Sonorant sounds are special phonetic units. They differ from other sounds not only in their characteristics, but also in the specificity of their functioning in speech. What does “sonorant sounds” mean and what are their features is discussed in detail in the article.

Russian language sound system

Language is a unique phenomenon. It is studied and described from various positions, which determines the existence of many sections in the science of language - linguistics. One of these sections is phonetics. In the systemic view of language, phonetics is the first, basic linguistic tier. It deals with one of the material aspects of language, namely its sound. Thus, phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies the sound side of language.

Phonetics defines sound as the minimal indivisible unit of language; all speech sounds are divided into vowels and consonants; their key difference is in the method of articulation: vowels are created using tone (at school they usually say that such sounds “can be sung”), and consonants are formed by noise.

There was once a debate about the number of vowel sounds in the Russian language; points of view were divided: the Moscow phonological school did not recognize the sound [s] as independent, considering it a variant of the sound [i], while the Leningrad scientific school insisted on complete independence of [s]. Thus, according to the former, there are 5 vowel sounds in the Russian language, and according to the latter, there are 6. Note that the point of view of the Leningrad phonological school is still generally accepted.

Consonants

In linguistics, the classification of consonant sounds is carried out on various grounds:

• at the place of formation (depending on the place in the mouth where the outgoing air stream meets an obstacle);
• by the method of formation (depending on what obstacle the air stream encounters and how it overcomes it);
• by the presence/absence of palatalization (mitigation);
• by noise level (i.e., by the ratio of tone and noise during articulation).

It is the last principle that is of interest to us, since it is according to it that all consonants are usually divided into noisy and sonorant. When noisy consonants are formed, the noise intensity is much higher than when sonorant ones are formed.

Note that this classification is generally accepted, but is far from the only one.

Sonorant sounds in Russian

In the formation of sonorant sounds, tone prevails over noise. But we already know that vowel sounds are formed with the help of tone (voice). It turns out that sonorous sounds are vowels?! Modern linguistics clearly classifies sonorants as consonants, but this was not always the case.

If you look at the textbook by Professor, Doctor of Philology A. A. Reformatsky, “Introduction to Linguistics,” 1967 edition, you will see that the author divides sounds into sonorant and noisy. Thus, in Reformatsky’s classification, all vowels, as well as [p], [l], [m], [n] and their soft pairs, as well as [j] are considered sonorant precisely because of the dominance of tone over noise in the process of articulation .

Over time, the classification has undergone changes, and today it is customary to distinguish between vowels and sonorants, and the latter are included in the composition of consonants. Modern linguistics classifies as sonorant [p], [l], [m], [n] (as well as their palatalized pairs) and [j] (in some school textbooks it is designated as [th]).

But the change in the formal side did not change the principle and method of their formation, which determines the special position of these sounds in the phonetic system of the Russian language. Simply put, sonorant sounds are consonant sounds that behave like vowels in speech from the point of view of phonetic laws.

For example, they are not subject to, like other voiced consonants at the end of a word, for example: oak [dup], but also they are not subject to the law of assimilation, which states that a deaf person standing in front of a voiced consonant becomes voiced, i.e., becomes similar to it, and a voiced one in front of a deaf person he is deafened. Sonorants do not affect the quality of the preceding consonant sound, just like vowel sounds. Compare: pass [zdatꞌ] and path [doroshka], but primus [prꞌimus].

Summarize

So, sonorant sounds are the sounds [р], [л], [м], [н] and their soft pairs [рꞌ], [лꞌ], [мꞌ], [нꞌ], respectively, as well as the sound [j]. All these sounds do not have a hardness/dullness pair, that is, they are always voiced. And the sound [j] does not have a pair in terms of hardness/softness, that is, it is not only always sonorous, but also always soft.

Phonetics- this is a branch of the science of language in which sounds and their alternations are studied, as well as stress, intonation, and syllable division.

Graphic arts is a branch of the science of language in which the designs of the letters of the alphabet and their relationship with the sounds of speech are studied.

