In Russian, all sounds are divided into vowels and consonants. There are only six vowels - these are "a", "o", "y", "and", "e", "s". They are pronounced only with the participation of the voice, without the participation of noise. They can form syllables. They are shock and unstressed. Vowels - drums and unstressed - have their own characteristics and certain roles in the speech process. In addition, the presence or absence of stress depends on many of the rules for designating vowels in letters.
The vowels "e", "y", "i", "e" are not separate sounds. They represent the designation of two sounds. For example: I - ya, yu - yy, etc. They are also endowed with additional functions - they indicate the softness of the consonant in the letter.
Percussion Vowels
Percussion is a vowel that is released when pronouncing a voice. That is the one on which the stress falls. Such a sound is always pronounced more distinctly. Compared with unstressed, he is in a stronger position and plays a meaningful role. As a rule, writing letters that convey stressed vowels does not cause difficulties.
For example, in the words small (emphasis on the first syllable), peaceful (emphasis on the first syllable), distant (emphasis on the second syllable) the spelling of stressed syllables will not cause any doubt. Here, the principle of “as you hear it is written” applies, and sounds are heard distinctly.
Percussion vowel sounds are designed to fulfill the function of meaning. For comparison: they say, small, soap, mule - words that we distinguish by ear due to the fact that different vowels are written in them.
Unstressed vowel sounds - what is it?
Unstressed are vowels that are not distinguished by voice. They are pronounced with much less force and far less vigorously than drums. They are in a weak position, and writing the letters that transmit them often causes difficulties. The principle of “how we hear and write” in this case will not work, because it may not be heard at all what is actually.
Unstressed vowel sound often is in an altered state (reduction state). And the degree of transformation may depend on the distance of the stressed vowel. The farther - the stronger the reduction. For example, in the word “kolobok”, the last sound “o” in the third syllable is the shock. The closest “o” (in the second syllable) is heard even more or less distinctly, and the distant (from the first syllable) is practically lost during pronunciation. Its duration in this case is minimal.
Relatively persistent in this regard are unstressed vowels “and”, “s”, “y”. The distance from the shock is almost not affected by the degree of their transformation (mummy, Pinocchio, world). An exception can only be “and” at the beginning of a word after a solid consonant, which ends with the previous word of the phrase. In such cases, “and” turns into “s”. This situation is clearly visible, for example, in the phrase "smoke over the hut."
Unstressed vowels in the roots. Spelling
As noted above, the transmission of unstressed vowels in writing often causes difficulties. It is especially problematic to understand which letter should designate an unstressed vowel sound at the root of a given word.
The spelling of such roots stands out in a special section of grammar and is studied in detail in philology. The choice of the correct letter depends on various factors: the features of the neighborhood with other letters, the presence or absence of a stressed syllable nearby, test words, their origin, etc.
Unverifiable Root Vowels
The most difficult spelling case is unstressed vowel sounds. in unverifiable words. When it is impossible to choose an option with a shock root.
The correct options in such situations can only be remembered or always carried with you a dictionary in which you can see the spelling.
The words that fall under this section include, for example: meridian, vinaigrette, concrete, corvalol, cheesecake and others. Many of them are of foreign origin.
Verifiable vowels at the root of words
The letters denoting unstressed vowel sounds in the roots, in most cases, can be determined by choosing the same root word, where the stress falls on the root.
For example, changing the word “grass” to “grass”, it is easy to understand which letter should be written in unstressed root. More options: mountain - mountain, water - water, rains - rain, and so on and so forth. There are a great many examples in the Russian language.
- Note : In the case when the letter stands at the root of the word that means the stressed syllable “yo” (“e”), in the unstressed version it will change to “e”. For example: dead - dead, maples - maple, unfastened - unfasten.
Spelling of roots in words of different origin
Unstressed vowel sounds in the main morphemes of words can have different literal expressions depending on the origin of this particular word.
