Consonants in Russian. Hard and soft consonants

In the Russian language, not all speech sounds are designated, but only the main ones. The Russian language has 43 basic sounds - 6 vowels and 37 consonants, while the number of letters is 33. The number of basic vowels (10 letters, but 6 sounds) and consonants (21 letters, but 37 sounds) also does not match. The difference in the quantitative composition of basic sounds and letters is determined by the peculiarities of Russian writing. In Russian, hard and soft sound is denoted by the same letter, but the sounds soft and hard are considered different, which is why there are more consonant sounds than the letters with which they are denoted.

Voiced and voiceless consonants

Consonant sounds are divided into voiced and voiceless. Voiced ones consist of noise and voice, deaf ones consist only of noise.

Voiced consonant sounds: [b] [b"] [c] [v"] [d] [g"] [d] [d"] [z] [z"] [zh] [l] [l"] [ m] [m"] [n] [n"] [r] [r"] [th]

Voiceless consonants: [p] [p"] [f] [f"] [k] [k"] [t] [t"] [s] [s"] [w] [x] [x"] [ h"] [h"]

Paired and unpaired consonants

Many consonants form pairs of voiced and voiceless consonants:

Voiced [b] [b"] [c] [c"] [d] [g"] [d] [d"] [z] [z"] [g]

Voiceless [p] [p"] [f] [f"] [k] [k"] [t] [t"] [s] [s"] [w]

The following voiced and voiceless consonant sounds do not form pairs:

Voiced [l] [l"] [m] [m"] [n] [n"] [r] [r"] [th]

Voiceless [x] [x"] [ch"] [sch"]

Soft and hard consonants

Consonant sounds are also divided into hard and soft. They differ in the position of the tongue when pronounced. When pronouncing soft consonants, the middle back of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate.

Most consonants form pairs of hard and soft consonants:

Solid [b] [c] [d] [d] [h] [j] [l] [m] [n] [p] [r] [s] [t] [f] [x]

Soft [b"] [c"] [d"] [d"] [z"] [k"] [l"] [m"] [n"] [p"] [p"] [s"] [ t"] [f"] [x"]

The following hard and soft consonant sounds do not form pairs:

Solid [f] [w] [c]

Soft [h"] [sch"] [th"]

Sibilant consonants

The sounds [zh], [sh], [ch’], [sh’] are called hissing.

[g] [w] [h"] [sch"]

Whistling consonants

[z] [z"] [s] [s"] [ts]

Whistling sounds s-s, z-z, anterior lingual, fricative. When articulating hard s-z teeth exposed, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the back of the tongue is slightly curved, the lateral edges of the tongue are pressed against the upper molars, causing a groove to form in the middle. Air passes through this groove creating frictional noise.

When pronouncing soft s, s, the articulation is the same, but in addition the back of the tongue rises to the hard palate. When pronouncing sounds z-z, the ligaments are closed and vibrate. The velum is raised.

The Russian language has 33 letters forming 42 sounds, six of which are vowels, the rest are consonants. Where did so many of them come from, since the letters - b, b, ya, e, yu, e - do not represent sounds? It is very difficult to master and understand such information not only for a first-grader, but also for an adult. Let's take it one by one, in a simple way, supporting the rules with simple examples.

How many vowel sounds are there in the Russian language - a basic concept

Help: letters are symbols that we see and write; sound can only be heard and pronounced, but it does not have a sign.

Learning to distinguish:

say it syllable by syllable, stretching out the first syllable in the word - mom. You hear the pure single sound of the sound A - M-a-a. Now say the word - Christmas tree, paying attention to the first syllable. Listen - Yo sounds like “yo”, that is, a double sound;
let’s consolidate the material: bush, here – [u], spinning top – “yu” is heard as [yu]. Olya – [o][ya], spruce – [ye], hedgehog – [yo][i];
as you can see, the letters E, E, Yu, I do not have their own sounds, each of them consists of 2 alien ones, borrowed from other letters: [ye], [yo], [yu], [ya]. This is why they are considered letters;
now about hard and soft signs: one performs a separating function, the other softens letters in phrases, and since we do not hear them, they are not sounds.

How many consonant sounds are there in the Russian language - divisions

The consonant series has 21 letters and 36 sounds.

Fifteen letters - B, V, G, D, Z, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, F, X have a double sound: soft - linen [b′] and hard - ram [b] , in other words, there are two sounds in one letter. Total – 15 x 2 = 30 sounds.
The softest letters have Y, CH, Shch with one sound each.
Only hard sounds come out when pronounced - Zh, Sh, Ts (also one sound per letter).