Modern Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters, 10 of which are created to indicate vowel sounds and are called vowels accordingly. 21 consonant letters are used to represent consonant sounds. In addition, in the modern Russian language there are two letters that sounds are not indicated: ъ(hard symbol), b(soft symbol).

Vowels and consonants

The sounds of speech in writing are square brackets. This is a transcription. In transcription, it is not customary to write lowercase letters and use punctuation marks. See carefully: Rules for Russian transcription at school.

All sounds of the Russian language are divided into vowels and consonants.

1. Vowel sounds- these are sounds that are formed with the participation of the voice. There are 6 of them in the Russian language: [a], [e], [i], [o], [u], [s].

2. Consonants- these are sounds that are formed with the participation of voice and noise or only noise.

A) Consonant sounds are divided into hard and soft. Most of the hard and soft consonants form pairs according to hardness-softness: [b] - [b"], [c] - [c"], [g] - [g"], [d] - [d"], [z] - [z"], [k] - [k"], [l] - [l"], [m] - [m"], [n] - [n"], [p] - [p"], [p] - [p"], [s] - [s"], [t] - [t"], [f] - [f"], [x] - [x"] (the apostrophe at the top right indicates softness consonant sound). For example, bow - [bow] and hatch - [l "uk].

b) Some consonant sounds do not have correlative pairs, however, hardness-softness, in other words, there are unpaired hard consonants[zh], [w], [ts] (i.e. they are always only solid) and unpaired soft consonants[w"], [th], [h] (i.e. they are always only soft).

Notes:

V) Consonant sounds formed with the participation of voice and noise are called booming(for example, [d], [d"], [z], [z"], etc.); in this case, only noise participates in the formation of sounds, then such sounds are called deaf consonants (for example, [t], [t"], [s], [s"], etc.). Most of the voiceless and voiceless consonants in the Russian language form voiced-voiceless pairs: [b] - [p], [b"] - [p"], [c] - [f], [v"] - [f"], [g] - [k], [g"] - [k"], [d] - [t], [d"] - [t"], [z] - [s], [z"] - [s"], [g] - [w]. Wed: beat - drink, year - cat, live - sew.

G) The sounds [th], [l], [l"], [m], |m"], [n], [n"], [r], [r"] do not form a correlative pair with voiceless consonants, as follows, they are unpaired echoing(unpaired echoing consonants are also called sonorous, these are sounds in the formation of which both voice and noise participate). Conversely, voiceless consonants that do not form pairs with voiced consonants are unpaired deaf. These are the sounds [h], [ts], [x], [x"].

3. In a stream of speech, the sound of 1 sound can be likened to the sound of another sound. This phenomenon is called assimilation. So, in the word life, the sound [z], standing next to the soft [n"], also softens, and we get the sound [z"]. Therefore, the pronunciation of the word life written like this: [zhyz "n"]. Sound convergence can also occur in sounds that are paired in terms of sonority and deafness. Thus, booming consonants in the position before the voiceless ones and at the end of the word are similar in sound to paired voiceless ones. As it should happen stun consonants. For example, a boat is a lo[t]ka, a parable is a jump[s]ka, a cart is a vo[s]. The opposite phenomenon may also occur, when voiceless consonants in the position before voiced ones also become booming, in other words misspoke. For example, mowing is ko[z"]ba, request is about [z"]ba.

Indication of softness of consonants in writing

In the Russian language, the softness of consonants is indicated by the following methods:

1. Using a letterb(soft symbol) at the end of a word and in the middle between consonants: usefulness - [pol"za], elk - [los"], etc.

Note. The soft symbol does not indicate softness of consonants in the following cases:

a) in this case serves to separate consonants, the 2nd of which th(yot): leaves - lis[t"ya], be-lie - be[l"yo];

b) to distinguish grammatical categories: rye (3 classes, female form) - knife (2 classes, m. form);

c) to distinguish the forms of words (after hissing ones): read (2 liters, singular), cut (imperative form), help (indefinite form of the verb), also adverbs: gallop, supine.

2. By means of lettersAnd,e, e, yu, I, indicating the softness of the previous consonant sound and conveying vowel sounds [i], [e], [o], [u], [a]: forest - [l "es", honey - [m "ot", lil - [l"il], hatch - [l"uk], crumpled - [m"al].

