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Strong and weak positions of phonemes. Strong and weak positions of vowels and the composition of vowel phonemes in the Russian language

Phonemes fall into different pronunciation conditions (positions). Position is the conditions for the realization of a phoneme in speech. These conditions include: the immediate phonetic environment (sound combinations), place in the word (beginning, end, inside a morpheme, at the junction of morphemes), position in relation to stress. In some pronunciation conditions, phonemes do not change their sound, but in others they do. Depending on the position in which the phonemes are located, it is in varying degrees differentiate forms. For example, the phonemes /a/, /o/, being under stress, distinguish words: ladies, house, and, being in an unstressed position, they lose this ability: Houses[house] (cf. lady[dam]) .

There are positions of maximum differentiation (strong positions) and positions of minimum differentiation (weak positions). These phoneme positions are differentiated depending on whether the phoneme “retains” or “loses” its “face.” A strong position is a position favorable for the phoneme to perform its functions, a position in which it differs (contrastes) greatest number phonemes and forms are differentiated to the greatest extent. The phoneme appears here in its basic appearance, retains its difference from all other phonemes, which allows it in the best possible way perform its functions. In this position there is no coincidence of phonemes, which leads to non-distinction of forms.

A strong position is a position in which all phonemes included in a given opposition are possible. Thus, the position before the vowel is a strong position for consonant phonemes in the Russian language, since in this position both voiced and voiceless consonant phonemes are possible: [t]om, [d]om. A weak position is a position in which not all phonemes included in a given opposition are possible. Thus, in Russian, the end of a word is a weak position for the voiced/voiceless opposition, since voiced consonants are impossible here: ko[t], code [kot].

The strong position for Russian vowels is the stressed position.

A strong position for consonants (based on deafness/voice) in Russian is the position before vowels, sonorants and the sound [v]: [t]om – [d]om; [p]ar – [b]ar; [n]right - [b]right; [z]loy - [s]loy; [T]believe – [d]believe etc.

For hard and soft consonants in Russian, the strong position is the position of the end of the word and the position before vowels (except [e]): es[t] – es[t’]; sconce[t] – sconce[t’]; ko[n] – ko[n’]; [m]al – [m’]yal; [n]os – [n’]`yos etc.

Weak position – This is a position that is unfavorable for the phoneme to perform its functions, i.e. a position in which a smaller number of phonemes differs (is contrasted) than in a strong position and forms differ to a lesser extent, since phonemes have limited opportunities to fulfill its distinctive function. In this position, a coincidence of phonemes occurs, which leads to non-distinction of forms and to a violation of meaning differentiation. For vowels, the weak position is the position without stressed syllable. In this position, two or more phonemes in one sound coincide (either as a result of reduction or under the influence of neighboring sounds).

For voiceless/voiced consonants in Russian, the weak position is the position at the end of the word, where they do not differ, coinciding in one sound.

In the weak position, the elimination of differences between phonemes takes place - the neutralization of phonological oppositions. For example, the phonological opposition between the voiced phoneme /z/ and the voiceless phoneme /s/ is neutralized at the end of the word: cf. goats - goats[braid] and braids - braids[braid]. The phonemes /z/ and /s/ at the end of the word coincided in one sound [s]. A phoneme that appears in a weak position is called an “archiphoneme” by some scholars.

The weak position for voiceless/voiced consonants in Russian is also the position “in front” of noisy ones. In this position, assimilation in deafness/voiceness occurs. Wed. ask - request[proz'b]; say - a fairy tale .

For hard/soft consonants in Russian, the weak position is the position before [e], which excludes the possibility of using hard consonants paired with hardness/softness: window - in the window[in Λkn’e]. The position before [j] is also weak: raven – raven [vurΛn’jo].

In Russian phonetics, several types of allophones are distinguished depending on the nature of the function they perform, place in a word, proximity to other sounds, stressed and unstressed:

1) Variations (or shades of a phoneme, according to L.V. Shcherba), these are allophones that appear in a strong position under conditions of positional conditioning. For vowels, for example, this is the position under stress next to soft consonants. Wed. variations of the phoneme /a/ in words fifth, five. Variations are positional modifications of phonemes that do not lose their distinctive function and are practically identical to the main type of phoneme, therefore they are sometimes called “sound synonyms” of the main type of phoneme.

