Orthoepy in Greek means "correct speech." But it should be noted that the term itself has two meanings. The first of these is the norms of the language, among which there are pronunciations and super-segments. And the second meaning is that this is one of the sections of linguistics that studies the basic rules of oral speech.
Features of the definition
Until now, the scope of this concept has not been fully established. There are linguists who view it very narrowly. They invest in the definition of both the norms of oral speech and the rules by which the grammatical forms of the word are formed. For example: candles - candles, heavier - heavier, etc. Other experts say that orthoepy is the correct pronunciation of words and stresses in them.
Orthoepy and its sections
As mentioned above, this is a section of phonetics. It covers the entire phonetic system of the Russian language. The subject of this science is the pronunciation of words. The concept of "norm" means that there is one correct option that is fully consistent with the main laws of the language and pronunciation system.
The main sections of this science are as follows:
1. The rates of pronunciation of consonants and vowels.
2. The pronunciation of words that are borrowed from other languages.
3. The pronunciation of some grammatical forms.
4. Features of pronunciation styles.
Why do we need speech norms?
Orthoepic or pronunciation norms are necessary in order to serve the literary Russian language - the one that uses a cultural and educated person in speech and writing. Such a speech unites everyone who speaks Russian. They are also necessary in order to overcome the differences in communication that exist between people. Moreover, along with grammatical and spelling, orthoepic norms are no less important. It is difficult for people to perceive speech that is different from the pronunciation they are used to. They begin to analyze how the interlocutor says, instead of delving into the meaning of what has been said. Linguistics distinguishes the concepts of colloquial and literary speech. People who have a high level of intelligence and higher education use literary language in their communication. It is also used for writing fiction, newspaper and magazine articles, in television and radio broadcasting.
Main meaning
A lot of people today do not understand the meaning of the word "orthoepy" and do not pay much attention to it. In their communication, they use the dialect spoken by many residents of the area in which they live. And as a result, the words are spoken incorrectly, the emphasis is not on those syllables that are needed. Very often, when communicating, you can determine the type of activity of a person and his intelligence. Educated people will pronounce [document], and not [document], as can often be heard on the street.
Tasks and goals of science
It is important to note that orthoepy is a science whose main task is to teach the correct pronunciation of sounds and the formulation of stress. Quite often, in colloquial speech, you can hear the [colidor] instead of the [corridor]. The sound [t] in the word computer is pronounced by many gently. When the emphasis is wrong, speech is distorted and made ugly. Especially often this is committed by people of a very advanced age. They were brought up at a time when educated citizens were not perceived by society, and the fashion was wrong, warped speech. Orthoepy is necessary in order to help speak beautifully and correctly. This is necessary not only for teachers and writers - today many want to be educated. Therefore, this science seeks to teach everyone to clearly pronounce sounds and correctly put emphasis in words. Today, literate people are in demand in the labor market. The person who has the right speech has every chance of becoming a politician, a successful businessman, or simply building a good career. Russian orthoepy is now very important for most residents of our country, and they are paying more and more attention to it.
Basic Rules
Unfortunately, errors are often heard in speech delivered from the TV screen. Many celebrities or politicians put the wrong emphasis in words. Some speak so deliberately, while others do not even suspect that they have spoken the word incorrectly. To avoid such misunderstandings is very simple - you must first use the dictionary. Or you can read the rules that spelling offers. Words in Russian sometimes have several pronunciation options. For example, the stress in the word alphabet can be on the second as well as on the third syllable. Also, consonants can be pronounced differently before [e]. But dictionaries always indicate the main option and the valid. Philologists very carefully study all the rules and regulations. Before approving a specific pronunciation variant, they check how widespread it is, what connection it has with the cultural heritage of all generations. Equally important is the extent to which this option complies with certain linguistic laws.
Pronunciation Styles
We found that orthoepy is a science that focuses on pronunciation. Now it should be noted that there are certain styles of speech that are used for communication in society:
- colloquially colloquial is characterized by an informal atmosphere, people use it to communicate in a close circle;
- In the scientific community, a book style is used, its distinctive feature is a clear pronunciation of sounds and phrases;
- Intelligent people who are well aware of the orthoepic rules, have a literary style.
In order to easily master the literary language, there are certain norms that are divided into main sections: pronunciation of consonants and vowels, grammatical word forms and borrowed words.
Phonetics and orthoepy
The Russian language is very rich and diverse. There is a lot of information about how to pronounce words and put stress in them. In order to understand all the phonetic laws, it is necessary to have special knowledge that will help to understand all this.
The main difference is that orthoepy is a science that highlights the only way to pronounce sounds that meets the standards, and phonetics allows for different options.
Pronunciation examples
For clarity, it is necessary to give examples that will help to clearly determine the pronunciation rules. So, in the borrowed words before the sound [e] consonants can be pronounced both firmly and softly. To do this, there are orthoepic norms that remind you in which words you need to pronounce sounds firmly, and in which - softly. For example, the words declaration, temperament, museum [t] are pronounced softly. But in words the dean and pace - firmly. The situation is the same with the combination of sounds [h]. Phonetic laws are allowed to pronounce as it is written, or replaced by [shn] (sku [ch] o, sku [shn] o). And in accordance with orthoepic norms, only [boring] should be pronounced. This science is also strict in the case of stress. So, you need to say not [alfAvit], but [alphabet], not [kitchen], but [kitchen], not [ringing], but [ringing]. Knowledge of these rules is very important for a modern person, since correct pronunciation is an indicator of the level of culture of both an individual person and society as a whole.