When we are learning any
foreign language, we are bound
to compare it with our mother
tongue (let's assume that
yours is English).
Learning Russian has already
brought you pleasant surprises
-- for example, remember the
moment when you found out
that spelling in Russian is
much simpler than in English?
It means that it is easier
for a learner to start reading.
You don't agree and think
that reading Russian is difficult?
Then imagine a native Russian-speaker
learning English and trying
to figure out how to read
double-o in words like "book",
"floor", or "blood".
If he hasn't yet heard these
words and the teacher is far
away at the moment, learning
how to read takes tremendous
effort. Compared to him, YOU
are lucky.
But all the same -- reading
in Russian can sometimes be
tricky for a beginner, whose
native language is English.
Hard and soft consonants are
usually the most difficult
thing for a student to remember.
In English it doesn't matter
whether the consonant you
pronounce is hard or soft,
but in Russian it can make
another word. Your teacher
surely has told you this,
but there is a pretty long
distance between knowing a
rule and applying it automatically.
That is why beginners often
read words like "???"
and "????" the same.
Listening, memorizing, imitating
native speakers will help
-- in time. What to do here
and now, especially if there
is no tutor to correct?
Well, you can control your
reading yourself so you won't
confuse "?? ???"
(He sat down/have sat down)
?? ????… (He has eaten…).
To sort out this mess with
the consonants, let's take
a look at Russian VOWELS.
Yes, vowels, because that's
what causes the trouble. There
are 4 vowels that soften the
preceding consonant -- ?,
?, ?, ?, ?…
But probably we'd better
begin from the beginning.
Let's divide Russian vowels
into two groups:
Group 1: ? ? ? ? ?
Group 2: ? ? ? ? ?
Have you noticed something?
Not yet? Well, let's put them
in pairs: ? –?, ? –
?, ? – ?, ? –
?, ? – ?
Now you see…? sounds
??, ? is ??, ? is ?? and ?
is ??.
Now the pairs are like: ?
–??, ? – ??, ?
– ??, ? – ??
In 4 out of 5 pairs the sound
from the second group = ?
+ the sound from the first
group.
Remember that, it will help
you in reading.
Now some good news: You will
never have any problem reading
vowels from the Group 1. Letters
?,?,?,?,? are read always
the same.
Now about Group 2. Letters
?,?,?,? can cause some trouble
in reading. What's more, they
are responsible for most of
your foreign accent when you're
speaking Russian. To avoid
both, remember these simple
rules:
If letters ?,?,?,?,? go after
a consonant, they:
soften this consonant
AND
?,?,?,? lose ? and turn into
?,?,?,?
Example: the word ???? (a
nanny, a babysitter) The most
common mistake is reading
it as ?'??-?'?? (an apostrophe
after the letter means the
sound is soft). The right
pronunciation is ?'?-?'? more
examples: ????? = ?'???? (spring)
The letter ? after a consonant
simply softens it (it has
no ? to lose). ????? = ?'?-?'??
(navy blue) ??? = ?'?? (world/peace)
You read these four letters
AS THEY ARE IN THE ALPHABET
(?=??, etc.) ONLY WHEN THESE
LETTERS DON'T FOLLOW A CONSONANT.
It happens when:
The word begins with such
a letter: ?????? = read it
as ??????? (apple)
???? = ????? (hedgehog)
????? = ?????? (to go, usually
by some means of transport)
?????? = ???'??'?? (Jupiter)
When such a letter follows
a vowel: ???? = ????? (lighthouse)
??? =???? (mine, or my –
with a neuter noun, like my
coat = ??? ??????)
???????? =????????? (to come
by some means of transport)
When these vowels follow ?
and ?.These two letters indicate
that after them those 4 vowels
will sound as ??, ??, ??,
??. That's what ? and ? and
are for.
?????=????? (entrance for
transport)
??????= ????'?? (pig)
But how to use all this to
improve reading? For example,
you can do like this:
Print a page with the Russian
text you are going to read
Underline the Group 2 vowels
in this text (?,?,?,?,?)
Start reading, paying attention
to where these letters are
in the word – at the
beginning of a word; after
?, ?, or a vowel; or after
a consonant.
Very soon you won't need to
underline these vowels anymore.
Just a couple of more tips
to keep in mind:
When you see ??, read it
as ??:
???? = ???? (circus)
The same with ?? and ?? –
they sound ?? and ??:
????? = ????? (alive)
????=???? (to sew)
Remember what your teacher
told you about reading unstressed
vowels. They sound more relaxed
than stressed ones. Pretty
much the same as in English
– compare two Os in
the word "doctor"
The similar thing happens
to consonants at the end of
Russian words. Some of them
(called sonants) begin to
sound more like other sounds,
called breath consonants:
? sounds like ?, ? - ?, ?
- ?, and the like (see textbooks).
Just pronounce consonants
at the end of words with less
strain, and you will say them
correct - automatically.
Keep training and soon your
reading and speaking skills
will be superb. Good luck!
Linguist by profession, Alexandra
Gamanenko currently takes
part in a design studio project.
It offers localization and
translation of websites into
Russian and Ukrainian, as
well as lots of other useful
services.
Learn more -- visit the website
http://www.clever-crayon.com