2) Variants that appear in a weak position of a phoneme under conditions of its positional conditioning. Variants are modifications of a phoneme that coincide with another phoneme, coinciding with it in quality. Acting as a substitute for two (or more) phonemes, the variant loses part of its ability to distinguish the meanings of words, being a “sound homonym” of the matching phonemes. (See examples with the coincidence of /a/ and /o/ in an unstressed position or /z/ and /s/ at the end of a word).

How to determine which phoneme the variant in the weak position belongs to? Some scientists believe that it is necessary to change the word so that in the same morpheme this variant appears in its basic form, i.e. would be in a strong position. Wed. Houses[house] - house. It is concluded that in the word Houses[domΛma] represents the phoneme /o/.

In the case when the option appears only in a weak position, i.e. when it does not alternate with a sound in a strong position (when the stress is fixed or the word is unchangeable), for example, in the word dog[sΛbak], it is believed that the sound (in in this case[Λ]) is a variant of one of the phonemes included in the hyperphoneme, i.e. “over-unit” of different phonemes (in this case, the phonemes /o/ and /a/). The hyperphoneme in this case is designated as o/a.

Phonemes perform a distinctive (distinctive) function. The distinctive function includes perceptual (identification) and significative (meaning-discriminating) functions. Perceptual (from lat. perceptio– ‘perception’) the phoneme function is the function of bringing the exponents of words and mophemes to perception. It makes it possible to identify words or morphemes. In the sphere of perceptual function, sound elements are connected by contrast relations.

Significative (from lat. significare– ‘to designate’) phoneme function – This is a meaning-distinguishing function, i.e. function of distinguishing significant elements of language. In the sphere of significative function, sound elements are connected by an opposition relationship.

Performing these functions, phonemes can appear in strong and weak positions. There are:

1) perceptually strong positions;

2) perceptually weak positions;

3) significatively strong positions;

4) significatively weak positions;

1) In a perceptually strong position, the phoneme appears in its basic appearance (by which it is determined).

2) In a perceptually weak position, the phoneme appears in its allophones - in variations.

3) In a significatively strong position, the phoneme appears in its basic form.

4) In a significatively weak position, the phoneme appears in its allophones - in variants.

WEAK POSITIONS OF CONSONANTS

For voiceless and voiced consonants weak positions are those at the end of a word or before other consonants.

At the end of the word, voiced consonants become voiceless and deafened. Pillar we pronounce it like table[p], hike- How lust[t], garage- How gara[w]. The same thing happens before voiceless consonants. Fairy tale reads like sk[s]ka, A boat- How lo[t]ka.

It’s the other way around with voiceless consonants – they themselves become voiced before voiced ones. In place of the phoneme C in the word request sounds [ h].

In what position is it possible to see the real phoneme? This is the position before a vowel or sonorant consonants (supervoiced sounds[ r, l, m, n,j], in which there is more voice than noise).

Let's select test words for our words: turn pillar V tableb ik, hike- V looks liked ny, boat- V lod point, A request- V aboutWith it. Then we will understand which letter needs to be written in place of a weak consonant in order to preserve the basic principle of Russian orthography - recording a real phoneme.

So that there are fewer cases of unclear

And so that there are no bad answers,

Listen to the sound of consonants,

In order not to confuse voiced and deaf...

Dull sounds are fidgets,

They don't want to live in peace,

They strive for a loud neighbor

Stun at all costs.

If you hear a pair of sounds,

Be careful, my friend.

Double check immediately

Feel free to change the word:

Place a vowel next to it!

There are weak and strong positions for hard and soft consonants. According to the laws of the Russian language, in many cases the subsequent soft consonant causes the preceding hard one to soften. And you have to give in to the hard.

Here, for example, is the word bridge. All consonants in it are hard. But it's worth changing if you agree T and turn into soft, when the softening immediately spreads to the neighboring [ With] – mo[s’t’]ik. the same process occurs in word pairs forest – le[s’n’]ik, bow – ba[n’t’]ik. People, unknowingly, can insert in these cases between two soft consonants soft sign. This is not necessary, since the softness of the first consonant is not real, but acquired, “softness from a neighbor.”

There are times when in weak positions phonemes disappear altogether. If there are several consonants nearby, then the middle sound is not pronounced at all. Listen to the words local, tourist, Dutch, holiday. Are all written letters that reflect phonemes actually pronounced? Is it possible to select words for these words in which the phonemes would be in a strong position (we remind you that the main one is before the vowel)?