3. Using the following soft consonants: cog - [v"in"t"ik], plum - [s"l"iva].

Sound meaning of letters e, e, yu, i

1. The letters e, ё, yu, i can meantwo sounds: [ye], [yo], [yu], [ya]. This happens in the following cases:

In addition, after the separation b the letter will represent two sounds And: nightingales - nightingale [yi].

2. The letters e, e, yu, i indicate the softness of the preceding consonant in the position after consonants, paired in hardness-softness: fur - [m"eh], carried - [n"os], hatch - [l"uk], crumpled - [m"al].

Memo:

Phonetic analysis of the word

Phonetic analysis of a word is an analysis of a word, which consists of characterizing syllable structure And sound composition of the word; phonetic analysis of a word implies elements of graphic analysis. The word for phonetic analysis in school textbooks is indicated by the number 1: for example, earth 1 .

When conducting a phonetic analysis of a word, you must definitely pronounce the word out loud. You cannot automatically convert alphabetic notation into audio, this leads to errors. It is necessary to keep in mind that it is not the letters that are characterized, but the sounds of the word.

Needs to be done from time to time phonetic recording of an entire sentence or text. See more about this: Sentence transcription standards.

The order of phonetic analysis of a word (according to school tradition):

1. Write down this word, divide it into syllables, orally indicate the number of syllables.

2. Put emphasis on the word.

3. Write down the phonetic transcription of the word (we write the word in letters in a column, opposite each letter we write the sound in square brackets).

4. Describe the sounds (in front of each sound we put a dash and write its properties, separating them with commas):

5. Indicate the number of sounds and letters.

Standards for phonetic parsing of words(baseline)

Earth - earth
z[z"] - consonant, soft, booming
e[i] - vowel, unstressed
m [m] - consonant, hard, booming
l [l "] - consonant, soft, booming
e[e] - vowel, stressed
----------
5 letters, 5 sounds

They turn black - they turn black
ch[h] - consonant, soft, deaf
e[i] - vowel, unstressed
r[r] - consonant, hard, booming
n[n"] - consonant, soft, booming
e[e] - vowel, stressed
yu[y] - consonant, soft, booming
[u] - vowel, unstressed
t[t] - consonant, hard, deaf.
-----------
7 letters, 8 sounds

See carefully: Rules for phonetic transcription for students studying the Russian language in depth.

Additionally:

In Russian, consonants are divided into hard and soft, voiced and voiceless. For example, sounds do not have a soft pair, but i do not have a hard pair. Find consonant sounds that sound before voiced paired consonants. 5 letters, 6 sounds). Many Russian consonants form pairs based on hardness and softness: –, – and others. According to the ratio of noise and voice, consonants are divided into voiced and voiceless. In a word, vowels can be in stressed and unstressed syllables.

In each case there are consonants that have a pair, as well as consonants that do not have a pair. Let's look at paired and unpaired consonants, and in what words they occur. In the following lessons we will look at other words that are used in Russian. Consonants cannot be sung. They are pronounced with noise and voice: B, Zh, Z. Or only with noise: P, T, F. Consonants are voiced, voiceless paired unpaired.

The voiced “Zh” will be paired with the unvoiced “Sh”. For example: heat - ball. “I understand,” said Zubok. A dull sound is the same as a voiced sound, but said quietly, without a voice. However, not all consonants are paired. Paired consonants will live in one, and unpaired consonants will live in the other. Each consonant has characteristics that distinguish it from other consonant sounds. In speech, sounds can be replaced under the influence of neighboring sounds in a word. It is important to know the strong and weak positions of consonant sounds in a word in order to spell them correctly.

Feature 6. There are two letters in the Russian language that do not make any sounds. Nine sounds are considered sonorant in the Russian language: , . As with all consonants, when articulating sonorants, an obstacle is created in the oral cavity. In the formation of noisy consonants (, etc.), on the contrary, noise plays the main role. It occurs as a result of an air stream overcoming an obstacle.

