Pronunciation of English sounds with and without rules

To pronounce consonants, you need an obstacle in the path of the air stream in the oral cavity. Which speech organs create this obstacle? The answers to this question constitute a classification of consonants according to place of articulation.

All consonant letters and the consonant sounds they denote in the Russian literary language are classified according to four criteria:

1. By participation in their formation of tone (voice) and noise;
2. At the place of noise generation, that is, at the place of formation of an obstacle that the exhaled air encounters;
3. According to the method of noise generation, that is, according to the method of overcoming an obstacle;
4. By the presence or absence of softening, or palatalization (from the Latin palatum “soft palate”).

Each consonant sound can be characterized by these four features, and each consonant is distinguished from every other consonant by a combination of these four features.

When vowel sounds are formed, the air stream, leaving the larynx, does not encounter any obstacles in the articulatory department of the speech apparatus.

For the formation of consonants, the presence of obstacles is a necessary condition. In phonetics, all consonant sounds are classified, this is very convenient when you need to tell a person how to correctly produce a sound.

Articulatory apparatus

All speech organs are divided into active and passive. Active ones are moving, passive ones are motionless.

The active organ is the lower lip, the passive organ is the upper lip. In other words, the lower lip approaches the upper; The consonants [p], [p'], [b], [b'], [m], [m'] are pronounced. The active organ is the lower lip, the passive organ is the upper teeth; The consonants [f], [f'], [v], [v'] are pronounced. These are labial consonants.

The active organ is the front part of the tongue, the passive organ is the teeth; The consonants are pronounced [t], [t'], [d], [D'b [s], [s'], [z], [z'], [ts], [n], [n'], [l], [l']. These are dental consonants.

The active organ is the front part of the tongue, the passive organ is the alveoli (bulges above the teeth - the very front part of the palate); The consonants [w], [iG], [zh], [zh'], [h'], [r], [r'] are pronounced. These are anteropalatal consonants.

The active organ is the middle part of the tongue, the passive organ is the middle part of the palate; pronounced yot [j] (yama, hedgehog, spruce, south - the first sound in these words is [j], i.e. [jaMb], [join], [jan'], [jyx]). These are midpalatal consonants.

The active organ is the back of the tongue, the passive organ is the palate; The consonants [k], [k'], [g], [g'], [x], [x'] are pronounced. These are velar consonants.

English sounds and their pronunciation

Reading aloud and pronouncing English sounds is the best, if not the only, way to get rid of the Russian accent in your conversation. And for beginners learning English, this is an opportunity to immediately remember how to pronounce sounds in English correctly. All of them are collected in tables of English sounds with pronunciation:

The length of vowel sounds, which is indicated by a colon in transcription, is very important. If you do not take into account the duration of vowels, you can confuse the meaning of words. For example: the short sound ship [ʃɪp] - ship and the long sound sheep [ʃiːp] - ram.

Consonant sounds based on the participation of voice and noise

Based on the participation of voice and noise, all consonant sounds are divided into sonorant and noisy.

Sonorant consonants are those in which the voice and slight noise are involved in their formation. When these consonants are formed, the glottis is narrowed, the vocal cords are tense and vibrate under the influence of exhaled air. Sonorants in the Russian literary language include: [р], [л], [м], [н] and [р'], [л'], [м'], [н'], [й].

Noisy consonants are those in the formation of which noise predominates over voice. From this point of view, they are divided into voiced noisy sounds, the formation of which is characterized by noise accompanied by voice, and voiceless noisy sounds, which are formed only by noise (the pronunciation of voiceless noisy sounds is determined by the fact that the glottis is open and the vocal cords are not tense and do not vibrate).

Where is the consonant sound formed?

The voiced noisy sounds of the Russian literary language are [b], [b'], [v] and [v'], [d] and [d'], [z] and [z'], [zh], [g] , [g'] (pity, doctor, dawn, nail, storm).

Voiceless noisy ones - [p] and [p'], [f] and [f'], [t] and [t'], [s], [s'], [sh], [sh'], [ts ], [h '], [k], [k '], [x], [x'] (cap, folklore, secret, whisper, noise, buckwheat, quote, store, chic).

Consonants by place of noise production

According to the place of noise formation, all consonants are divided into labial and lingual, since their formation involves two active organs of speech - lips and tongue: the lower lip plays an active role in the formation of labial consonants, and the tongue plays an active role in the formation of lingual consonants.

The active organs of speech act (articulate) in relation to the passive ones - the upper lip, alveoli, teeth, hard palate.

Labial and lingual consonants are divided into a number of smaller groups depending on which passive organs the active ones act on.

Labial consonants are divided into labiolabial and labiodental.

Labiolabial consonants are formed by closing the lower lip with the upper lip. These include: [p], [p'], [b], [b'], [m], [m'].

Labiodental consonants are formed by bringing the lower lip closer to the upper teeth. These include: [f], [f'], [v], [v'].