MonthsT ny – monthT ah, tourismT Chinese – turisT y, golland tsy – golland duh, rightd pristine

Sometimes it appears in words

Terrible consonants.

They are not pronounced

And it’s unclear to you what to write...

To know how to write,

The word needs to be changed.

And behind the incomprehensible sound

Quickly look for the vowel.

Russian language is a difficult subject. We write words completely differently from how they are actually pronounced. In speech, the same phonemes manifest themselves in different sound forms. Compare, for example, the words “honey” - [m"ot] and "honey" - [m"idok]. It all depends on whether phonemes occupy strong positions or weak positions within a word. Let's talk about this in more detail.

Speech is a continuous stream of phonemes in which the pronunciation of a sound is largely determined by its place in the word, neighboring vowels and consonants. IN weak position articulation undergoes significant changes. Phonemes lose some of their characteristics and begin to appear in other variants. For example, [o] in an unstressed position begins to sound like [a]: [vada], [sava]. The final [g] is pronounced like [k]: [druk], [kruk]. It is in such places that we make mistakes in writing.

IN strong position the phoneme, on the contrary, is heard clearly and stands in its basic form. It does not depend on its position in a word; its quality is not affected by neighboring sounds. This is, for example, the phoneme [o] in the words “water”, “owl”. Or the sound [g] in the words “to a friend”, “around”.

Morphological principle of spelling

For what to an ordinary person, far from linguistics, know the strong and weak positions of phonemes? The fact is that the spelling of 90% of Russian words is regulated by the so-called morphological principle. According to him, we should not take into account phonetic alternations when we pick up a pen or type text on a keyboard. Roots, suffixes, prefixes, endings are always written the same way. Reduction of vowels, softening of consonants before certain sounds, their voicing or deafening are not taken into account.

Hence the conclusion: when writing, you cannot rely on hearing. Only sounds in strong positions are written as they are heard. All others need to be verified. Having determined that the phoneme is in a weak position, we begin to select a test word with the same morpheme. For example, tooth - dental, linden - pine, hike - train, to the lamp - to the water. In the test word, the phoneme must be in a strong position, and be in the same morpheme. Otherwise you might make a mistake.

Strong and weak positions of vowel sounds

Already in elementary school children know: the sound under stress is heard for a long time, clearly and does not need to be checked. We can safely write the words “catfish”, “sam” in the notebook. This is a strong vowel position.

The unstressed position is a completely different matter. Such a vowel is in a weak position; we pronounce it briefly, with less force, indistinctly. Compare the words "soma" and "sama". They sound almost the same. In order not to make mistakes when writing them, schoolchildren are taught to select test words.

The Russian language is characterized by:

  • “akanye”, when unstressed [a] and [o] are pronounced the same after hard consonants (for example, the words “at home”, “dala”);
  • “hiccup”, in which unstressed [a] and [e] are indistinguishable after soft consonants (for example, in the words “ball” and “sword”).

The vowels [i], [u] and [s] in a weak position are pronounced shorter, but do not change their quality sound. However, it is better to exercise caution here too. Unstressed [i], for example, can easily be confused with the phonemes [a] and [e] that come after soft consonants.

Positions of consonants: voiceless and voiced

Consonant sounds form pairs according to such characteristics as “voiceless-voiced” and “hard-soft”. Accordingly, strong and weak positions of consonants are also determined by these two characteristics.

A strong position on the basis of “voiceless-voiced” for consonants is the position:

  • before a vowel: tom-house, fence-cathedral;
  • before sonorants: firewood - grass, layer - evil;
  • before the letter "v": the creator is the palace.

In the listed cases, the consonants are heard clearly and do not require verification. It is hardly possible to make a mistake in spellings that do not have a pair for deafness. These include [l], [l"], [n], [n"], [r], [r"], [m], [m"], [th"]. Phonemes [x], [ ts], [x"], [sch"] and [ch"], on the contrary, do not have a voiced paired sound. They can borrow different position in words, maintaining their basic characteristics and not coinciding with other consonants during pronunciation.

When can consonants be voiced or devoiced?

