can be lowered or raised towards the palate. Depending on its position, vowel sounds are distinguished:

• top rise. Otherwise they are also called narrow: the tongue rises high, forming a narrow slit. These are the sounds [i], [s], [u];
• medium rise. The tongue is lower than when pronouncing the vowels of the previous group. These are the sounds [e], [o];
• lower rise. The tongue is completely lowered, leaving a wide space to the roof of the mouth. This is the sound [a], it is also called wide.

In the Russian language there are three rises, some have all four of the possible ones.

By row

The horizontal position of the tongue is taken into account. Vowel sounds are:

• front row. The tongue is pushed forward. These are the sounds [i], [e];
• middle row. The tongue occupies a middle position. These are the sounds [a], [s];
• back row. The tongue is pushed back. These are the sounds [u], [o].

By the participation of the lips

The vowels [o] and [u] are formed by stretching the lips into a tube. They are called labialized (or rounded). The remaining vowels ([a], [e], [i], [s]) are called non-labialized (or unrubbed).

You can combine all the classification features of vowel sounds in the table:

The letters E, E, Yu, I are vowels, denoting two sounds, not one. The first of them is yot. That's why they are called "iotated vowels". In transcription, yot can be designated differently: [j] or [th]. Schematically it looks like this:

• e -
• e -
• Yu -
• I - .

Sometimes students answer the question: “What are iotated vowels?” - they answer: “These are soft vowels.” This is the wrong answer. There are no hard and soft vowels, just like there are no voiced or voiceless vowels. Yotated vowels are softening vowels if they come after a consonant.

The vowels A, O, U, E, Y indicate that the previous consonant is hard. These are the vowels of the first row. The vowels I, E, E, I, Yu indicate the softness of the previous consonant; these are the vowels of the second row. Compare: small [small] - crushed [mʼal].

Due to the fact that [j] is found in vowel letters during transcription, some students mistakenly believe that j is a vowel letter. In fact, the sound [th] ([j]) is a consonant, sonorous, soft. As a rule, the teacher always pays special attention to this fact.

Words with iotated vowels often have more sounds than letters. Examples: pit (3 letters) - (4 sounds)

Iotated vowels represent one or two sounds depending on their place in the word.

Two sounds:

• at the beginning of the word (yama - ma, hedgehog - zhik, rode - hal, yurt - mouth);
• after another vowel (lighthouse - poppy, sings - sweat, trip - late, kata);
• after ь or ъ (monkey - monkey, rise - rise, mouth - mouth, petticoat - petticoat).

The letters E, E, Yu, I designate one sound if they appear after consonants. In this case, [j] serves as a softening function. Examples: meat - [mʼa]so, motley - [pʼo]sharp, wind - [vʼe]ter, chandelier - [lʼu]stra.