Lingual consonants are divided into anterior, midlingual and posterior lingual, depending on which part of the tongue - anterior, middle or posterior - plays an active role in the formation of sound.

Front-lingual consonants are divided into two groups: dental and palatodental.

Paired consonants

When forming dental consonants, the front part of the tongue closes or approaches the upper teeth. These include: [t], [t'], [d], [d'], [s], [s'], [z], [z'], [ts], [n], [n '], [l], [l']. When forming palatodental consonants, the front part of the tongue rises to the front part of the palate and there an obstruction is created in the area of ​​the alveoli. These include: [w], [w], [w'], [w'], [h'], [p], [p'].

the middle lingual , and according to the passive organ the middle palatal , in the Russian language. When it is formed, the middle part of the tongue rises to the middle palate. Rear-lingual , and by the passive organ velar , the sounds [k], [g], [x], [k'], [g'], [x'] are formed by closure ([k, g]) or approach ([x] ) the back of the tongue with a fixed posterior palate.

“First of all, it was necessary to understand at what position of the mouth, lips, and tongue the correct sounds of consonants are created.”

K.S.Stanislavsky

Let's start looking at the work to correct the most frequently distorted sounds, dwelling in detail on each of them separately.
WORK ON PRONUNCIATING ISOLATED SOUNDS “C”.
"3". The sound “C” is the correct articulation:

When pronouncing the sound “s” correctly, the organs of articulation work as follows:

The lips are half-opened, the corners of the mouth are slightly stretched to the sides.

The lower jaw is slightly lowered, the distance between the upper and lower incisors is 1-1.5 mm. The tongue is flattened, spade-shaped, slightly arched upward towards the hard palate.

The sides of the tongue are adjacent from the inside to the upper lateral teeth and at the same time touch the lower teeth. A small depression is formed along the middle longitudinal line of the front part of the back of the tongue. At the upper lateral incisors, contact between the lateral edges of the tongue and the teeth ceases. The front part of the back of the tongue is curved upward and, as it were, tends to the alveoli of the upper teeth. A gap forms between the tongue and the alveoli.

The tip of the tongue is tucked down and touches the lower incisors and partially the alveoli.

The air stream passes through the slit narrowing along the light longitudinal depression created by the tongue, and the sound “s” is formed between the incisors.

When pronouncing a soft “s,” the middle part of the back of the tongue rises upward.

The sound “z” is formed with the same position of the organs of articulation as “s”, only the tongue is less tense and the vocal cords are involved in the work. The tip of the tongue vibrates slightly.

Options for distorting the sound “s”.

In live speech, the options for pronouncing this sound are extremely diverse, but when developing stage speech skills, it is usually necessary to eliminate shortcomings, which can be roughly divided into four groups:

1. There is a sharply mutilated “DUMB SOUND “S”, shades of distortion are of all kinds.

2. Hissing "S".

3. Sibilant "S". The sound “s” whistles, this overtone has an irritating effect on the listener, “s” seems to be mixed with “ts”, in most cases this “s” is weak, “thin”.

4. Inaudible, disappearing “s”. Let's consider under what conditions distorted sibilants arise and how they are normalized.

Blunt "s"

A blunt "s" occurs when one of the following occurs.

1. The tip of the tongue will fall between the front teeth, moving slightly outward, the tongue being flat.

2. The tip of the tongue rests from the inside against the closed teeth; the tongue is also sheet-like and smooth.

In both cases, both the body of the tongue and the tip are in the wrong position. The entire body of the tongue is inert.

3. The lateral edges of the tongue do not fit tightly enough to the lateral teeth, since the tongue is significantly displaced downward compared to what is necessary: ​​it lies at the bottom of the oral cavity and does not bend upward. The tip of the tongue can be bent down. Thus, the tip of the tongue is in the correct position, but the middle and posterior sections of the edges of the tongue are passive.

4. The tongue is raised slightly higher than in the previous case, and its middle and back sides touch the molars. The tip of the tongue lies at the lower teeth. However, there is no or insufficient lifting of the anterior part of the back of the tongue to the alveoli, i.e. the anterior part of the back of the tongue is passive. The resulting sound is perceived as a “toothless” “s”.

5. The upper or lower lip, or both together, “stick” to the teeth, block the path of the outgoing air stream, and with their mass they, as it were, eat up, absorb the sharpness, sonority of this sound: “s” becomes dark, dull, dull, (sometimes inert lips contribute to the occurrence of “whispering”).

Correcting the stupid "s".

1. With a blunt “s” the tongue is usually extremely passive, therefore, when mastering correct pronunciation, you should do tongue gymnastics.

