Thread: щ and шь

It's probably because the language is in flux that we are getting all the different interpretations of the sounds - they *are* pronounced differently.

The following is from T. Wade, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, 2nd ed., rev. and exp., 2003, pp.5-6:


(iv) Unlike other consonants, ч and щ are always pronounced soft....

(v) The consonant щ is pronounced as a long soft ш (e.g. защищать...); the pronunciation штш [Wade uses IPA symbols I don't have- chaika] is falling into disuse.

(vi) The double consonants жч ..., зч ... are pronounced like щ. The pronunciation [штш] [IPA symbols again - chaika], however, is preferred in prefixed forms such as бесчисленный innumerable', расчленить 'to dismember".

(vii) Жж and зж may be pronounced either as a double soft ж (with front of the tongue raised towards the hard palate) in words such as вожжи, дрожжи, жжёт, жужжать, брызжет ... позже, especially in the speech of the older generation, as well as in that of actors and professionally trained announcers, or alternatively as a double hard ж, a pronunciation preferred by very many younger speakers. Зж is invariably pronounced as hard жж across the boundary between prefix and stem: изжить 'to eradicate'. The cluster жд in дождя 'of rain' etc. is prnounced as soft жж by some speakers and as жд by others.

And more for your reading pleasure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ph ... rd_or_soft

Originally Posted by chaika

It's probably because the language is in flux that we are getting all the different interpretations of the sounds - they *are* pronounced differently.

The following is from T. Wade, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, 2nd ed., rev. and exp., 2003, pp.5-6:


(iv) Unlike other consonants, ч and щ are always pronounced soft....

(v) The consonant щ is pronounced as a long soft ш (e.g. защищать...); the pronunciation штш [Wade uses IPA symbols I don't have- chaika] is falling into disuse.

(vi) The double consonants жч ..., зч ... are pronounced like щ. The pronunciation [штш] [IPA symbols again - chaika], however, is preferred in prefixed forms such as бесчисленный innumerable', расчленить 'to dismember".

(vii) Жж and зж may be pronounced either as a double soft ж (with front of the tongue raised towards the hard palate) in words such as вожжи, дрожжи, жжёт, жужжать, брызжет ... позже, especially in the speech of the older generation, as well as in that of actors and professionally trained announcers, or alternatively as a double hard ж, a pronunciation preferred by very many younger speakers. Зж is invariably pronounced as hard жж across the boundary between prefix and stem: изжить 'to eradicate'. The cluster жд in дождя 'of rain' etc. is prnounced as soft жж by some speakers and as жд by others.

And more for your reading pleasure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ph ... rd_or_soft

Just to clarify, ШТШ = ШЧ