Common Russian sounds learners struggle with
Common Russian sounds that learners struggle with often include the following:
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Rolling the “Р” (r) sound: The Russian “р” is trilled or rolled like in Spanish or Italian, which can be challenging for learners used to the English “r” where the tongue does not trill. Many learners under-trill or use the English “r” instead. 1
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Vowel reduction and stress: Russian vowels are reduced in unstressed syllables to softer, more neutral sounds, unlike English where vowels tend to be clearer. Learners often overpronounce vowels in unstressed syllables or misunderstand which syllable to stress. 2, 1
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Final consonant devoicing: Russian devoices voiced consonants at the end of words, so words ending with “б, д, г” sound like “п, т, к”. Learners may have difficulty mastering this devoicing rule. 1
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Distinction between hard and soft consonants: Russian has pairs of consonants that are “hard” or “soft” (palatalized), which English speakers especially find challenging to perceive and pronounce. 3, 4
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Difficulty with certain vowels not present in Russian, such as the schwa sound /ə/, often pronounced with too much force by Russian speakers. 5
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Confusion with English “w” and “v” sounds since Russian does not have a “w” sound and Russian “в” can sound like English “v” or “w” to learners. 6
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Intonation and pitch patterns, as Russian uses distinct pitch changes for emotions and questions, which can result in a flat or monotone delivery in learners. 1
These challenges are common because of specific phonetic and phonological differences between Russian and other languages, especially English. 2, 1
In summary, learners struggle particularly with the rolled “r,” vowel reduction/stress, devoicing of final consonants, soft vs. hard consonants, and certain vowel/consonant distinctions like “w”/“v” and the schwa sound.