Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB
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Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/)
-   Northern and Central Asia (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/northern-and-central-asia/)
-   -   Learning Russian (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/northern-and-central-asia/learning-russian-70095)

colebatch 1 May 2013 07:07
Quote:
Originally Posted by craig.iedema (Post 420645)
At least with Russian, for the most part what you see is what you get, ie it is fully phonetic...
Almost - there are two common exception to Russian phoneticisms that I can think of - their "G" is quite often pronounced as "V". Examples include сегодня (segodnya, which is pronounced sevodnya) and any adjective ending in ого (ogo which is pronounced ava) - which brings me to the second more widespread exception ... a non stressed o, is pronounced as an a.

chris 1 May 2013 09:16
Quote:
Originally Posted by moggy 1968 (Post 420660)
very true, this is what my wife complains about
slough can be pronounced as in sluff or slowe
Cough and though, pronounced completely differently
there, their and they're
and so on
As I said to her, there are no rules, you just have to know!
I'd hate to have to learn English!!

although she has said two Russian words to me before and to me they sound exactly the same, but she tells me they're different, and that rolling the R's business, I can't manage that at all!!
If they had followed John Betjemen's advice we wouldn't have to pronounce it:(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slough_%28poem%29

Sorry, :offtopic::innocent:

craig.iedema 1 May 2013 16:37
Quote:
Originally Posted by colebatch (Post 420674)
Almost - there are two common exception to Russian phoneticisms that I can think of - their "G" is quite often pronounced as "V". Examples include сегодня (segodnya, which is pronounced sevodnya) and any adjective ending in ого (ogo which is pronounced ava) - which brings me to the second more widespread exception ... a non stressed o, is pronounced as an a.
Ah that is why it is pronounced spasiba and not spasibo.

If we keep this thread going long enough I won't need any other lessons :smartass:.

The one that I often find a little hard is how guttural I need be with the letter X (kh sound).

McCrankpin 1 May 2013 19:16
Oh dear, more 'sorry :offtopic:'


Quote:
Originally Posted by moggy 1968 (Post 420660)
very true, this is what my wife complains about
slough can be pronounced as in sluff or slowe
Cough and though, pronounced completely differently
there, their and they're
and so on
Your wife might like this:
George Bernard Shaw once asked "How do you spell 'fish'?
His answer was:

'gh' as in 'rouGH'
'o' as in 'wOmen'
'ti' as in 'naTIon'
There you have it. 'Ghoti', English for 'the things that swim in the sea.....' :blushing:


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