Learning Russian Pronunciation

Before we attempt to understand the sounds produced by Russian speakers, and attempt to modify our motor output to match, we first need to map out some of what our motor outputs already are, in the context of English. This is particularly striking in English, where our mental representation of what a word is made up of—strongly influenced by spelling—can differ in all sorts of ways from how we actually say it!

Take, as a quick example, the phrase: "Did you buy a truck today?" The spelling alone doesn't make it obvious at all that (depending a bit on your English dialect), you're pronouncing a "j", "ch" and tapped "r" sound in that sentence!

Now, with some sounds in some languages, it can be enough to simply point out: Did you know you're making a Spanish tapped r sound all the time? Simply think of your English "tt" in "butter" whenever you see the Spanish r! This technique is pretty effective, and really quick. It does have some shortcomings. Not only does it not reach sounds that your native language completely lacks, it can be somewhat misleading when not wielded knowledgeably. Of course, it all depends on how good of an accent you personally want to achieve, but this article is for those who want to pass as native! In that case, we should note that the above technique falls very short when the target language contains sounds that are "kinda like" sounds in our native language, but aren't actually the same. While it is possible and does happen that languages share literally the same sound, it also often happens that two languages both have a "sh" sound of sorts, but they can be quite different types. Pronouncing the target language's "sh" as your native language's is easily enough to give you away.

So, if we're going to learn the real and specific sounds that Russian is made up of, we'll also need to put a finger on many English sounds—a conscious, practiced, confident finger. This allows us to address ourselves to the Russian sound with a much greater degree of clarity, and actually hear what at first sounded like a negligible difference for the stark mark of non-nativeness it is.

Since I first encountered the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the tool linguists use to catalog each unique human sound with a unique symbol, I have had an idea I wanted to try out. In the IPA, you can find paragraphs of text written in an accent, not just "written in English." You can even find paragraphs which begin in one accent, and transition programmatically to another! A skilled reader of the IPA could read the paragraph aloud, and bewilder anyone in the room with a bizarre and mind-bending transition between accents. Here, I'll give you something similar: a story written in English, that progressively becomes written in the IPA. If you read aloud the word you think it is, you'll pronounce the sounds of the symbols you see (by and large). Notice what words didn't used to be "spelled the same" and now become so, and which words used to be written the same, and now are written differently.

