Thread: STRESS!

For me i find it impossible to learn the stress of the russian words!! Surely a rule of some type must exist, like it has in polish, croatian and of course my language spanish!! It is of course obvious that yes there will be exceptions however i need a rule!! it is putting me off because for me, i like to MASTER the inotation etc and i can

Sorry, babe. In this case we apply the ol' worn-out "the exception is the rule."

Why is it so hard to remember the stress. I mean you have to remember how to spell the word, or what the words means, so why is it so hard to learn one more thing.

Because sometimes it shifts unpredictably. And it's not something you can "see."

Originally Posted by Pravit

Because sometimes it shifts unpredictably. And it's not something you can "see."

You can see it if the stress is acented, which it is in learner's text. And it's something you can hear.

The problem is learning the stress for words that are not encountered in your accented learner's text, which does not necessarily the stress for all forms.

And it's something you can hear.

Yes, but this is inconvenient unless you have all forms of all Russian words stored as sound files on your computer. Or a Russian guy who hides in your closet and comes out when you need him to pronounce words for you.

Exactly TATU. I bet there are a fair amount of words in your vocabulary that you think you know the stress of but actaully don't. The stress just changes with no real reason or rhyme.

With plurals.
Город
Города

Приказ
Приказа

Or with genitive
Дурак
Дурака

Мальчик
Мальчика

Maybe learning stress isn't so hard, but it is definatly one of the more frustrating aspects of russian.

So, Tatu, молчи.

Originally Posted by Pravit

The problem is learning the stress for words that are not encountered in your accented learner's text, which does not necessarily the stress for all forms.

And it's something you can hear.

Yes, but this is inconvenient unless you have all forms of all Russian words stored as sound files on your computer. Or a Russian guy who hides in your closet and comes out when you need him to pronounce words for you.

He's called Misha.

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

Exactly TATU. I bet there are a fair amount of words in your vocabulary that you think you know the stress of but actaully don't. The stress just changes with no real reason or rhyme.

With plurals.
Город
Города

Приказ
Приказа

Or with genitive
Дурак
Дурака

Мальчик
Мальчика

Maybe learning stress isn't so hard, but it is definatly one of the more frustrating aspects of russian.

So, Tatu, молчи.

Cестра ---> Сёстры

Why is unpredictable stress worse than unpresdictable spelling though?
Isn't the most confusing thing about город it's irregular plural rather than the stress?

Originally Posted by TATY

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

Exactly TATU. I bet there are a fair amount of words in your vocabulary that you think you know the stress of but actaully don't. The stress just changes with no real reason or rhyme.

With plurals.
Город
Города

Приказ
Приказа

Or with genitive
Дурак
Дурака

Мальчик
Мальчика

Maybe learning stress isn't so hard, but it is definatly one of the more frustrating aspects of russian.

So, Tatu, молчи.

Cестра ---> Сёстры

Why is unpredictable stress worse than unpresdictable spelling though?
Isn't the most confusing thing about город it's irregular plural rather than the stress?

I think it depends what kind of person you are and how you think. For some, spelling might be harder as exceptions to remember, for some, stress. I think some people are just better with figuring out stresses in their head or saying things out loud, and some are better seeing things on paper, or visually in general. Stress can be tricky at first for a beginner, but as you start reading more, you should be able in some cases, if not many, to guess the stress on it correctly. You just have to get used to the sounds of the language, and it should come more naturally. But in some cases, you just have to memorize it, whichever way is easiest for you.

This problem of irregular shifting stress is a strong argument for learning Russian primarily orally.

Hence I strongly recommend Pimsleur. It costs several hundred dollars, but hang the expense, it will have you speaking like a native in no time.

True that, waxwing. But the problem of intricate grammar rules is a strong argument for learning Russian with books. Hence I recommend learning with the book and learning in a Russian-speaking environment, if possible.

Originally Posted by TATY

Why is unpredictable stress worse than unpresdictable spelling though?

Who said it was worse? Can't they both be difficult?