Orthoepy is the totality of all pronunciation norms in a literary language, as well as a separate section of linguistics that studies the functioning of these norms. Orthoepy as a section makes recommendations on the pronunciation of various sounds, sound combinations, grammatical forms, words borrowed from other languages.
Spoken language is based on concepts such as pronunciation and stress. Very often they do not reflect properly in the letter, so it is important to know how to pronounce the words in the literary language, especially since spoken language is developing very rapidly and is more widespread. It is no secret that in recent years people began to read and write less and talk and listen more.
The main problem is that existing orthoepic norms are often violated. What caused these errors? Let us consider in more detail these errors and rules that will help to avoid them.
The orthoepic norms of the Russian literary language regulate the correct pronunciation of sounds in various phonetic positions, with other sounds, in certain grammatical forms and stand-alone words. A distinctive feature of pronunciation is uniformity. Errors of orthoepic nature can negatively affect the perception of speech by listeners. They can distract the attention of the interlocutor from the essence of the conversation, cause misunderstanding and irritation. Orthoepic-compliant pronunciation facilitates the communication process and makes it more effective.
Orthoepic norms are determined by the phonetic system of the language. Each language is characterized by its phonetic laws governing the pronunciation of sounds and words that they create.
The basis of the Russian literary language is the Moscow dialect, however, in Russian orthoepy, the so-called "younger" and "senior" norms are distinguished. The first reflects the distinctive features of modern pronunciation, the second draws attention to the old Moscow orthoepic norms.
Basic pronunciation rules
In the Russian language, only those vowels that are stressed are clearly pronounced: garden, cat, daughter. Those vowels that are in an unstressed position may lose clarity and clarity. This is the law of reduction. So, the vowel “o” at the beginning of a word without stress or in pre-stressed syllables can be pronounced as “a”: from (a) rock, to (a) ron. In unstressed syllables in place of the letter “o”, an unclear sound can be made, for example, as the first syllable in the word “head”.
The vowel sound “and” is pronounced “s” after a preposition, a solid consonant, or when two words are combined together. For example, "pedagogical institute", "laughter and tears."
As for the pronunciation of consonants, it is governed by the laws of stunning and assimilation. The voiced consonants standing before a dull sound are stunned, which is a characteristic feature of Russian speech. An example is the word “pillar”, the last letter of which is stunned and pronounced as “n”. There are a lot of such words.
In many words, instead of the sound “h”, “w” (the word “what”) should be pronounced, and the letter “g” in the endings reads as “c” (the words “mine”, “nobody” and others).
As mentioned above, orthoepic norms deal with the pronunciation of borrowed words. Typically, such words are subject to the norms in the language, and only occasionally can have their own characteristics. One of the most common rules is to soften consonants before the e. This can be seen in such words as “faculty”, “cream”, “overcoat” and others. Moreover, in some words the pronunciation may vary (“dean”, “terror”, “therapy”).
Orthoepic norms are also norms for stating stress, which is not fixed in the Russian language. This means that in different grammatical forms of the word the stress may differ (“hand” - “hand”).
Remember, correct speech is the key to success . It needs to be constantly improved and developed. It is better to once again look into the orthoepic dictionary than to constantly make elementary and ridiculous mistakes in pronunciation or stress. Speak beautifully!