It is useful, when preparing the apparatus for pronouncing the correct “s,” to use “chewing” of the tongue. The lateral teeth slightly compress the wide elastic tongue, and it resists pressure, as if springing. The tip of the tongue is located at the front incisors, and the sides extend beyond the teeth; the distance between the teeth during maximum—but not painful—pressure on the tongue is 1.2 cm. Then “push” the closed lateral teeth to the sides with your tongue (the tongue springs in the horizontal direction). These exercises train the sensitivity of the lateral edges of the tongue and the controllability of their movements.

2. Having prepared the muscles of the tongue in this way, we master the articulatory setup described above, characteristic of the correct pronunciation of the sound “s”.

We make sure that the lower jaw is slightly pushed forward compared to its resting position: the lower incisors should be under the upper ones, on the same vertical line with them.

3. Having properly installed the organs of articulation, carefully blow air through a small depression located along the middle longitudinal line of the tongue.

The lips should not meet in the path of the air stream passing between the incisors. They diverge slightly up and down, as if “swinging open”, making way for her. When the described conditions are met, a sound is formed that has the obligatory features characteristic of the correct consonant “C”.

During this period, the formation of this sound should be purely mechanical: a certain articulatory structure is created through which the exhaled air stream is blown. If, using a new articulatory setting, you begin to try to pronounce the correct speech sound “s”, then the newly mastered position of the organs of articulation will be destroyed by the old incorrect skills in pronouncing this consonant.

During the first period of work to correct defective sound pronunciation, the muscle sensations that accompany the work of our articulatory apparatus often deceive us: the actual position of the organs of articulation does not correspond to the apparent position represented. Muscular sensations will only be analyzed accurately by us over time. In connection with the above, articulation training and subsequent work on mastering the correct articulatory setting must necessarily be carried out with a mirror, i.e. The leading role in this work should be given to the visual controller.

“Vision is one of the most important natural habitual regulators in our activities. Due to the anatomical and physical connection of the visual systems of the brain with the auditory motor systems, it is an excellent controller that promotes the development of correct musculocutaneous sensation in the articular apparatus. The visual controller not only clarifies, but also strengthens the movement,” we read in “Speech Therapy” by M.E. Khvattsev. (“Logopedia”, 1951, p. 93). Thus, in the work of re-educating speech skills, vision should become our assistant, especially at first.

If the correct pronunciation of the sound “s” in isolated form is mastered, the student can proceed to the next stage of work - incorporating the corrected sound into speech.

Difficulties in correcting a blunt “s” and ways to overcome them

Sometimes, when correcting a stupid “s,” a student fails to “find” the desired position of the tongue for quite a long time. He cannot force the body of the tongue to rise upward, cannot establish contact between the back of the back of the tongue and the molars, and the front part of the back of the tongue does not rise sufficiently towards the alveoli. The laxity of the tongue muscles prevents him from achieving the correct position.

In addition, it is often difficult for a student to regard the “s” sound pronounced “in a new way” as mechanical and not related to speech.

The consciously raised and slightly curved back of the tongue when blowing air along the groove of the tongue and with the intention of correctly pronouncing the defective sound “s” is not held in the desired position. It levels out, returning to its usual, layer-like state. In these cases, it is necessary to do specific exercises. In our practice of working with students, we use the relationship between speech and motor skills of the whole body. Certain movements of the arms, legs and torso help to activate the speech apparatus and influence the functioning of its organs.

The following special exercises can make it easier to normalize the obtuse “s” (all exercises are performed with imaginary objects).

If the entire body of the tongue is inert

Exercise I. “AT FOOTBALL TRAINING”

A. You are a football player, attending a football training session. The ball is hit in such a way that the movement is to the right! the legs were carried out in the anterior-upper-left direction. The spot of the right foot passes over the toe of the left foot. When hitting the ball, the sound “s” is pronounced. The left leg works in the anterior-superior-right direction. The exercise can be done with one leg or with both legs alternately (watch out in which case the “s” sounds better).

The ball should be hit not with the toe of the foot, but along the line of its internal bend, trying to ensure that the main weight of the “hit” falls on the segment of the foot with the center of this line and the heel. At first, “hitting the ball” is done with full force. As the correct pronunciation of the “s” sound is learned, the “hit on the ball” becomes weaker, the soccer ball is “replaced” by a small rubber ball. The expenditure of muscle energy when performing the exercise decreases sharply, and the purity of sound pronunciation should remain unchanged. Before “hitting” the ball, inhale, and at the moment of impact, exhale.

B. Kick the soccer ball in a vertical direction. As in the previous exercise, it is not the toe of the foot that works; the impact is made with its inner lateral surface. During the blow, the “s” is pronounced as you exhale. Before each blow, take a breath. The more often the blows are made, the faster and shorter the inhalation becomes, the shorter the exhalation and the pronounced sound become.

Exercise 2. - “I’LL THROW A STONE”

Bringing the chin closer to the chest, we throw a stone from behind the head along an arched line, while pronouncing the sound “s”. Before throwing, the hand is clenched into a fist and located at the back of the head. The fingers clenched into a fist are turned upward as much as possible, in the direction of the throw. The stone is thrown almost at your feet. During the throw, the hand moves at a close distance from the head and actually describes a line that follows the shape of the head.

