To begin with, it is important to note which consonants are sonor in Russian. These are sounds that are made with the help of a voice, almost without noise. These include [l], [m], [p], [l '], [m'], [p '], [j].
Features of sonor consonants
They are unique in that they are similar to both vowels and consonants. They are distinguished from sonorous sounds by the fact that when they are pronounced, practically no noise is heard. They do not have paired deaf or voiced sounds. That is why sonorous consonants are never uttered deafly either at the end of a word or before a deaf consonant. A great example is the word lamp, where [m] is pronounced loudly in front of the deaf [n]. Noisy deaf consonants are not pronounced loudly in front of such sounds, as it happens, for example, in the word request, which we pronounce as [prozba]. However, do not classify sonorous sounds as vowels. Nevertheless, during their sound in the oral cavity there is a barrier. So there is noise, and this is not at all characteristic of vowels. Also, such sounds do not have another important characteristic that defines vowels. Of them do not form a syllable. It should be noted that this is typical for the Russian language, because, for example, in Czech, sonor sounds have such features. Such sounds can be either hard or soft, have different ways of education.
How is the sound [l] formed?
In order for the sound to turn out correct, the tip of the tongue should be behind the upper front teeth. And if he does not reach the appointed place, then his sound is distorted and comes out instead of a boat - "gimmick".
If the sound is in a soft position, then the tongue should be pressed to the alveoli. It so happens that a solid sound [l] is quite difficult to fix. Then you can try to pinch
your tongue
between your teeth and pronounce this sound. But such an action can only be performed during training. Thus, we see that not all sonor consonants in the Russian language can be corrected.
The need for exercise to correctly pronounce sonor consonants
Many people are absolutely convinced that exercises to correct the pronunciation of individual sounds make no sense. They are convinced that this method is completely ineffective. It is enough just to understand the principle itself, how to pronounce the sonorous consonants correctly, and everything will be back to square one. In fact, this is not so. Practice here is a must. And usually it starts with the sound [m]. This is because it is pronounced very naturally, and even yogic mantras use it.
Why sonor consonants?
Translated from Latin, Sonorus is “voiced”. Such sounds do not have paired deafs and they are also called nasal and smooth. After all, they are all formed by the flow of air that passes through the tongue, teeth and lips. Nothing bothers him, and the sound is pronounced smoothly. Transitional are [n] and [m]. To form such sounds, the lips close tightly, but air exits through the nasal cavity. There are three of the most effective exercises for training pronunciation of sonor consonants:
- The first is the repetition of a phrase that contains a large number of such sounds. Quite often in such sentences you can see strange words that are never used, but they are necessary for training pronunciation. It is better if it is performed in one breath and on the nose sound.
- The following sentence should be much more complicated. As a rule, it is longer, therefore it is rather difficult to say it in one breath. It is better to immediately divide it into parts and also pronounce it on the nose sound.
- The last sentence is even longer. But it is better to divide it into two parts. Perform the first, as well as the first two exercises, but before the second you need to take a deep breath and say as if you are sending something into the distance. So should develop the "flight" of the voice. All these exercises will help you learn how to pronounce sonor consonants, if performed systematically.