We count: 30 + 3 +3 = 36 consonants.

How many vowels and consonants are there in Russian - additional information

Consonant sounds are divided into voiced sounds - clearly audible when colloquial speech(heat) and deaf, whose pronunciation is similar to a whisper (sleep, noise).
Voiced/voiceless sounds are combined into pairs that are easy to remember - b/p, v/f, g/k, d/t, zh/sh, z/s, the rest of the sounds are unpaired - [h], [n], [ts] , [x], [p], [m], [l].
When pronounced, a voiced sound can be deafened, and a dull sound can become audible: eyebrow - we hear - brobro, berry - we say - yagatka. In this case, find a test word so that after this consonant there is a vowel - eyebrows, berries. An exception (you need to remember) is an astronaut, a station, a zigzag and others.

Hissing - Zh and Sh in the presence of a hard sound - Y, are written with a soft vowel - I (reeds, belly, living creatures). The sounds Ch and Shch with soft voicing (Ya-Yu) are written with hard vowels - A-U. For example: sorrel, rooks, pike, miracle.

Among the consonants there are also unpronounceable ones, which are checked by related word with a clear sound: reed - reed.

We can only hear some sounds. For example: skillful, wonderful, heavenly sound with the sound “T”, but it is not there. There is a funny rhyme about this, memorize it and write it correctly.

Correlating letters and sounds is very important for correct pronunciation and writing, so carefully study the presented material and try to convey it to the child in an accessible way.

The sounds of speech play an important role in the life of every person - thanks to them, all people can talk and understand what each other says.
All speech sounds are of two types - consonants and vowels. And although the number of the latter is much larger, in many cases vowels are decisive. So, for example, the number of syllables depends on the number of vowels in a word; in addition, it is vowel sounds that have the property of being stressed/unstressed. When considering the issue of vowels, it is also worth noting that their number does not correspond to the number of denoting letters. How many vowel sounds there are in the Russian language, and why this happens, remains to be figured out.

What sounds are called vowels?

First of all, it’s worth remembering what sounds are called vowels. Vowels (from Latin word vocales) - phonetic sounds formed using the voice, without admixtures of noise. When pronouncing a vowel, a person exhales air freely and it easily passes through the larynx, then through oral cavity and between the ligaments, without encountering any obstacles. Thanks to them acoustic features, in particular, due to the fact that the length of the vowel sound can be any, they are also called musical, or tone.

How many vowel sounds are there in Russian?

If there are ten letters, they correspond to only six sounds - these sounds are [s], [e], [o], [u], [a], [i].

Some of the above vowels are graphically indicated using different letters. For example, [a] can give not only “a”, but also the letter “ya” in a certain position, and sometimes an unstressed “o”: “Valentine”, “ball”, “board”.

The sound [u] can be produced not only by the letter “u”, but sometimes also by “yu”: “sledgehammer”, “hatch”.

The sound [o], in addition to the letter “o”, gives “e”: “cake”, “dog”.

The vowel sound [s] is given by the letter “s”, as well as the stressed “i” if it is in the position after the letters “zh”, “ts”, “sh”: “fang”, “circus performer”. Unstressed letters “e”, “a”, “o” can sometimes also denote this sound: “tested”, “horses”, “chocolate”.

The vowel [e] can be given by the letters “e” and “e”: “Mary”, “forester”.

But the vowel[i] is graphically indicated by just one “and”, if it is in the stressed position: “peaceful”. Without stress, this vowel can be produced by the letters “a” (“watchmaker”), “ya” (“rows”), “e” (“adjacent”) standing after soft consonants. Also “and” following a soft consonant or at the beginning of a word (“player”); “e” at the beginning of the word (“whatnot”).

Thus, considering the question of how many vowel sounds there are in Russian, it becomes clear why there are fewer of them than the letters themselves.

Vowel letters

Each vowel sound has its own graphic designation in the form of a letter. Our language has a dozen signs to indicate vowel sounds. These are the letters “o”, “u”, “e”, “a”, “i”, “i”, “s”, “e”, “e”, “yu”.

At the same time, the vowel sounds themselves are almost half as numerous - six. A similar situation has arisen due to the fact that the iotated “yu”, “e”, “e”, “ya” are not separate sounds. Depending on their position in a word, these letters can represent different sounds.