While performing the described exercises, the entire human motor system is active. This causes activation of the associated speech apparatus - the respiratory process becomes more energetic, and the usually flaccid articulatory muscles begin to work more accurately and efficiently.

The proposed exercises help the student obtain the desired articulatory setting: the direction of the movements performed is upward; this causes the articulatory muscles to be directed upward. As a result, when pronouncing the sound “s”, the tongue takes a raised, slightly curved position. The sound “s” becomes clearer, since due to the elevation of the tongue, the contact of both the edges of the tongue with the lateral teeth and the raised front part of the back of the tongue with the alveoli of the upper teeth improves.

If the middle and posterior segments of the sides of the tongue are passive

Often, when mastering the correct articulation of the sound “s,” it takes a long time to establish the middle and posterior segments of the lateral edges of the tongue. Motor sensations in these places of the tongue are less developed; visual control, which helps not only to organize the movement, but also to strengthen it, is difficult, since the tongue is hidden behind the teeth. Explaining to the student the location of the organs of articulation does not produce results; the apparatus does not obey him. Then the student can try:

Exercise 3.

Pronounce the sound combination “xs” as you exhale. The sound “s” is pronounced immediately after the “x”, the sound “x” seems to turn into “s”. The consonant “x” is pronounced as energetically as possible. When pronouncing the sound “x”, the back of the tongue rises with a hump. Partially this rise by inertia is maintained during the sound of the consonant “s”.

As a result, the sides of the middle and back of the back of the tongue, which did not obey us, are still connected to the upper teeth.

Gradually we stop pronouncing the sound “x” before the sound “s”, but for some time you can mentally pronounce the sound “x” while pronouncing “s”; it turns out that we are pronouncing both of these sounds at the same time. This helps us maintain the resulting improvement in the sound of the consonant “s”.

Exercise 4.

You can try another technique: try to focus your attention on the upper right or left molars. Having felt them with your attention, “indicate” to us the location of these teeth with the pronounced sound “s”. “Here are the right molars, and here are the left ones,” we think, pronouncing the sound “s”, trying to “touch” the molars with this sound.

At first, the pronounced sound “moves” towards the front teeth, but gradually the student, with his attention, adjusts the operation of the apparatus and “sounds” the molars. During this exercise, we should not think about the position of the edges of the tongue; we should only be interested in the teeth, and the tongue itself will “pull up” to them.

Exercise 5

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You can “play volleyball” with your right and left molars: the right side gives a high “pass” to the left and vice versa; Instead of a ball we have the sound “s”.

Exercise 6

Or imagine that a rod is attached between the upper right and left lateral molars, and the sound “o” “rotates” on it, like on a horizontal bar. You can help this rotation with your hand, holding it near the cheek next to the molars, the hand seems to control the rotation, performing small, circular, quick movements.

Exercise 7

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Sometimes placing a hard candy or a thick wad of paper on the surface of the tongue can help normalize the “s” sound. We try to press a foreign object placed on the tongue to the palate (the tongue has to bend upward) and at this time we pronounce the sound “s”. Then we try to repeat the same upward arching of the tongue without the help of foreign objects.

If the anterior part of the back of the tongue is passive

If a blunt “s” occurs due to insufficient lifting of the front part of the back of the tongue to the alveoli of the upper teeth, then the necessary articulatory setting is often obtained:

Exercise 8.

If, while pronouncing a sound, the index finger, like a toothbrush, makes small horizontal movements from the outside along the gums of the upper front teeth: the finger seems to lightly massage the upper gum. At this time, the upper lip is sharply raised upward so as not to interfere with the movements of the “toothbrush”. The massage is done not with the pad of the finger, but with its outer side surface. The front part of the back of the tongue seems to strive to “reach” the moving “toothbrush” and rises to the desired level. We get the correct “c”.

Exercise 9.

You can find various objects and, while pronouncing “s,” force the front part of the back of the tongue (the tip should always remain at the junction of the lower front teeth and alveoli) to “reach” them: you can try to reach it to the tip of the nose, to the bridge of the nose, to the ceiling etc. It is important that these objects are located above the back of the tongue.

Exercise 10.

The lower jaw is lowered. The tip of the tongue is in the mouth, in front of the upper incisors. The entire tongue is raised upward, its back touching the alveoli and hard palate. Using the pad of your thumb, press the tongue from below, without allowing the front...part of its back to move away from the alveoli. Maintaining this position of the organs of articulation, we try to pronounce the sound “s”, while directing the air stream to the alveoli of the upper incisors. The tongue is held in its original position with the help of a finger, despite the fact that it strives in every possible way to pull back and move away from the alveoli. Repeating this exercise many times allows you to feel the desired position of the front part of the back of the tongue. Gradually, these rough sensations are replaced by more elegant, differentiated ones.