So, for example, native Russian words are often distinguished by the full-consonant spelling of the combinations -oro, -olo-: young, wall, shell. And their Old Slavonic variants have an abbreviated combination of letters and the transformation of “o” into “a”: a baby, a fence, a cloud.
Alternating unstressed "a" and "o" in the roots
Letters denoting unstressed vowels can alternate at the roots of related words. One of the alternation options is “a” and “o”. Different roots have their own spelling rules:
- For example, no matter what letter is spelled, in an unstressed position we almost always have the roots of “mountains”, “clone”, “creat”, “zar” and “melt”: light up, bow, create, illuminated, fuse. But there are exceptions: cigars, snags, utensils, yawn, swimmer, swimmer, quicksand, etc.
- From the consonant closing the root, the morphemes “rust”, “growth” and “growth” depend. The letter "a" precedes "ct" or "u", while before "c" is usually "o". Do not fit into this rule: Rostislav, Rostov, usurer, sprout, sprout and variants derived from them (Rostov, usury, etc.), as well as the word industry.
- In morphemes “jump” and “jump” before the letter “h” is usually “o”, and before “k” - “a”. For example: horse, jump rope, upstart, jump in. The only exceptions are the words jump, jump, jump and jump.
- Unstressed vowel sounds in words with the roots “lag” and “lodges” are transmitted in letters by letters, according to the following rule: “a” is used before “g”, and “o” before “g”. For example: add, believe, decomposes, addition, position, put aside. The exception is a canopy.
- The presence or absence of the suffix “a” is “guided” by such roots as “kas” and “braid”. If the suffix is present immediately behind the root, then there will be a “kas”, and if not, then a “braid” will be obtained. For example: concerns, regarding, touched, touch.
- The spelling of roots with unstressed vowels sometimes depends on their meaning. So, in the case of “mok” (“urine”) and “poppy”, the first option “works” when it comes to impregnation with liquid (blotter, wet), and the second - in the case when it means immersion in liquid (dunk , dip).
- The morphemes "equal" and "equal" also "equal" to the meaning of the word. If the sameness is meant, then “a” (equal, equation) is written, and if straightforwardness and smoothness, then “o” (trim, level). Exceptions: peer, plain, level, equally.
How "and" and "e" alternate
The letters of unstressed vowels “and” and “e” can also alternate in the roots of words.
The morphemes are “bir” and “ber”, “zhig” and “zheg”, “steel” and “stel”, “blist” and “glitter”, “peace” and “measures”, “shooting gallery” and “ter”, “ dir ”and“ der ”,“ feast ”and“ per ”,“ cheat ”and“ even ”are directly dependent on the presence of the suffix“ a ”. If it is adjacent to the root, “and” is written, and if it is absent, “e” is written. Examples: begging - pick up; cauterization - burned out; spreads - to lay; brilliant - brilliant; freeze - freeze; wipe - wipe; to tear off - to tear off; unlock - unlock; to read - a deduction. Exceptions: couple, combination, combine.
Note:
- The roots of “peace” and “measures” can alternate only if they mean the process of dying. If we are talking about peace (the antonym of war), then the root will always be “and” (world, reconcile). And if the morpheme means measure, then it always spells “e” (measure, measure).
- The roots of "feast" and "per" alternate only if they mean the processes of opening, closing and bulging (lock, unlock, protrude). And if we are talking about the word "feast", meaning "feast of the abdomen", then the root will always be "and" (to feast).
Alternation of the letter "a" ("I") with the letter "im" ("in") in the roots
The letter "a" ("I") alternates in the roots with the letter combination "im" ("in") in the roots of words according to this rule: if there is a suffix "a" behind the root, then "im" or "in" is used. And if there is none, then “a” or “I” is written. For example: accept - accepted, begin - begun.
Vowel sounds - drums and unstressed - are in every language of the world. And if with drums, as a rule, there are no problems, then unstressed ones create a lot of difficulties. They are usually associated with a huge number of spelling patterns. And the spelling of the roots is only a small part of the large iceberg.