Located at the beginning of a word, following vowels or “ъ” and “ь”, iotated letters denote a sound combination of two sounds (they are diphthongs): [j] and the corresponding vocales: “Yana”, “wash”, “curly”.

In cases where “yu”, “e”, “e”, “ya” follow consonants, they indicate the corresponding vowel sound, and also make the preceding consonant soft: “accepted”.

Having dealt with the question of how many vowels there are in the alphabet, and how many letters, it becomes clear why a significant difference arose.

Classification of vowels. Labialization

Having paid enough attention to two questions: how many vowel sounds are in the Russian language, and how many signs are used to convey them in writing, it is worth moving on to classification. Vowel sounds, like their counterparts, consonants, have a number of features according to which they are classified into different groups.

There are several of them: labialization (rounded), method of formation (rise) and place of formation (row).

Labialization or, in other words, roundness is a sign of the participation or non-participation of elongated lips in the process of sound pronunciation. No matter how many vowel sounds there are in a language (in Russian, like most other languages, there are six), only two of them [o] and [u] are labialized. Others do not have this property.

Interesting fact: the more rounded sounds are used in a language, the more melodic the speech sounds. Therefore, French is one of the most melodic languages in the world, since the sounds [o] and [u] are very often used in it.

Method of formation of vowels

The classification of vowels according to the method of formation is also called classification according to the vertical rise of the tongue. In our language, according to their rise, vocales are divided into:
1) Lower rise - sound [a].
2) Average rise - [o] and [e].
3) Upper rise - the highest position of the tongue, characteristic when pronouncing the sounds [u], [i], [s].

Place of formation of vowels

Classification of vowels by place of formation (row), divides vowel sounds according to the horizontal position of the tongue during the pronunciation of a certain sound.

All vowel sounds according to the place of formation are divided into:
1) Back row - sounds [u], [o], when they are formed, the tongue is pushed back as much as possible.
2) Middle row - sounds [a], [s]. When pronouncing them, the tongue moves back not so far and is in the so-called middle position.
3) Front row - sounds [e], [i]. By forming them, the tongue moves forward as much as possible.

It is much easier to classify and remember the distinctive properties of vowel sounds than consonants, since there are much fewer of them. However, it is important for every educated person who strives to write and speak correctly to accurately understand how many vowel sounds there are in the Russian language and with what graphic signs they are written. This knowledge can also be useful for those who are going abroad and for this purpose begin to study a foreign language. In related Slavic languages the pronunciation of vowels is in many ways similar to Russian, since all of them in the distant past originated from the same Proto-Slavic language. IN foreign languages from other language families, the principles of formation of vowels, as well as their classification, occur according to generally accepted rules in linguistics. So even when studying English or French, it is important for a person to have an idea of how many vowel sounds there are in the Russian language.

A a a
B b b b b
In in ve
G g g
D d d e
E e e
Yo yo yo
Zhe zhe
Z ze ze
And and and
Thy and short
K k ka
L l el
Mm um
N n en
Ooo
P p pe
R r er
S with es
T t teh
U u u
F f ef
X x ha
Ts ts tses
Ch h wh
Sh sh sha
Shch shcha
ъ hard sign
s s
b soft sign
Uh uh
Yu Yu Yu
I I I

42 sounds
6 vowels		36 consonants
[a] [i] [o] [y] [s] [e]		Doubles		Unpaired
Drums	Unstressed	Voiced	Deaf	Voiced	Deaf
		[b] [b"] [in] [in"] [g] [g"] [d] [d"] [and] [z] [z"]	[n] [n"] [f] [f"] [k] [k"] [t] [t"] [w] [s] [s"]	[th"] [l] [l"] [mm"] [n] [n"] [r] [r"]	[x] [x"] [ts] [h"] [sch"]


		Doubles		Unpaired
		Solid	Soft	Solid	Soft
		[b] [V] [G] [d] [z] [To] [l] [m] [n] [n] [r] [With] [T] [f] [X]	[b"] [V"] [G"] [d"] [z"] [To"] [l"] [m"] [n"] [p"] [p"] [With"] [T"] [f"] [X"]	[and] [ts] [w]	[th"] [h"] [sch"]

How do letters differ from sounds?

Sound is elastic vibrations in any environment. We hear sounds and can create them, among other things, with the help of the speech apparatus (lips, tongue, etc.).