Often, a student goes through all stages of language education, achieving mobility of both its entirety and its individual parts (transfer, the middle and back parts of its back, as well as its tip). Without mastering these movements, it is impossible to correctly pronounce the consonant sound “s”.

The use of the relationship between speech movements and the general technique of the body is valuable because the correct sound is formed on its own, as if we are not doing anything to make it sound correctly. Correcting the sound ceases to be difficult and scary, luck causes positive emotions, which, in turn, ensure the success of further work. In addition, re-education of the “sick” sound through similar physical actions with imaginary objects allows us to temporarily forget that we, while moving, we pronounce “corrected speech sound.” All attention is focused on the movement performed by the body. Old skills cannot harm our new “s”, since it becomes a “soccer ball”, “stone”, “toothbrush”, etc. and is not associated with the sound of speech.

Hissing "s".

A hissing “s” occurs if:

I. The middle part of the back of the tongue is excessively raised: it tends to the palate, “rising above the lateral teeth.

2. The target opening between the anterior part of the dorsum of the tongue and the alveoli is excessively enlarged.

Despite the fact that the tip of the tongue is located at the lower teeth, i.e. occupies the correct position, the consonant sound formed under the specified conditions is more similar to a softened “sh” than to “s”.

Correction of hissing "s".

When working on correcting the hissing “s”, we pay the main attention to training the front part of the back of the tongue. To this end:

1. We do articulation gymnastics. It is useful to learn how to consciously serve and lower the front of the back of the tongue.

2. We cultivate the ability to transfer parts of the back of the tongue to rise to the alveoli of the upper front teeth, using an indirect effect on its movements (see the devices given in the description of the correction of the “dull” “c” caused by the low rise of the front part of the back of the tongue).

3.Usually the student quickly begins to hear this defect, so a hearing aid can be of great help in setting the correct “c”. Connecting auditory control helps to raise the front part of the back of the tongue to the alveoli and force the middle part of the back of the tongue not to make an excessive convexity upward.

When correcting the hissing 's', you need to pay attention to the position of the lips. The lips should remain parted enough so that the upper and lower teeth are visible. With this position of the lips, the air stream will no longer encounter any obstacles, and no extra sounds will be added to the consonant “s”.

"Whistling" "s".

The “whistling” “s” is formed mainly for two reasons:

1. The tip of the tongue moves significantly upward compared to its position characteristic of correct pronunciation of a sound. The edge of the tip of the tongue is almost adjacent to the upper edge of the lower cuts. The location of the edge of the tongue is often found even at the upper teeth. The fissure narrowing occurs not between the part of the back of the tongue and the alveoli, but between the tip of the tongue and the front incisors, and this gap is very narrow, much narrower than necessary for the correct “s” (see the correct articulatory setting of this consonant).

2. The position of the tongue is correct, but the tongue is too close to the teeth and alveoli, air has difficulty “seeping” into the narrowing that forms between them and the tongue. The groove on the front of the back of the tongue (deepening, depression) is very small, it is barely outlined.

Correction of the whistling "s".

To correct a whistling "s", you need to train the tip of your tongue. Raising and lowering the tip of the spatulate tongue, slightly protruding between the teeth; performing the same movements inside the mouth; pushing the thinned tip of the tongue forward between the closed teeth - such exercises will allow us to gradually subordinate its movements to our will and master the correct articulatory setting. However, the whistle may remain if the tip of the tongue is positioned correctly (if the gap space between the alveoli and the tongue is excessively narrowed).

In this case, controlling the movements of the tongue, you need to either:

1. Consciously slightly move the front part of the back of the tongue away from the teeth and alveoli - the whistling “s” should become normal, since the excessive narrowing between the tongue and teeth, which caused the whistling, will expand, and the cause of the defect will thereby be eliminated.

2. At the moment of pronouncing the sound, barely noticeably push the lower jaw forward, which also slightly increases the distance between the tongue and teeth.

You can try to achieve the correct pronunciation of the whistling “s” using an indirect influence on the functioning of the pronunciation apparatus.

Exercise 11.

Try, while inhaling and pronouncing “s” as you exhale, to imagine that you are “gargling” your throat with this sound. The head is slightly tilted back. At first, your sound may stick to your teeth. But, as we know, representation gives birth to movement. If you imagine more accurately that you need to gargle, then the sound you pronounce (after all, for us now it is the healing moisture for gargling) will gradually shift back.

As a result of tilting the head back, the body of the tongue moves slightly towards the back of the head. The gap narrowing between the front part of the back of the tongue and the teeth widens, the whistling disappears. While performing the exercise, you can make slight head movements to help “gargle” the throat, which we do during the procedure in life.

Exercise 12.

