The phonetic process that occurs in a word largely explains its spelling and pronunciation. This linguistic phenomenon should be taken into account when performing sound analysis in the lessons of the Russian language. Particular attention is paid here to the position of a sound. The so-called positional phonetic processes are characteristic of most languages. It is interesting that many changes in the sound design of the word depend on the locality of the carriers. Someone rounds the vowels, someone softens the consonants. The differences between the Moscow Bulo [sh] naya and the St. Petersburg Bulo [n] have already become a textbook.
Definition of a concept
What is a phonetic process? These are special changes in the sound expression of letters under the influence of various factors. The type of the process depends on these factors. If they are not dictated by the lexical component of the language itself, by the general pronunciation of the word (for example, stress), this phenomenon will be called positional. This includes all kinds of reduced consonants and vowels, as well as stunning at the end of a word.
Another thing is those phonetic processes in the language that give a confluence of various sounds in words. They will be called combinatorial (that is, they depend on a certain combination of sounds). First of all, this includes assimilation, sounding and mitigation. Moreover, both the subsequent sound (regressive process) and the previous one (progressive) can influence.
Vowel Reduction
To begin with, we will analyze the phenomenon of reduction. It is worth saying that it is characteristic of both vowels and consonants. As for the former, this phonetic process is completely subject to the stress in the word.
To begin with, it should be said that all vowels in words are divided depending on the attitude to the stressed syllable. To the left of it are pre-shock, to the right - shock. For example, the word "TV". Stressed syllable -vi-. Accordingly, the first pre-shock -le-, the second pre-shock -te-. A shock-gap-.
In general, vowel reduction is divided into two types: quantitative and qualitative. The first is determined not by a change in sound design, but only by intensity and duration. This phonetic process concerns only one vowel, [y]. For example, it is enough to clearly pronounce the word "boudoir". The emphasis here falls on the last syllable, and if in the first pre-stressed “u” it is heard clearly and more or less loudly, then in the second pre-stressed it is heard much weaker.
Let's lie another thing - high-quality reduction. It involves not only a change in strength and weakness of sound, but also in various timbre colors. Thus, the articulation design of sounds changes.
For example, [o] and [a] in a strong position (that is, under stress) are always heard distinctly, it is impossible to mix them up. Let’s take an example of the word “samovar”. In the first pre-stressed syllable (-mo-), the letter "o" is heard quite distinctly, but not completely formed. For her, transcription has its own designation [^]. In the second pre-stressed syllable, the vowel is framed even more vaguely, greatly reduced. For him also has its own designation [b]. Thus, the transcription will look like this: [eat ^ var].
Vowels faced by soft consonants are also quite interesting. Again, in a strong position they are heard distinctly. What happens in unstressed syllables? Let's analyze the word "spindle". The stressed syllable is the last. In the first prestroke, the vowel is weakly reduced, it is designated in transcription as [and e ] - and with the sound of e. The second and third pre-shock completely reduced. Such sounds mean [b]. Thus, the transcription is as follows: [v'rti e no].
The scheme of the linguist Potebni is well known. He deduced that the first pre-stressed syllable is the clearest of all unstressed. All others are inferior in strength to him. If you take a vowel in a strong position for 3, and the weakest reduction for 2, you get the following pattern: 12311 (the word "grammatical").
Phenomena are frequent (often colloquially) when the reduction is zero, that is, the vowel is not pronounced at all. There is a similar phonetic process both in the middle and at the end of the word. For example, in the word “wire” we rarely pronounce the vowel in the second stressed syllable: [provolk], and in the word “so” the vowel in the stressed syllable is reduced to zero [shtob]
Consonant Reduction
Also in the modern language there is a phonetic process called reduction of consonants. It lies in the fact that such a sound at the end of a word practically disappears (often zero reduction occurs).
This is due to the physiology of the pronunciation of words: we pronounce them on exhalation, and sometimes the air flow is not enough to articulate the last sound. This also depends on subjective factors: the rate of speech, as well as the features of pronunciation (for example, dialect).
This phenomenon can be found, for example, in the words "illness", "life" (some dialects do not pronounce the last consonants). Sometimes j is also reduced: we pronounce the word “mine” without it, although, according to the rules, it should be, because “and” stands before the vowel.
Stun
A separate reduction process is stunning, when voiced consonants change under the influence of the deaf or at the absolute end of the word.
For example, take the word mittens. Here, the sonorous [x], under the influence of a deaf [k], standing behind, is stunned. As a result, the combination [shk] is heard.
Another example is the absolute end of the word oak. Here voiced [b] stunned to [n].
Always voiced consonants (or sonorous) are also subject to this process, albeit very weakly. If you compare the pronunciation of the word "tree", where [l] stands after the vowel, and "ox", where the same sound is at the end, it is easy to notice the difference. In the second case, sonorous sounds shorter and weaker.
Sonification
The completely opposite process is voicing. It already refers to combinatorial, that is, dependent on certain sounds standing nearby. As a rule, this applies to deaf consonants, which are located before voiced.
For example, words such as “shift”, “make” - here the voicing occurred at the junction of the prefix and the root. This phenomenon is observed in the middle of the word: ko [z '] ba, about [z'] ba. Also, the process can take place on the border of the word and preposition: to the grandmother, "from the village."
Softening
Another law of phonetics is that hard sounds are softened if soft consonants follow them.
There are several patterns:
- The sound [n] becomes soft if it is in front of [h] or [n]: ba [n '] box, karma [n'] box, baraba [n '] box.
- The sound [s] is softened in the position in front of the soft [t '], [n'], and [h], before [d '] and [n']: th [s '] t, [s'] neg, [s '] here, in [z'] nya.
These two rules apply to all speakers of the academic language, however there are dialects where softening also occurs. For example, [d '] believe or [s'] may be pronounced.
Assimilation
The phonetic process of assimilation can be defined as assimilation. In other words, sounds that are difficult to pronounce are, as it were, likened to those standing nearby. This applies to combinations such as “mid”, “zch”, also “shch”, “hdch” and “stch”. Instead, pronounce [u]. Happiness - [sch] astye; the man is the mu.
Verbal combinations are also assimilated - tts and -t, instead of them one hears [c]: a crown [c] a, a battle [c] a, hear [c] a.
This also includes simplification. When a group of consonants loses one of them: so [n] tse, ime [n] yak.