The listed sounds are, respectively, either voiced paired or voiceless paired. This replacement is called voicing of the consonant. Do not forget that paired voiced consonants in a weak position at the end of a word or before a voiceless consonant are always voiced, and voiceless consonants in front of a voiced consonant are sometimes voiced. When letters that usually denote voiceless consonants, when voiced, denote voiced sounds, this seems so unusual that it can lead to errors in transcription.

In tasks related to comparing the number of letters and sounds in a word, there may be “traps” that provoke errors. Let’s agree: dull sounds will live on the first floor, and voiced sounds will live on the second floor. But not all consonant sounds and letters form pairs. Those consonants that do not have pairs are called unpaired. Let's put unpaired consonant sounds in our houses.

The sounds of the second house are also called sonorous, because they are formed with the help of the voice and almost without noise, they are very sonorous. In this case, pairs of sounds are distinguished by voicedness and deafness, always voiced (the term “sonorant” is not introduced) and always voiceless.

Observations convince students that the consonant sounds l, m, n, r are pronounced with voice and noise, that is, they are voiced, and they do not have a paired dull sound (unpaired voiced sounds). Similarly, students come to the conclusion that the consonants x, c, ch are unpaired voiceless.

PART ONE: ABOUT HARD AND SOFT consonants. This is one pair: and! Only we are accustomed to the fact that all consonants turn from hard to soft if they are followed by ь or an iotized vowel. These sounds exist, for example, in the Ukrainian language. As for the sound, I have more than once heard the opinion that it is not a consonant sound at all, but a semivowel. Thus, we see that the sounds and are unpaired voiced, and the sounds and are unpaired voiceless.

Right, . Yes, and if you pronounce it and pull it, you will hear that it is nothing more than, and these sounds are paired. Therefore, there must be sound. But the deaf, apparently, do not exist at all. Thus, we see that the most commonly used consonant sounds in the Russian language are not 36, but 39, or 38 consonants and one semivowel, depending on who you like)).

In the Russian language there are many more consonants than vowels. There are two types of obstruents in the Russian language: gap and stop - these are the two main ways of forming consonants. Let's compare the words: house and cat. Each word has 1 vowel sound and 2 consonants.

2) before them there is no voicing of paired deaf consonants (i.e. the position in front of them is strong in deafness-voicing, just like before vowels). School textbooks say that and are unpaired in hardness and softness. Confusion arises because school textbooks do not take into account that the sound is also long, but not hard. Pairs are sounds that differ in only one attribute.

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Noisy and sonorant, voiceless and voiced consonants

Step by step, we will analyze all the basic words, and you will understand a lot about this subject, and it will no longer be something confusing and complex. The presenter Vasilisa asked to repeat everything that the students had learned about consonants.

How are these paired? The thing is that you missed the previous lesson, where we studied paired consonants,” Vasilisa explained. And they will give examples. It is enough to change the word so that after an incomprehensible consonant there is a vowel. And then we will understand exactly what letter needs to be written. Let's find these loners together in the Russian alphabet. Paired Unpaired F - W M, N Z - S X, Ts K - G R, L And now let's make up a story from words that contain only unpaired consonants.

He didn't notice it because he was looking at the moon. And then his faithful knight entered. And scared away the fly. Well done! Either loud, or quieter, Cat - cat, year - year. We can easily distinguish them. And at the end we will write the letter correctly. Comparison with vowel sounds. These changes in sounds are usually not reflected in writing. Dear colleagues and graduates! I welcome you to my blog)) I would like to inform you that the blog “Up to your ears in the OGE and the Unified State Exam!” has expanded the scope of its content.

Sounds are divided into vowels and consonants. They have different natures. Pay attention to consonant sounds at the end of words and before voiceless consonants. Even though these consonants are paired, they are still very different. But there are sounds that do not have a pair on the basis of hardness and softness. The tone component of the sound is minor and can either be absent altogether (for voiceless consonants) or complement the main one (for voiced consonants).

Sonorant consonants

§ 20. To describe some phonetic phenomena, they distinguish sonorous consonants (sonants). In Russian these are the sounds [l], [l"], [r], [r"], [m], [m"], [n], [n"], [j], [i] (the remaining consonants are called noisy).