The pronounced sound “s” becomes a “spray” or “inhaler” that irrigates your throat, the exhalation goes in the usual direction and the airy sounding stream comes out, as always, from the mouth to the outside. But the student imagines that the spray jet is directed inside the mouth, and short, strong, but pleasant jets are sprayed deep into the oral cavity, reaching the back wall of the pharynx. The effect of this exercise on the work of the articular organs is the same as in the previous case.

Exercise 13.

Or imagine that water gets into your ear, as happens when swimming. You shake it out, helping yourself with head movements and lightly patting the shell of your ear with your palm. Pronounce the “s” sound at the same time. He is the “moisture” that bothers you and which you are trying to eliminate. Your attention is concentrated in the area of ​​the auditory opening: you should imagine that the pronounced sound seems to appear near the auricle, and not at the front teeth. In this case, the sound “s” becomes larger and ceases to be a whistle.

These exercises help you gradually feel the slight, but necessary for correct pronunciation of a consonant, pull of the tongue from the front teeth. As a result of repeated exercises that indirectly affect the functioning of the pronunciation apparatus, the student will eventually, with the help of muscle sense, understand at what position of the tongue the unwanted whistle disappears in the sound.

Sometimes, during the period of conscious assimilation of the correct articulatory structure, it is useful to use the following device:

At the initial moment of pronouncing the consonant “s”, press your tongue against your teeth as much as possible, then, without stopping the sound, gradually pull your tongue further and further away from your teeth. The sound “s” will go through three stages: first there will be a whistling “s”, then it will become normal, and then either dull or slightly hissing. This technique helps the student quickly find the required position of the tongue, characteristic of the correct pronunciation of the sound “s”.

The “missing” “s” will be discussed below, after the section “breathing with a defective “s”, which we will begin to present.

Breathing with a defective “s”

However, it is not only the work of the organs of articulation that ensures accurate or distorted pronunciation of consonant sounds. Scientific research has shown that sound will be perceived as full only if:

1. It will have a certain duration of sound.

The sound “s” will be perceived by us as correct only if the ear catches the obligatory acoustic features of a given consonant - the highest frequencies included in its composition. According to the book by Professor A. Mitrinovic-Madzheevskaya, there is a close relationship between the “duration” of the stimulus and the “sensation of its height.” Reducing its duration leads to the fact that the sound characteristics of a given stimulus are perceived by us as disturbed.

A decrease in the time period characteristic of a normal “s” (the duration of a regular “s” in ordinary speech is 0.1 seconds) leads to the fact that we classify the sound as a “dull” “s”. A reduction in the duration of this sound is usually caused by poor functioning of the breathing apparatus.

2. The speed of the air stream overcoming the articulation obstacle will not deviate significantly from the required one. Insufficient activity of the respiratory apparatus is the reason, as a result of which not only a “dull” “s” can occur, but also a whistling sound.

If the speed of the exhaled air stream is low, then when the air stream bends around the upper incisors, additional whistles may occur, sometimes more intense than the sound “s” itself (according to Fant’s book “Acoustic Theory of Speech Formation.” M., 1964, p. 239). In practice, we see that indeed, with a whistling “s”, the exhaled stream is very weak and the speed of air movement is extremely low.

"Disappearing" "s"

Insufficient air and the lack of proper airflow speed provided by a breathing apparatus can not only distort the sound of the “s” (make it “dull” or “whistle”), but also lead to its disappearance. The listener will not perceive this “half-living sound”, “s” will not have the necessary audibility due to weakness, and also because it can be drowned out by stronger neighboring sounds, especially vowels.

The disappearance of the “s” sound is more often noticeable during public speaking, when the strength of vowels increases sharply and the intensity of consonant sounds does not increase accordingly (special training is required for this).

Thus, we come to the conclusion that in a stream of live speech, the sound “s” will be perceived by listeners as correct, defect-free only if the breathing apparatus sets the sound-generating jet at the proper speed and provides the sound “s” with the necessary length.

The sound “s” and breathing apparatus training

The process of normalizing pronunciation is complicated by the fact that in the work of the speech apparatus, along with voluntarily controlled organs! many muscle groups that are not subject to conscious influence take part.

All kinds of movements while pronouncing the sound “s” create an extremely positive effect on the functioning of the respiratory apparatus, on its entire respiratory muscles. The respiratory muscles, voluntarily controlled and not controlled, begin to function in a complex, and thanks to this, the best conditions are created for pronouncing the consonant “s”.

By changing the conditions for performing the exercise, we achieve:

a) different intensity of sound, and therefore different speed of release - a strong or weak blow to the ball, a small or large stone thrown from behind the head:

b) different duration of sound utterance - the lasso is thrown further or closer, etc.

Having learned to change the intensity of the sound and the duration of its pronunciation in exercises with physical actions, we will be able to use the acquired skills of controlling the respiratory apparatus in speech exercises, and then in live speech.

Auditory attention training for defective “s”

It is very useful to train auditory-speech attention and cultivate the ability to distinguish between various sound features in group classes. The following exercises can be recommended:

Exercise 14.

