Fundamentals in the Structure and History of Russian: A Usage-Based Approach

Introduction to Part I

INTRODUCTION TO PART I     Why   do   foreigners   have   accents?   For   example,   why   do   Russians   learning   English   often   mix   up   w   and   v   when   they   speak   English,   or   why  do  Japanese  speakers  sometimes  have  a  hard  time  with  the  Eng-­‐‑ lish  letters  r  and  l?  English-­‐‑speaking  learners  of  Russian  also  usually   speak  Russian  with  an  accent.  Accents  arise  because  each  language  has   its  own  sound  system.  Each  language  has  a  set  of  sounds  which  may   or  may  not  overlap  with  those  of  other  languages.  Russian  м,  for  ex-­‐‑ ample,  is  very  similar  to  English  m,  but  Russian  has  other  sounds  (i.e.,   ы)  not  found  in  English.  English  differentiates  between  w  and  v,  while   in   the   Russian   alphabet   there   is   no   special   letter   for   w,   so   Russians   learning  English  sometimes  pronounce  both  sounds  as  v,  making  wail   sound  more  like  veil.  Similar  problems  plague  English  speakers  learn-­‐‑ ing   Russian.   For   example,   in   Russian   most   consonants   can   be   either   “hard”   or   “soft.”   This   distinction   is   difficult   for   English   speakers   to   perceive  and  produce  because  “hard”  and  “soft”  is  not  an  important   characteristic   of   English.   Furthermore,   accents   may   be   “strong,”   or   “hardly  noticeable  at  all,”  or  somewhere  in  between.  Foreigners  have   accents  because  they  are  used  to  pronouncing  sounds  according  to  the   system  of  their  native  language  and  import  these  pronunciation  habits   into  their  second  language.  Other  reasons  have  to  do  with  intonation,   or   the   musical   pitch,   of   words   and   sentences   and   the   placement   of   stress.         The  focus  of  Part  I  is  on  the  Russian  sound  system.  We  will  discuss   how  Russians  produce  speech  sounds,  how  these  sounds  differ  from   similar  sounds  in  English,  and  how  they  function  as  a  system.  While  it   is   unlikely   that   readers   will   lose   their   foreign   accent   simply   by   working   through   these   chapters,   it   is   hoped   that   the   principles   set   forth  here  will  provide  a  foundation  for  practicing  spoken  Russian  in  a   way   which,   in   time,   will   aid   the   learner   to   have   more   native-­‐‑like   pronunciation.     Each  chapter  is  composed  of  several  sections  which  introduce  top-­‐‑ ics  dealing  with  pronunciation  and  which  build  on  preceding  sections.   4 INTRODUCTION TO PART I We  have  found  it  very  useful  to  use  the  text  in  conjunction  with  one-­‐‑ on-­‐‑one   practice   with   a   native   speaker.   But   even   without   a   native   speaker,   the   topics   covered   should   provide   any   serious   student   of   Russian   with   a   basis   for   understanding   how   the   Russian   system   of   sounds  works  and  how  it  differs  from  that  of  English.   ...