A letter is a symbol of the alphabet. It has a capital (excl., ь and ъ) and lowercase version. Often a letter is a graphic representation of the corresponding speech sound. We see and write letters. To ensure that the writing is not affected by the peculiarities of pronunciation, spelling rules have been developed that determine which letters should be used in the word in question. The exact pronunciation of the word can be found in phonetic transcription words that are shown in square brackets in dictionaries.

Vowels and sounds

Vowel sounds (“glas” is the Old Slavonic “voice”) are the sounds [a], [i], [o], [u], [s], [e], in the creation of which the vocal cords are involved, and on the way no barrier is erected to the exhaled air. These sounds are sung: [aaaaaaa], [iiiiiiiii] ...

Vowel sounds are designated by the letters a, e, e, i, o, u, y, e, yu, i. The letters e, e, yu, i are called iotized. They denote two sounds, the first of which is [th"], when

are first in phonetic word e le [th" e ́l"e] (3 letters, 4 sounds) e shche [th" and sh"ó] (3 letters, 4 sounds) e f [y" o ́sh] (2 letters, 3 sounds) Yu la [th" u ́l"a] (3 letters, 4 sounds) i block [th" a ́blaka] (6 letters, 7 sounds) i ichko [th" and ich"ka] (5 letters, 6 sounds)
follow after the vowels birdie d [pt "itsy" e ́t] (7 letters, 8 sounds) ee [yiy" o ́] (2 letters, 4 sounds) kayu ta [kai" u ́ta] (5 letters, 6 sounds) blue [with "in" a] (5 letters, 6 sounds)
follow after ь and ъ е зд [вй" е ́ст] (5 letters, 5 sounds) rise m [fall" о ́м] (6 letters, 6 sounds) lyu [л"й" у ́] (3 letters, 3 sounds ) wings [wing "th" a] (6 letters, 6 sounds)

The letter and also denotes two sounds, the first of which is [th"], when

follows after ь nightingale [salav "й" and ́] (7 letters, 7 sounds)

In a word, vowel sounds that are emphasized during pronunciation are called stressed, and those that are not emphasized are called unstressed. Stressed sounds are most often both heard and written. To check what kind of letter you need to put in a word, you should select a word with the same root in which the desired unstressed sound will be under stress.

Running [b"igush"] - running [b"e k] mountain [gara] - mountains [mountains]

Two words united by a single accent make up one phonetic word.

To the garden [fsat]

There are as many syllables in a word as there are vowels. The division of a word into syllables may not correspond to the division during hyphenation.

e -e (2 syllables) to -chka (2 syllables) o -de -va -tsya (4 syllables)

Consonants and sounds

Consonant sounds are sounds that create an obstruction in the path of exhaled air.

Voiced consonants are pronounced with the participation of the voice, and voiceless consonants are pronounced without it. The difference is easy to hear in paired consonants, for example, [p] - [b], when pronounced, the lips and tongue are in the same position.

Soft consonants are pronounced with the participation of the middle part of the tongue and are indicated in transcription by an apostrophe " what happens when consonants

are always soft [th"], [ch"], [sch"] ai [ai" ] (2 letters, 2 sounds) ray [ray" ] (3 letters, 3 sounds) bream [l "esch" ] (3 letters, 3 sounds)
followed before the letters e, e, i, yu, i, b (excl., always hard [zh], [ts], [sh] and in borrowed words) mel [m "el" ] (4 letters, 3 sounds) aunt [t"ot"a] (4 letters, 4 sounds) people [l"ud"i] (4 letters, 4 sounds) life [zh yz"n"] (5 letters, 4 sounds) circus [ts yrk] (4 letters, 4 sounds) neck [sh eyya] (3 letters, 4 sounds) tempo [t emp] (4 letters, 4 sounds)
come before soft consonants (some cases) pancake [bl"in" ch"ik]

Otherwise, consonant sounds will predominantly be hard.

Sibilant consonants include the sounds [zh], [sh], [h"], [sch"]. Speech therapists rule their pronunciation penultimately: the tongue must be strong and flexible to resist exhaled air and be held against the roof of the mouth in the shape of a cup. The last ones in line are always vibrating [p] and [p"].

Do schoolchildren need phonetics?

Without dividing into vowels, consonants, stressed and unstressed, of course, it is impossible. But the transcription is clearly too much.

Speech therapists are required to know phonetic analysis of words, and it can probably be useful to foreigners.

For students (from 1st grade!) who have not yet mastered the rules of spelling, a fairly in-depth study of phonetics only interferes, confuses and contributes to incorrect memorization of the spelling of words. It is “back” that the child will associate with the pronounced “run”.