Once upon a taɪm there was a great famine ɪn the land, and Monkey could faɪnd no food. There were no bulbs, no beans, no ɪnsects, nor anything else to eat. At last Monkey said to hɪmself, "Waɪ should aɪ perish here with hunger? Maɪ uncle Orang-outang haz enough and to spare; aɪ shall go to hɪm, and he wɪll gɪve me food and shelter." So he set out and soon came to the place where Orang-outang lɪved. For a long taɪm Monkey was happy ɪn hɪz new home, but baɪ and baɪ he heard that there was no longer a famɪne ɪn hɪz own lænd. Then he decided to go back. Before he started, Orang-outang made hɪm a present of a fɪddle and a bow and arrow, "Wɪth thɪs bow and arrow you cæn kɪl any animal," he said. "Wɪth thɪs fidl you cæn make anything dænce until you bɪd ɪt stop." Thænking hɪz uncle for the presents, Monkey set out on hɪz homeward journey. On the way he met Brother Wolf. "What newz, Brother Wolf?" æskt Monkey. When Wolf hæd told him the newz, Monkey æskt, "What hæv you bɪn doing to-day?" "Oh," said Wolf, "aɪ hæv bɪn following a deer all the morning, but aɪ hæv been unable to get near enough to kɪll him. Now aɪ æm faint wɪth hʌnger." "aɪ cæn help you," said Monkey. "aɪ hæv a mægɪc bow ænd arrow. Show me the dir, and aɪ wɪll brɪng hɪm down." When Wolf showed hɪm the dir, Monki fɪtted æn arrow to the bow and took eɪm. Hardly hæd the arrow left the bow when the dir fell dɛd. Monki ænd Wolf sæt down and hæd a good fist. æs Wolf eɪt, hi thought of the magɪc bow and arrow, and hi plænned to gɛt thɛm aweɪ frʌm Monki. "First aɪ wɪll æsk for thɛm,"hi sɛd to hɪmself. "ɪf Monki wɪll not gɪv thɛm to me, aɪ wɪll use force." Whɛn Wolf hæd fɪnɪshed eating, hi sɛd to Monki, "Pliz gɪv mi the bow and arrow." "aɪ wɪll not," sɛd Monki. "ðeɪ were a preznt from my dir uncle; waɪ should aɪ gɪv ðɛm to you?" "Very wɛll," sɛd Wolf. "aɪ am stronger ðæn you, and aɪ wɪll teɪk ðɛm baɪ force." Wʊlf waz just about tʊ snætch ðe bow and arrow from Monki when Jæckal came along. ðɛn Wʊlf thought of a new plæn.hi called out tə Jæckal, "hɛlp! hɛlp! Monki hæz stolən maɪ mægɪk bow ənd arrow." Jæckal came running to ðɛm. Wʊlf told hɪz saɪd əf ðə story, ænd Monki told hɪz. "aɪ kænnot bəlieve aɪðer əv you," sɛd Jækəl. "Lɛt əs leɪ ðə kwɛstion bəfore ðə kort. ðɛr, Laɪən, Taɪger, ən ði oðer ænɪmalz wəll hɪr you both; pərhaps ðeɪ wəll bi able tə dɪsaɪd tə whom ðə mægik bow ən arrow bɪlong. bət tə keep you two frəm kwarreling, aɪ həd bettər teɪk kɛər əf ðə bow ən arrow." Monki geɪv ðəm tə jækəl, ən all thri started ɑff tə kourt. wən ðeɪ ərrived, ðere sæt Laɪən ən ðə throne. sitəd əɹound wəɹ ði oðeɹ ænɪməlz əf ðə jʌngl. monki told hɪz stoɹy fəɹst. stændɪŋ in fɹont of ðe thɹone, hi meɪd a low bow and sɛd, "ðe gɹeɪt fæmɪn, my lɔɹd, dɹove me out of my kountɹy, and aɪ hæd tə teɪk ɹefuge wɪθ maɪ ʌnkl. whɛn aɪ staɹted bæk home,hi geɪv mi ðɪs bow and aɹow. faɪndɪŋ wʊlf almost staɹvɪŋ, aɪ shot a diɹ foɹ hɪm. instead of beɪŋ gɹeɪtful foɹ ðe food,hitɹaɪd to ɹɑb me of ðe bow and aɹɹow. aɪ æm heɹe to æsk ðæt you ɹestoɹe ðɛm to mi." "hi does not tɛll ðe tɹuθ," kɹaɪd wʊlf. ðen jækal sɛd, "aɪ bɪliv ðæt ðe bow æn aɹɹow bɪlɑŋ to wʊlf; hi ən moŋki weɹe quaɹɹelɪŋ əbaʊt thɛm whɛn aɪ kame aloŋ. ðeɪ agɹeed to leave ðe question to you, kɪŋ laɪən. aɪ know you wɪll si ðət justɪs ɪz done." wʊlf looked veɹy ɪnəsənt æn sɛd noθɪŋ. kɪŋ laɪən ɹose and asked, "what seɪ you? to whom do ðe bow æn aɹɹow bɪlɑŋ?" "to wʊlf," theɪ all kɹaɪd. "stilɪŋ is a cɹime ðat must be punished," sɛd kɪŋ laɪən. "what ʃæll be done?" "lɛt moŋki be hanged," ðeɪ all kɹaɪd. moŋki stɪl hæd hɪz mæd͡ʒɪk fɪdl. holdɪŋ ɪt in hɪz hand, hi meɪd a deep baʊ and sɛd: "gɪv mi liv to play a tune on my fɪdl befoɹe aɪ hæŋ, o kɪŋ." now, ðe beasts all loved a meɹɹy tune, and knowɪŋ ðat monki was a mæsteɹ playeɹ ðeɪ called aʊt, "lɛt hɪm play." monki placed ðe fɪdl undeɹ hɪz chin, d͡ʒɹew ðe boʊ acɹoss ðe stɹɪŋs, and st͡ʃɹuk up "cɑkcɹoʊ." ðɪs waz a feɪvoɹɪt tune wɪθ ðe koɹt. at ðe fiɹst notes all nodded ðeiɹ hɛdz in taɪm to ðe muzɪk. as monki played ɑn, ðe ɛntiɹe koɹt bɪgæn to dæns. ɹound and ɹound ðeɪ went like a whiɹlwind. oveɹ and oveɹ, quikeɹ and quikeɹ sounded ðe tune of "cɑkcɹoʊ." fæsteɹ and fæsteɹ flew the danseɹz, untɪl one afteɹ anoðeɹ fell to ðe gɹound woɹn out. monki saw noθɪŋ of all ðɪz. wɪθ aɪz closed and hɪz head placed lovɪŋly against ðe fɪdl, hi played on and on, keepɪŋ taɪm wɪθ hɪz foot. wʊlf was ðe fiɹst one to cɹy out, "please stɑp, cousin monki. foɹ pɪty's seɪk, stɑp." but monki did not seem to heaɹ him. again and again sounded ðe mæd͡ʒɪk notes of "cɑkcɹoʊ." kɪŋ lion hæd gone ɹound and ɹound wɪθ hɪz young waɪf so many taɪmz that boθ weɹe ɹeady to d͡ʒɹop. at last, as hi passed monki, hi ɹoaɹed, "stɑp, eɪp! maɪ whole kɪŋdom ɪz youɹs ɪf you wɪll only stɑp playɪŋ." "aɪ do not want ɪt," sɛd monki. "meɪk wʊlf confess ðat hi tɹaɪd to steal my bow and aɹɹow. ðen aɪ wɪll stɑp playɪŋ." "aɪ konfɛs! aɪ konfɛs!" pænted wʊlf, who was ɹeady to fɑll to ðe gɹound. "gʊd," kɹaɪd kɪŋ lion, as ðe music stɑpt. "moŋki is innocent. let him have hɪz bow and aɹɹow." "punish wʊlf!" kɹied the ænɪməlz. so wʊlf was soundly beaten and dɹiven fɹom ðe koɹt. ðɛn monki went ɑff ɹɪˈd͡ʒɔɪsɪŋ, kɛɹiɪŋ wɪθ hɪm hɪz mæd͡ʒɪk gɪfs.

If you'd like a break after that, it's understandable! That's quite a strange trick that's just been played on you, but now you've experienced some IPA in action, we can slow down and take apart some of the key English sounds that need to be squarely distinguished from the new sounds that make up Russian phonology...