Thread: Pronunciation both verbal and written.

I am beginning to learn Russian, and I have a very small vocabulary already due to a Russian grandmother. I find the websites where you can click and hear the words and letters helpful, however, I am still getting very confused. Some of the sounds are so new to me that I don't even know how to begin with pronunciation. Does anyone know where I can find a site that lets you listen to the words and shows you phonetically how to say them?

Originally Posted by demonic_harmonic

I am beginning to learn Russian, and I have a very small vocabulary already due to a Russian grandmother. I find the websites where you can click and hear the words and letters helpful, however, I am still getting very confused. Some of the sounds are so new to me that I don't even know how to begin with pronunciation. Does anyone know where I can find a site that lets you listen to the words and shows you phonetically how to say them?

www.masterrussian.com

I've been on the site and looking around it, thats how I found this forum. But for some reason I haven't seen phontical spellings yet.

Originally Posted by demonic_harmonic

I've been on the site and looking around it, thats how I found this forum. But for some reason I haven't seen phontical spellings yet.

they don't help.

Originally Posted by TATY

Originally Posted by demonic_harmonic

I've been on the site and looking around it, thats how I found this forum. But for some reason I haven't seen phontical spellings yet.

they don't help.

Of course they help. You're a fool.

demonic_harmonic: the phrasebook section of MR.com gives some pronunciation guidelines. I'm sure someone else can advise you beyond that.

Thank you!


For someone like me who can't even understand what sound I am suppossed to be making, they help a WHOLE lot...

I would think that in Pennsylvania, with its huge Russian population, it should be easy to find a Russian tutor cheaply. At least someone who can tell you how to pronounce some letters...

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

I would think that in Pennsylvania, with its huge Russian population, it should be easy to find a Russian tutor cheaply. At least someone who can tell you how to pronounce some letters...

I agree. There are a lot of Orthodox churches in Pennsylvania - try asking the priests at the local churches - they'll be sure to have suggestions.

hmmm... thank you.

we do infact have an orthodox church about 20 minutes from where i live. infact, my great aunt used to go there. i dont know why i didnt think of it before...

By trying, you have nothing to lose. Try to pronounce the letters to the best of your ability, practice a bunch, and when you do contact a native speaker, as I assume you are trying to do, give it your best, and if you say something wrong, they will try and help you. Good Luck!

I highly recomend you to use cassets! (or cd)
berlitz and others, have language kits for beginers, where you hear the vowel and asked to repeat it. (you also learn to read of course)
I find it nessesary, at the beginning of studying a new language to practice the pronounciation.
it is important to practice aloud!!! and not be shy!
try to listen to yourself! thats the biggest tip I can give you, people tend to think they sound right when the dont (you can even record yourself it helps alot)

togh the kit will lead you through the different rules of pronounciation, here are a few tips that may help:
first, you have to master the way russians produce the sounds, try to immitate your grandmother! only then can you practice the diffrance bitween soft and hard consonants. try to start with the consonant L in the words "landna"- (o.k) (sorry don't have russian fonts yet) and
"dla" - (for, in order to). the "la" in "ladna" is hard. try to pull down the back part of your tongue, towards the throat.
now in contrast try to make the soft "la" sound in "dla" the back part of your tongue goes up. it helps to try and pronnounce "dlee-a" and then "swallow" the ee, because when pronouncing a soft consonant the tongue and mouth are organized in the same way as in the vowel ee.

Important! do not pronounce the ee. try to think it's there but not actually saying it.

more important! non of the tips obove is usefull if you dont master first the accent. meaning, the way inwhich air vibrates inside your mouth when speaking russian. this goes only by immitation. (try saying "blat" the way they do) and when you got it, never never pronounce a russian word in your english accent. there is no soft and hard in english!
this is why I recommand postponding a bit the point where you start speaking russian to russians. I find that people who start to learn from speaking (if they'r not children) tend to stick to their own accent. thats why it's better to practice with tapes untill you feel more confident with your pronounciation. for this you can buy the "leand in your car" kit. which is not really a good way to studdy the language but it is great for accent practicing.
good luck!

more important! non of the tips obove is usefull if you dont master first the accent.

It takes years to master an accent. I suppose you've mastered Russian accents, then, sir? Care to post a voice recording?

Ramyfishler says never pronounce Russian words in an English accent. But isn't it important to pronounce the words clearly - no matter what nationality & accent you have - so that Russian people get the words you are saying. If you can get the accent of course it is great & when people get it right it sounds cool (I wish I could) but I pronounce Russian with my native accent and the Russians I spoke to - to my surprise - understood me fine.

Ramyfishler says never pronounce Russian words in an English accent.

I bet you he does, but he's not aware of it.

I think Ramy means to at least make some effort in imitating the Russians. Nobody can get it right without years of experience, and, I dare say, a knowledge of the underlying grammar. I was just being obnoxious in my first reply, do forgive me Ramy

no need to apologize,
and I don't have an English accent when I speak Russian because I'm from Israel
I wish to take back some of what I said. I didn't mean that right from the start you need to have perfect accent. rather, that it is necessary to master as much as possible the way in which sound is produced. I wouldn't call it accent, it's more connected with pronunciation.
I'll try to explain what I mean. American accent is different from English accent. some words and some vowel are pronounced differently.but what English and American people share is the way that sound vibrates in the mouth. call it whatever you want.
when people from Israel speak English they usually speak in their own accent. and they cannot pronounce differently the long and short vowels. therefor. heal becomes Hill pool becomes pull and you know what sheet and beach become.
the same applies for Russian soft and hard consonant. you can't pronounce them differently unless you learn to make the sounds differently. and you can't say it's not important.
just think how hard it is to understand people from japan when they talk English. or from Spain. it's no wonder. Spanish like modern Hebrew have 5 vowels. wheres English has at least 18.
about my accent...
sure when I talk English I have a bit of accent. but you will notice long from sort vowels. but I learn English since I was a child.
In Russian. my Russian friends tell me I have very good accent.
but then you might say that I practiced Russian accent since childhood because it was sort of a game for us.
but when I went on a trip I met some people from Germany, and they taught me to count to ten in German. and they too said I have very good pronunciation.
what would you say about that? "spacial talent"? I don't think so. its just that I try. and I listen to myself! thats all.
some people are shy to try and speak differently. maybe they are afraid to sound ridiculous. some, consider it impolite to "make an accent"
the truth is that the more you try to imitate the foreign accent, the less ridiculous you sound, and people feel more comfortable to speak to you.