Lesson 3. Soft consonants
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The main purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate the phonetic difference between hard and soft consonant sounds in the Russian language. Notice that the center of the tongue is raised during and after the articulation of the consonant. This position of the tongue is similar to the articulation of the vowel [i]. For that reason, the pronunciation of palatalized consonants may be achieved by training to pronounce the corresponding consonant together with vowel [i].
Exercise 1
Listen and repeat sounds and syllables:
[y]
[ya – yo – yoo – ye – yi]
[ay – oy – ooy – ey – iy]
[p']
[pa – pi, pa – p'a, po – p'o, poo – p'oo, pe – p'e]
[pa – pi – p'yi, pa – p'a – p'ya, poo – p'oo – p'yoo, pe – p'e – p'ye]
[b']
[ba – bi, ba – b'a, bo – b'o, boo – b'oo, be – b'e]
[ba – bi – b'yi, ba – b'a – b'ya, bo – b'o – b'yo, boo – b'oo – b'yoo, be – b'e – b'ye]
[f']
[fa – fi, fa – f'a, fo – f'o, fu – f'oo, fe – f'e]
[fa – fi – f'yi, fa – f'a – f'ya, fo – f'o – f'yo, foo – f'oo – f'yoo, fe – f'e – f'ye]
[v']
[va – vi, va – v'a, vo – v'o, voo – v'oo, ve – v'e]
[va – vi – v'yi, va – v'a – v'ya, vo – v'o – v'yo, voo – v'oo – v'yoo, ve – v'e – v'ye]
[z']
[za – zi, za – z'a, zo – z'o, zoo – z'oo, ze – z'e]
[za – zi – z'yi, za – z'a – z'ya, zo – z'o – z'yo, zoo – z'oo – z'yoo, ze – z'e – z'ye]
[s']
[sa – si, sa – s'a, so – s'o, soo – s'oo, se – s'e]
[sa – si – s'yi, sa – s'a – s'ya, so – s'o – s'yo, soo – s'oo – s'yoo, se – s'e – s'ye]
[k']
[ka – ki, ka – k'a, ko – k'o, koo – k'oo, ke – k'e]
[ka – ki – k'yi, ka – k'a – k'ya, ko – k'o – k'yo, koo – k'oo – k'yoo, ke – k'e – k'ye]
[g']
[ga – gi, ga – g'a, go – g'o, goo – g'oo, ge – g'e]
[ga – gi – g'yi, ga – g'a – g'ya, go – g'o – g'yo, goo – g'oo – g'yoo, ge – g'e – g'ye]
[m']
[ma – mi, ma – m'a, mo – m'o, moo – m'oo, me – m'e]
[ma – mi – m'yi, ma – m'a – m'ya, mo – m'o – m'yo, moo – m'oo – m'yoo, me – m'e – m'ye]
[n']
[na – ni, na – n'a, no – n'o, noo – n'oo, ne – n'e]
[na – ni – n'yi, na – n'a – n'ya, no – n'o – n'yo, noo – n'oo – n'yoo, ne – n'e – n'ye]
[t']
[ta – ti, ta – t'a, to – t'o, too – t'oo, te – t'e]
[ta – ti – t'yi, ta – t'a – t'ya, to – t'o – t'yo, too – t'oo – t'yoo, te – t'e – t'ye]
[d']
[da – di, da – d'a, do – d'o, doo – d'oo, de – d'e]
[da – di – d'yi, da – d'a – d'ya, do – d'o – d'yo, doo – d'oo – d'yoo, de – d'e – d'ye]
[l']
[la – li, la – l'a, lo – l'o, loo – l'oo, le – l'e]
[la – li – l'yi, la – l'a – l'ya, lo – l'o – l'yo, loo – l'oo – l'yoo, le – l'e – l'ye]
[h']
[ha – hi, ha – h'a, ho – h'o, hoo – h'oo, he – h'e]
[ha – hi – h'yi, ha – h'a – h'ya, ho – h'o – h'yo, hoo – h'oo – h'yoo, he – h'e – h'ye]
[ch]
[chi – cha – cho – choo – che]
[chi – chyi, cha – chya, cho – chyo, choo – chyoo, che – chye]
Exercise 2
Listen and repeat the following pairs of words. Notice that the pronunciation of words with different meaning may differ just by the softness of a consonant
[mat'] (mother) – [m'at'] (rumple)
[look] (onion) – [l'ook] (hatch)
[yest] (he eats) – [yes't'] (to eat)
[dan] (dan rank) – [dan'] (tribute)
[yel] (he ate) – [yel'] (fir)
[oogal] (corner) – [oogal'] (coal)
[s't'ep'] (steppe)– [step] (step dance]
[stok] (drain) – [s't'ok] (it streamed down)
Exercise 3
Listen and repeat the following words:
[biznes] , [bil'et] , [simval] , [bialogiya] , [viza] , [gipotiza] , [kiosk] , [biatlon] , [git] , [pik] , [pilot] , [signal] , [simptom] , [sintes] , [gigant] , [t'ekst] , [t'ema] , [finom'en] , [filial] , [fil'm] , [himiya] , [sist'ema] , [final] , [taksi] , [vila] , [limit] , [tip] , [diplom] , [pianist] , [panika] , [klimat] , [kabina] , [boof'et] , [bal'et] , [pak'et] , [pil'ool'a] , [salist] , [kast'oom] , [idial] , [mital] , [apitit] , [analis] , [gipnos] , [pl'ash] , [dialok] , [ipilok] , [finish] , [hit]
Exercise 4
Listen to the word and choose the translation from the right column