Now we will learn to distinguish between strong positions and weak positions of paired phonemes based on the voiced-voicedness of phonemes. In what cases are we at risk of making a mistake in writing? This position:

  • at the end of a word, where both voiced and voiceless phonemes coincide in their sound: eye - voice, oak - dull, bough - meadow;
  • before the doubles ringing sound when a nearby consonant is also pronounced loudly: shave - [zb]rit, give - o[dd]at;
  • before a voiceless consonant, when the adjacent sound is deafened: spoon - lo[shk]a, entrance - [fh]od.

To avoid mistakes, we must understand in which morpheme the questionable sound is located. Then find a test word where the required phoneme is in a strong position. So that this does not take much time, you need training. Let's select test words for the examples given above: eye - eyes, voice - glasa, oak - oak, stupid - stupid, bough - bough, meadow - meadows; shave - fold, give - drive away; spoon - apply, entrance - left.

Consonant positions: hardness and softness

The time has come to consider the strong and weak positions of consonant sounds on such a basis as “hard-soft”. There are many dangers awaiting us here. Morphological principle doesn't always save. For example, the sounds [zh] and [sh] are always hard, but we know that in some cases a soft sign is written after them (rye, hear). After the hard [ts] there can be the letter “y” (chicken) or “i” (circus).

The sounds [ch"] and [sch"] are always pronounced softly, but from the first grade we remember the spelling of the syllables "cha-sha" and "chu-schu". There is another principle at work here, called traditional or historical. Only a clear knowledge of the rules of the Russian language will save you from making mistakes.

Nevertheless, let's return to theory. In what case do consonants that have a pair of hardness and softness do not change their quality characteristics? This position:

  • before a vowel: [mal] - [m "al", [ox] - [v "ol", [bow] - [l "uk", [life"] - [b "it"];
  • at the end of the word: [kon] - [kon"], [brother] - [brother"];
  • absolutely any for phonemes [l], [l"]: vo[l]a - vo[l"n]a, po[l"z]a - po[l]at;
  • before back-lingual [g], [k], [x], [g"], [k"], [x"] and hard labial [b], [m], [n] for front-lingual sounds: go [rk] a - go[r"k]o, i[zb]a - re[z"b]a;
  • before hard teeth [s], [z], [ts], [d], [t], [l], [n] for teeth: ko[ns]ky - yu[n"s]ky;
  • before hard front-linguals [s], [z], [t], [d], [ts], [l], [r], [n], [sh], [z] for sonorant front-linguals: janu[rs] cue - September[r"s]kiy, ma[nzh]eta - de[n"zh]ata.

Weak positions according to the characteristic "softness - hardness"

There are positions in which hard consonants soften under the influence of neighboring sounds. They are considered weak. This position:

  • Before [th"]: raven - vor[n"y"o]. The exception is the consonants at the end of the prefix before [th"]: [vy"est] - entry.
  • Before soft dental sounds for sounds [c], [n], [z]: together [s"t"]e, [z"d"]es.
  • Before the phonemes [ch"] and [sch"] for the sound [n]: drum [n"sch"]ik, roll [n"ch"]ik.

In general, it is very difficult to distinguish between strong positions and weak positions on the basis of “hard-soft consonant”. The fact is that it is not possible to select examples for all cases. So, in the Russian language before [n] we find only solid [m]: compote, shampoo, etc. Not a single word has the sound [m"] in this position. Consequently, we cannot be completely sure whether it is realized here phoneme [m] or [m"].

Absolute positions for consonants

Let's summarize. Everything is clear with vowel sounds. If they are stressed, the position is considered strong. If the stress falls on another phoneme in the word, then the position is weak. With consonants everything is more complicated.

For example, in the word “tooth” the sound at the end is deafened. The position on the basis of “voice-voicelessness” will be weak. But it is also strong on the soft-hard scale. When the weak positions for both characteristics coincide, the phoneme is considered absolutely weak. It realizes itself in various variations and requires the application of spelling rules.

It happens that a consonant is in a strong position both according to the “voiced-voiceless” characteristic and according to the “soft-hard” characteristic. This is often observed in the position before a vowel sound. This position is called absolutely strong.

Knowing the strong positions and weak positions of phonemes is necessary for every person who wants to write correctly. This will allow you to timely identify the “mistaken” place in the word and remember the corresponding rule.