1). The sound “s” is a “ball” flying towards a partner. One student is a passer, all the others are both referees and players (any of them can be given a “pass”). If the “s” is pronounced incorrectly, then all the judges who notice this give a signal - the “referee’s penalty whistle”: the students pronounce two short “s” sounds. Students who do not hear a sound violation and do not blow a penalty whistle, observing a collective protest against the uttered sound, quickly feel that their auditory perception needs to be actively nurtured.

2) “The game of volleyball” can be organized a little differently: the correctness of the sound is assessed by the student to whom the “pass” is given. If the sound is pronounced correctly, then the “pass” is accepted and the “ball” is passed to the next student. If the “c” is defective, then the penalty whistle must be given by the student to whom the “ball” is addressed.

It may happen that the recipient of the “ball” does not hear the sound distortion, accepts it and passes it on to another. Then the whole group must blow the penalty whistle. This version of the exercise increases the personal sense of responsibility both for pronouncing a sound and for assessing its quality (when “accepting a pass”). This exercise is useful both for training auditory attention and for developing speech and motor skills. “A person not only passively perceives speech sounds with the ear, but also... actively reproduces them, albeit on a very reduced scale.” (V.P. Morozov. “Secrets of vocal speech”) Good pronunciation of a sound, in this way, helps to improve the sound of this consonant in other students.

Thanks to “penalty whistles”, a negative, inhibitory reaction is developed to a defective pronunciation.

Exercise 15.

To train auditory perception and speech skills, it is useful to “look for” different sound options for the consonant “s” by changing the position of the organs of articulation. The defective “s” you create must be compared with the correct pronunciation of this sound. In each case, it is imperative to figure out what muscle movements resulted in the distortion of the consonant. By looking for various variations of the “s” sound, we train both the auditory and pronunciation apparatus. At the same time, we develop the skills of conscious control of articulatory muscles. Over time, the student himself begins to hear various shades of the sound that interests him. During this period, the student often complains to the teacher that as a result of working on a defective sound, he began to pronounce this sound worse than before.

In such cases, the student is explained that in the process of working on a defective sound, his hearing is gradually developed, then the moment comes when he hears the imperfection of his pronunciation. In fact, his “sick” sound improved. The teacher hears this. But the student's dissatisfaction is fair. It is caused by the fact that the student began to compare his still imperfect speech with the correct speech of his comrades.

Hearing education is most lengthy and complex in the presence of a “dull” “s”. With whistling and hissing “s”, the dullness of auditory perception is much less, students begin to pick up on this defect quite quickly.

In difficult cases, when the passivity of the articular muscles in a student was supplemented by an organic defect (the upper or lower jaw is too forward, a large tongue, etc.), during two weekly meetings with the teacher, as a result of training the speech and hearing aids, students began to hear the defectiveness of their pronunciation through five to six months. Of course, during classes with the teacher, only part of the time was devoted to correcting speech deficiencies. These students began to produce pure sound in isolated form at the end of the second semester. Quite successful attempts to include corrected sound in speech began to appear at the beginning of the third semester, after the summer break. During the summer holidays, students continued to study independently.

We paid so much attention to the sound “s” due to the fact that:

1) Distortion of this sound in a variety of ways is extremely common.

2) In Russian speech, the sounds “s” and “z” are more common than many other sounds. From the sound “s” and “z” or from a sound combination that includes the sounds “s” and “z” (“zn”, “zd”sv”, “sk”, “sp”, “st”, “fs” "), begins 16.7% of Russian words: almost every sixth word has this sound at the beginning. Only 0.8% of words begin with the sound “zh”, 0.3% - with the sound “C”. 1.3% - from the sound “ch”, 1.1% from the sound “sh”, 0.3% - from the sound “sch”. Taken together, the sounds “zh”, “ts”, “ch”, “sh”, “ш” are at the beginning of only 3.6% of words, i.e. approximately every twenty-eighth word begins with one of these sounds, 8.1% of words have the sound “s” or the sound combinations “ev”, “zm”, zn”, “sk”, “st”, “st”, at the end and only 4.4% falls on the final sounds “ts”, “ch”, “sh”, “sch” combined.

Even just listening to spoken language, you can feel how often the sound “s” occurs in the speech stream. Therefore, a defective “s” causes extreme pollution and distortion of speech.

3) The sound “s” is one of the longest sounds of our speech, so its imperfection is especially noticeable and “hurts” the ear. Only the consonant “f” and the soft “sh” are longer than the sound “s”.

4) Nurturing this sound, which requires subtle and complex work of the speech apparatus, makes it easier to eliminate other speech defects. The device turns out to be already well prepared, capable of sensing and performing the smallest speech movements.

Table of contents

Consonants according to the method of noise production

According to the method of noise production, or according to the method of overcoming an obstacle, consonants are divided into stops (plosives), fricatives (frictions), affricates (stop-frictions), stop-passes, and tremors (vibrants).

