Quote Originally Posted by net surfer
Don't put pronunciation in normal speech on the same footing as pronunciation in songs.
Don't be stubborn, Net surfer. You know perfectly well what I mean. It's just an example that occurred to me, doesn't have to be a song. If I say БИгут or БЕгут (not emphsizing the vowel when saying, just to show what sound I pronounce), no-one will say I sound foreign or illiterate, simply because these vowels are unaccented.

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Vowels reveal native Muscovites too well. Some Muscovites shorten or lengthen vowels making their speech distinct from other native Russian speakers - not all Moskva people are aware of their accent. It's not even the most correct Russian pronunciation, I'd be surprised if a TV commentator spoke like this.

My observation:
On the other hand, they make the vowels too clear in the South, even if they take effort to speak correct Russian. Thus, they say GAVARIT' (говорить) and you can hear each vowel clearly.
It's not something between A and O, just clear A. Same with Е/И, you will hear PEREDACHA (передача) with each vowel of equal length with clear E, not something between Е/И. I don't think it's 100% correct speech but a regional accent, by which southerners could be identified even if they use Russian hard Г (G), not Ukrainian Г (more like voiced H).