1. Strong and weak positions of consonants in terms of voiceness and voicelessness.

The strong and weak positions of consonant sounds are varied. Distinguish between strong and weak positions of consonants
by sonority/dullness and hardness/softness.
The strong position of consonants in terms of voicedness-voicelessness is that position that does not deafen or voice sounds.- before vowels and sonorants, and the sounds [в], [в`], as well as for voiced ones before voiced ones, and for voiceless ones before voiceless ones: pick up [p'dbirat`], elephant [elephant].
Weak position on voicedness-voicelessness- at the absolute end of the word: oak - [dup], tooth - [zup], lov - [lof], as well as in deaf people before voiced ones (except for sonorants and in) and in voiced ones before deaf ones: snow [sn'ek].
Absolutely strong position occurs in consonants when there is a coincidence of positions that are strong in voicedness-voicelessness and hardness-softness.
Absolutely weak position occurs in consonants when there is a coincidence of weak voiced-voiceless and hard-soft positions.

Weak positions in deafness/voicedness:
1) at the end of a word: ko[s] from goat and braid;
2) in front of a noisy deaf person: lo[t]ka, but lo[d]ochka;
3) before a noisy voiced: [h]give, but [s]verify.

Strong positions in deafness/voice:
1) before a vowel: [g]od, [k]ot;
2) before sonorant consonants: [c]loy, [z]loy;
3) before [v], [v]: [t]voy, [d]voe.

2. Positional change and changes in voiced and voiceless consonants.

Positional change for consonants is reflected in the following sound laws:
1. Phonetic law of the end of a word: a noisy voiced sound at the end of a word is deafened. This pronunciation leads to the formation of homophones: threshold[p/\ro´k] – vice[p/\ro´k]; hammer[mo´lt] – young[mo´lt]. In words with two consonants at the end of the word, both consonants are deafened: milk mushroom[gru´s´t´] – sadness[gru´s´t´], entrance[p/\дje´st] – will come up[p/\дje´st].
2. The law of assimilation of consonants according to voicedness and deafness.Assimilation- this is the likening of one sound to another. In the modern Russian literary language, assimilation has a regressive nature, that is, the previous sound is likened to the subsequent one: the voiceless pair before the voiced one becomes voiced: to the grandfather [gd´e´du], the voiced pair before the deaf one becomes voiceless: spoon[lo´shk]. Note that the voicing of a deaf person before a voiced one is less common than the voicing of a voiced person before a deaf person. As a result of assimilation, homophones are created: arc [dushk] - darling [d´shk], carry [v´ i e s´t´i´] – lead [v´ i e s´t´i´].
Assimilation occurs:
1. At the junction of morphemes: did[з´д´е´лъл],
2. At the junction of a preposition with a word: with business[з´д´е´лъм],
3. At the junction of a word with a particle (postfix): a year or so[go´tt],
4. At the junction of significant words spoken without pause: five times[ras´at´].

All paired ones are softened in softness: before the front vowels: [b´e´lyy], [x´i´triy], [v´i e sleep´].

Assimilation by place of education

The assimilation of dental ones before sibilants [zh], [sh], [ch´, [sh´] lies in the complete assimilation of dental [z] and [s]:
1. At the junction of morphemes: sew[shy´t´], unclench[p/\ JA T], check[sho´t], with a ball[ SHA´ръм], no fever[b´ and e JA´ръ];
2. Inside the root: Later[By ZH ],I'm driving ,
3. Dental [d], [t], being before [ch], [ts], are likened to the latter: report .
4. Reduction of groups of identical consonants. When three identical consonants coincide at the junction of a preposition
or prefixes with the following word, at the junction of the root and the suffix are reduced to two: from the link[links´lk´i].