Closing (plosive) consonants are formed by the complete closure of the organs of pronunciation, and therefore the air, encountering this barrier, tears it apart with force, as a result of which the noise characteristic of these consonants arises.

Stops in the Russian language include: [p], [p.'], [b], [b'], [t], [t'], [d], [d'], [k], [k '], [g], [g'].

Fricative (frictional) consonants are formed by incomplete convergence of the active and passive organs of speech, as a result of which a narrow gap remains between them through which air passes; the noise is generated by the friction of air against the walls of the crack.

Fricative consonants are: [f], [f'], [v], [v'], [s], [s'], [z], [z'], [sh], [zh], [sh '], [th], [x], [x']. Affricates are sounds that are complex in the functioning of the speech organs: at the initial stage of articulation they are formed as stops, that is, by completely closing the speech organs, but at the end of articulation there is not an instantaneous opening of the stop, but its transition into a gap, as in fricatives.

In the Russian literary language there are two affricates: [ts] (t + s) and [ch'] (t' + sh').

Close-passive consonants are those whose formation is characterized by complete closure of the speech organs with the simultaneous passage of air through the oral cavity or nasal cavity. Depending on which cavity the air passes through, the occipital passages are divided into nasal and lateral.

Nasal occlusions include: [n], [n'], [m], [m']; to the lateral ones - [l], [l '] (the side of the tongue is adjacent to the upper jaw).

Trembling consonants are consonants, during the formation of which the tip of the tongue either closes or opens with the alveoli during the passage of an air stream (vibrates). Trembling ones in Russian include: [р], [р'].

A more clear description of consonants by method of formation will look like this: Hard and soft consonants, voiced and voiceless consonants, stops and fricatives, and others - the table will show everything.

Table of classification of consonant sounds in Russian

§236. Pronunciation of some consonants

1. The consonant [g] in literary pronunciation is explosive, instant sounding, and when deafened, is pronounced as [k]: sn[k], bere[k]. g in its place , conventionally designated [ h ], does not correspond to the norm: [ h]ulya ́t, sapo[ h]i ́. The exception is the word God, at the end of which there is an [x].

2. Instead of h in the words of course, boring, scrambled eggs, trifling, birdhouse, bachelorette party, laundry, rag, rag-picker, in female patronymics ending in - and chna ( Nikitichna, Kuzminichna, Ilyinichna , etc.), as well as in the words that, in order, nothing is pronounced [sh] .

3. In the words man, defector in the place of the combination zhch , in the form of the comparative degree of adverbs tougher, harsher (and biting ) in the place stch , and also in the place of the combinations zch and sch it is pronounced [sch]: loader, customer, carver, subscriber, sandstone , happy, happiness, account, electronic counting, counter, self-financing, count, etc.

4. When several consonants accumulate in some combinations, one of them is not pronounced:

a) in combination stn is not pronounced [t]: ucha ́[s'n']ik, ve ́[s']nik, che ́[sn]y, me ́[sn]y, famous ́[sn]y, nena ́[sn]y, I ́ro[s]y;

b) in the combination zdn is not pronounced [d]: po ́[zn]o, pra ́[zn]ik, nae ́[zn]ik, but in the word abyss it is recommended to leave a weak sound [d];

c) in the combination stl, [t] is not pronounced scha [ s'l ']i ́vyy, envious ́[s'l']ivy, so ́ve[s'l']ivy; in the words bony and postlat [t] is preserved;

d) in combination stl, [t] is not pronounced in this case, a double consonant [ss] is formed: maximali ́[ss]kiy, turi ́[ss]kiy, rasi ́[ss]kiy.

5. In some words, with the accumulation of consonant sounds stk , zdk, ntk, ndk, [t] is not allowed daughter-in-law, trip, agenda, typist, bulky, laboratory assistant, student, patient, Irish, tartan, but: cloth shotla [ nc ] A.

6. Hard consonants before soft consonants can be softened:

a) it is necessarily softened before soft z and s: pe ́[n's']iya, prete ́[n'z']iya, rece ́[n'z']iya, face ́[n'z'] and I;

b) in combinations tv , dv can be softened t and d : Thursday, Tver, hard [t'v'] and [tv']; door, two, move [d'v] and [dv'];

c) in combinations of sound and sv z and can be softened : beast, ring [z'v'] and [zv']; light, candle, witness, holy [s'v] and [sv'], as well as in the word snake [z'm'] and [zm'];

d) n before soft t i d softens: ba[n't']ik, vi[n't']ik, zo[n't']ik, ve[n't']il, a[n' t']ichny, ko[n't']text, remo[n't']irovat, ba[n'd']it, I[n'd']iya, stip[n'd']iya, zo[n'd']irovat, i[n'd']ivid, ka[n'd']idat, blo[n'd']in.

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