Sonorant consonants differ from noisy consonants not only in articulatory, but also in acoustic and phonological characteristics (see below § 65, 157).

From an articulatory point of view, sonorant consonants occupy an intermediate position between vowels and noisy consonants. This manifests itself in the following:

when articulating nasal consonants in the vocal tract, a barrier is created for the passage of air and at the same time conditions are created that prevent the occurrence of noise: a passage into the nasal cavity opens;

when articulating the lateral ones, the lateral edges of the tongue are lowered and passages are created through which air bypasses the barrier created in the central part of the vocal tract;

when articulating trembling, a barrier is formed for such a short time that its violation does not cause the formation of noise;

a special type of sonorant consonants is formed when a narrowing of the approximant type is created in the vocal tract - for example, [i] (the same narrowing is created in the lateral region when pronouncing [l], [l’]) 23.

The consonants [р], [р"], [л], [л"] are united by the term " smooth"(liquids).

Additional articulation

§ 21. Simultaneously with the main articulation of sound, additional articulation can be carried out. In the Russian language, additional articulations are characteristic primarily of consonant sounds 24. Additional consonantal articulation differs from the main degree of narrowing in the vocal tract. At the site of additional articulation, the narrowing is less than at the site of the main one (usually it is the same as during the articulation of approximant or vowels). There are three types of additional articulations in the Russian language:

labialization– rounding of the lips (this type of articulation characterizes consonants in the position before the vowels [y] and [o]);

palatalization– displacement of the body of the tongue forward and upward in the direction of the hard palate;

velarization– displacement of the body of the tongue back and upward in the direction of the soft palate (see Fig. 47.48 in Appendix A).

In Russian, additional articulation characterizes most consonants. All soft consonants, except [j] and [i], are palatalized, and all hard consonants, except for the velars [k], [g], [x], are velarized. The consonant [j] cannot be palatalized, since the place of its main articulation coincides with the place of additional articulation of palatalization, and the consonants [k], [g], [x] cannot be velarized, since the place of their main articulation coincides with the place of additional articulation velarization. Thus, from an articulatory point of view, there are no unpaired consonants 25 in terms of hardness/softness (except for [j] and [i]).

Non-palatalized and non-velarized consonants are possible in Russian in consonantal combinations in the position before a soft consonant ( With neg, h make-up and so on.). Such consonants, as well as consonants with a slight degree of palatalization, are called semi-soft.

The terms “hard” and “soft” consonant are not completely identical to the articulatory terms “velarized” and “palatalized” - thus, non-velarized [k], [g], [x] in SLSL are, nevertheless, hard consonants, and non-palatalized [ j] – soft.

The degree of palatalization and velarization can vary both in different languages ​​and in the same language. For example, palatalization in dental consonants in the Russian language is more pronounced than in labial consonants, and the Russians [l], [sh], and [zh] are characterized by the highest degree of velarization.

The presence of additional articulation (especially in a place close to the main one) can lead to a change in the place and method of the main articulation. When soft [t"], [d"], [n"] and especially [l"] are formed, the articulatory focus shifts backward compared to the corresponding hard ones (so [l"] in the pronunciation of most SRL speakers is, strictly speaking, not dental, but alveolar); with articulation, [z"], on the contrary, the articulatory focus shifts forward compared to the corresponding hard ones. The place of formation changes most significantly in palatalized [k’], [g’], [x’]: unlike the posterior palatal [k], [g], [x], they are mid-palatal, while remaining posterior lingual.

The change in the method of formation during palatalization is most clearly manifested in dental consonants: soft [d "], [t"] become so strongly affricated (acquire a fricative phase) that from an articulatory point of view they become affricates [d z "], [t s "].

In transcription, additional articulations are usually indicated by diacritics (softness [j] is not indicated, since it never is and cannot be physiologically hard). In the Russian phonetic tradition, velarization of consonants is traditionally not indicated 26. The semi-softness of a consonant can be indicated by a dot at the top right of the corresponding symbol: [p. n "e k].

Additional articulations most often arise in the history of language from the phenomena of coarticulation.