Assimilation of consonants according to softness and hardness. Before soft consonants, dental [z], [s], [n], [r], [d], [t] and labial [b], [p], [m], [v], [f] are usually softened : [v´i e z´d´e´], [s´n´e´ k], [gro´s´t´], [us´p´e´kh], [m´e´s´ T].
However, assimilation in terms of softness occurs inconsistently. So, dental [z], [s], [n], [d], [t] before soft dental ones and [h´], [sh´] are softened in the roots: [z´d´e´s´], [s´t´e´p´]; dental ones before soft labials can soften in the roots and at the junction of the prefix and the root: [s´v´e´t], [m´i e d´v´e´t´], [iz´m´a´t´] . However, sometimes in the same position a consonant can be pronounced both softly and firmly: [в/\з´н´и´к] - [в/\зн´и´к]. Back linguals and [l] do not soften before soft consonants.
Since assimilation by gentleness does not have the character of a law, we can speak not of positional exchange, but of positional changes of consonants according to softness.
Soft consonants paired in hardness can be assimilated in hardness. Positional changes in hardness are observed at the junction of a root and a suffix that begins with a hard consonant: [с´л´е´сър´], but [с´л´ и е са´рный]. Before the labial [b], assimilation does not occur: [pro´z´b].
It is not subject to assimilation in terms of hardness [l´]: [n/\po´l´ny].

3. Positional exchange of consonants with zero sound.

In other words, the neutralization of the phoneme represented by the consonant zero and the absence of the phoneme. There are several cases here.

1. The combination of phonemes (stn) and (zdn) is realized by the sound combination [sn], [zn]: honest - honest - che [sn] y, star - star [zn] y.

Let's compare: which [sn]y and those [sn]y; we hear [sn] in both cases, but in a strong position (not between [s...n]) there is a difference: honest, but cramped. This means that in the words honor(stn)y and those(sn)y the phonemic combinations (stn) and (sn) coincided in sound; the phoneme (t), realized in the position between [s...n] zero, coincided with the absence of a phoneme!
These alternations are well reflected by the rhymes (from the poems of N. A. Nekrasov; the poet’s rhyme is accurate): famous - wonderful, dispassionate - beautiful, honest - close, unhappy - voiceless, autocratic - beautiful, more charming - song, stormy - clear.
The word abyss requires remark. This is, in fact, not one, but two words. 1) Abyss - a lot. Word of everyday speech: I have an abyss of things to do. Pronounced: [b'ezn']. It can hardly be said that here the phoneme (d) is represented by a zero consonant, since this word abyss currently has no connection with the combination without a bottom.

Another similar alternation: the combination (ntk) is realized with the sound [nk]: student [nk]a, laboratory [nk]a. This alternation is positional (i.e., it is presented in all words with a phonemic combination (NTK)) only in some people who speak a literary language, mainly of the older generation.

Words such as construction, building, building, under construction or tram, tram, tram; or yours, yours, yours... clearly have roots ending in a phoneme (j); it is realized by the non-syllabic vowel [and]. But in the words build, builder, build; trams; I can't hear any of my own. This is because the phoneme (j) in the position after the vowel before [i] is represented by a zero: own - [svay] = (cBojft).

Words can contain combinations of two identical phonemes, for example (nn): bath - [van:ъ] = (bath);

Such combinations are realized by long, “double” consonants (they are not necessarily twice as long as short, ordinary [n]). But long consonants are possible only between vowels, one of which (preceding or following) is stressed. When such a combination of two identical phonemes, for example (nn), comes adjacent to a consonant, then instead of a long one it sounds short: Finnish (s [n:]) - Finnish (s [n]); semolina - semolina, ton - two-ton, etc. Here are examples where alternation
is reflected in the spelling, but it also exists where the spelling does not mark this alternation: a wind of two ba[l:]a - two-point (with the usual short [l’]). ;
Consequently, in the position “next to the consonant” there is a combination of phonemes like (nn), (ll), etc. represented by a short consonant; one of the phonemes is realized by zero.
Often, when talking about positional alternations, they use emphatically procedural verbs: “the stressed vowel [o] without stress turns into [a]”, “the sound [z] at the end of a word turns into [s]”, etc. In fact, it is obvious synchronous relationships, not processes. The correct formulations are as follows: [o] stressed in unstressed positions changes to vowel [a]; The voiced consonant [z] alternates with the voiceless consonant [s].

The pronunciation of vowel sounds in the flow of speech varies depending on: 1) on the relationship to the stressed syllable (vowels in the stressed syllable, in the first pre-stressed syllable and in the rest unstressed syllables); 2) from the position in the word (vowel at the beginning of the word or at the end of the word); 3) on the quality of the consonant sound with which the vowel is combined (in combination with soft or hard consonants, labial or non-labial, nasal or non-nasal), and on some other conditions.

In the words [val] and [vada] - water, the sound [a] is pronounced in the first syllable, but it is not the same: in the first word it is stressed, and therefore pronounced with greater length and more clearly. In the words [mal] and [m'a l] - mush, the vowel sounds are stressed, but they are not the same, since in the word [m'a l] the vowel ['a] comes after the soft consonant sound [m'] and gains more forward articulation. Taking into account the dependence of the quality of vowel sounds on phonetic conditions, linguists have identified strong and weak positions of vowel sounds in the Russian language.

A strong position vowels are stressed: [mal], [mol], [mul], [m’e l], [soap], [m’i l]. Stressed vowels are characterized by unimpaired pronunciation and the most distinct demarcation. However, stressed vowels change somewhat under the influence of preceding consonants. Particularly noticeable changes occur after soft consonants; cf.: [shes’t’] and [s’e s’t’]. Therefore, in combinations “soft consonant + vowel”, shades of vowel sounds (phonemes) or a non-basic type of vowel sounds (phonemes) appear. Without significant changes, caused by the influence of neighboring sounds, i.e. in their basic form, vowels are pronounced at the beginning of a word before a solid consonant under stress (island, arch, echo, ear, suit) or as an independent word (sounds s, conjunction a, preposition y etc.).

Weak position occupy vowels in unstressed syllables, where the vowels are weakened (reduced). There are two weak positions of unstressed vowels: the first and the second. The first position is observed in the first pre-stressed syllable (water, spring, transition, etc.) and in the absolute beginning of the word (vegetable garden, apricot, echo sounder, etc.). In other unstressed positions, vowels occupy a second, weak position (piglet, chair, etc.). In the first position, vowel reduction is weaker than in the second, and therefore more vowel sounds occur in the first position than in the second. The quality of vowel sounds in weak positions also depends on the quality of the preceding consonant - whether it is hard or soft. In weak positions, the vowels of the upper rise change less than others: [i], [ы], [у].

Consonants change in the flow of speech. Their change is caused by the position of the consonant in the word. All consonants before vowels occupy a strong position. It is in these phonetic conditions that the greatest number consonant sounds: house - tom - crowbar - com - catfish; year - cat - move, etc. In strong positions, consonants can change their quality under the influence of subsequent vowels. Thus, labial vowels rounden (labialize) the preceding consonant: in the words there and that, the consonant [t] is not pronounced the same way (in the second word it is rounded). The consonants before the vowel [a] differ most completely and change least of all: tam - dam, mal - crumpled, garden - rad - chad, etc. The position before the vowel [a] is called an absolutely strong position. In addition to the absolutely strong position, there are strong positions for individual consonant categories. Strong positions for noisy consonants, paired in sonority-voicelessness, are: 1) the position before the vowels itching - court, heat - ball, guest - bone, etc., 2) the position before sonorant consonants and before the consonants [v], [ in'] (followed by a vowel) - rude - croup, evil - layer, bend (verb) - whip, beast - check. Noisy consonants occupy a weak position in terms of voicedness-voicelessness 1) at the end of a word - code [cat] - cat [cat], meadow [bow] - bow [bow]; 2) before voiced and voiceless consonants - wedding [svad'b ъ] - pastba [paz'd'b a], buckle [p'rashk] - pawn [p'eshk], etc. In these positions, voiced and voiceless consonants are not opposed: at the end of the word and before voiceless consonants, a noisy voiceless is pronounced, and before voiced consonants, a noisy voiced is pronounced. The category of hardness and softness is more characteristic and defining in Russian phonetics. Oppositions by hardness-softness are the largest correlative series, it covers 30 consonant phonemes: Strong positions for consonants paired by hardness-softness are: 1) position before vowels (except [e]): k[r]ug - k[ r']yuk, [m]al - [m']yal, [n]os - [n']yos; 2) position at the end of the word: plo[t] - plo[t’], tro[n] - tro[n’]. The consonants occupy a weak position in terms of hardness-softness: 1) before the front vowels - hay, blue, hand (cf. hand; in native Russian words, the consonants before are soft: [p']el, [b']el, [m'] faith, [v']faith, [t']body, [green]); 2) before consonants - shepherd - graze [pas't'i], tackle - remove [s'n'a t'] 3) before the phoneme: [p'j]yu, [b'j]yu, se[m 'j ]ya, pla[t'j ]e, etc. Unpaired hard phonemes sound hard in all positions. Unpaired soft ones sound only like soft consonants in all positions.