Classification of vowel sounds. Front vowels

Vowel sounds- These are speech sounds formed by the free passage of an air stream through the vocal cords, consisting mainly of a voice (voice tone) with an almost complete absence of noise.

In Russian, vowels are classified according to three criteria:

1) by row (place of formation);

2) on the rise (method of formation);

3) by the presence or absence of labialization.

At classification of vowels according to a number the difference between vowels caused by the movement of the tongue in a horizontal direction is taken into account. The vowels are divided into three groups:

1) vowels front row, during the articulation of which the language is strongly advanced forward: [and], [e];

2) vowels middle row, during the articulation of which the tongue moves back a little: [s], [a];

3) vowels back row, during the pronunciation of which the tongue is strongly pushed back: [y], [o].

At vowel classifications by rise language takes into account the difference between vowels caused by the movement of the tongue in a vertical direction. The vowels are divided into three groups:

1) vowels upper lift, during the pronunciation of which the tongue is strongly raised up, i.e. occupies the highest position: [and], [s], [y];

2) vowels medium rise, during the pronunciation of which the language occupies a lower position: [e], [o];

3) vowels lower lift, during the pronunciation of which the tongue occupies the lowest position: [a].

According to the width of the mouth solution (which is associated with the degree of elevation of the back of the tongue), vowels are divided into

1) wide, i.e. acoustically the most sonorous: [a];

2) averages, i.e. acoustically medium sonority: [e], [o];

3) narrow, i.e. acoustically the least sonorous: [and], [s], [y].

The third criterion for classification is presence or absence of labialization, i.e. elongation or rounding of the lips. In this case, the vowels are divided into

1) labialized (rounded) vowels: [y], [o];

2) non-labialized (non-rounded) vowels: [a], [e], [i], [s].

The classification of vowels can be presented in tables.

The simplest table of articulation of vowels

Row Rise	Front	Average	Rear
Upper	and	s	at
Average	uh		about
Lower		a

The division into three rows and three rises does not reflect the full richness of vowel sounds.

There are so-called reduced vowels: [Λ], [and e], [s e], [b], [b].

[Λ] - reduced vowel [a], [o] in the first prestressed syllable and the absolute beginning of the word; this sound is called "a - narrow";

[and e] - a sound, the middle between [and] and [e]; this is a sound pronounced with a slightly greater openness of the mouth and a slightly lower rise of the tongue than the sound [and]; the sound is called "[and] open" or "[and] with an overtone [e]", or "[and] prone to [e]";

[s e] - a sound average between [s] and [e]; the sound is called “[s] with an overtone [e]”, or “[s] prone to [e]”;

[b], [b] - reduced vowels [a], [o], [e] in all unstressed syllables, except for the first pre-stressed; [b] - sound, the middle between [s] and [a];

Tones of sounds can be considered as special sounds. Then the table of vowels should be more detailed.

Vowel articulation table

Row Rise	Front	Average	Rear
Upper	and	s	at
upper middle	and uh	s e
Average	uh	b	about
Lower		and Λ

QUESTION 6

CONSONANTISM

CLASSIFICATION OF CONSONANTS OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

Consonants- these are speech sounds, consisting either of one noise, or of voice and noise, which is formed in the organs of pronunciation, where the air stream exhaled from the lungs meets various obstacles.

The consonants of the Russian language are classified according to 5 features:

2) at the place of education;

3) according to the method of education;

4) by the presence or absence of palatalization (by hardness - softness);

5) by the presence or absence of nasality.

The main features of consonants are the place and method of formation. Define place of education consonant - this means to indicate in which place of the speech apparatus there is a convergence or closure of the active organ with the passive. Define way of education consonant - it means to indicate how the barrier is created and how it is removed. Important features of consonants are also deafness - sonority and hardness - softness.

The articulation of each consonant is made up of the simultaneous work of different pronunciation organs. In this case, the main work is the one in which the main focus arises, that is, the place where noise is generated. So, the sounds [p] and [b] are called labial, since the lips are the place of noise formation, the sounds [s] and [h] are, respectively, dental, etc.

Articulation aimed at the formation of the main focus is called basic .

In addition to the main one, when forming a consonant, it can also be used additional articulation, which, without changing the basic character of the noise, gives it a specific shade. The most common additional articulation of Russian consonants is palatalization (from lat. palatum - palate). It is expressed in the tension and rise of the middle part of the tongue to the hard palate. With the help of palatalization, soft (palatalized) consonants are formed. Velarization (from Latin velaris - posterior palatine) - this is an additional articulation, in which, in contrast to palatalization, solid consonants are formed (for example, Russian solid [l]). The articulation of velarization consists in raising the back of the back of the tongue to the soft palate. Additional articulation is also nasalization (from lat. nasalis - nasal), i.e. from the point of view of articulation - the participation of the palatine curtain in the formation of nasal consonants ([n], [n "], [m], [m"]), unlike other sounds.

1. Classification of consonants according to the participation of voice and noise:

1) consonants sonorous, formed with the help of voice and slight noise: [m], [n], [l], [p], [j];

2) consonants noisy subdivided into noisy voiced , formed by noise accompanied by a voice: [b], [b "], [c], [c"], [g], [g "], [d], [d "], [g], [g" ], [h], [h "], [j], [γ], [γ"], [dz], [j]; and noisy deaf , formed only with the help of noise, without the participation of the voice: [n], [n "], [f], [f "], [k], [k"], [t], [t "], [s] , [s "], [w], [w "] (in place of u), [x], [x "], [c], [h "].

A characteristic feature of the consonant system is the presence in it of pairs of sounds correlative in voicing-deafness. The correlation of paired sounds lies in the fact that in some phonetic conditions (before vowels) they differ as two different sounds, and in other conditions (at the end of a word) they do not differ and coincide in their sound. Compare: rose - dew and roses - grew [ros - ros]. The correlative series of voiced and voiceless consonants is represented by 12 pairs of sounds. Sounds [l], [l "], [m], [m"], [n], [n"], [r], [r "], [j] - unpaired voiced, [x], [c ], [h "] - unpaired deaf.

Table of classification of consonants according to voiced-deafness

2. Classification of consonants according to the place of formation.

The place of formation of a consonant depends on which active organ does the main work and with which passive organ it closes or approaches. This is the place in the mouth where the flow of air meets an obstacle.

If the active organ is underlip , then consonants can be labial-labial (passive organ - upper lip): [p], [b], [m] and labial-dental (passive organ - upper teeth): [c], [f].

If the active organ is language , then the characteristic of the consonant depends on which part of the tongue - the anterior, middle or back - is involved in creating the barrier and with which passive organ - the teeth, the anterior, middle or back of the palate - the tongue approaches or closes. Front-lingual consonants are dental, when the front of the tongue is directed to the teeth: [t], [d], [s], [h], [n], [l], [c], and palatine-dental (anteropalatal), when it is directed to the anterior part of the palate: [p], [w], [g], [h "]. Middle-lingual at the same time always and middle-palatal: [j], [and]. Back-lingual or middle palate: [k "], [g" ], [x "], [γ"] or posterior palate: [k], [g], [x], [γ].

1) consonants labial subdivided into labial: [b], [n], [m] and labiodental:

2) consonants lingual subdivided into anterior lingual, which include dental[d], [t], [s], [s], [n], [l], [c] and palatine-dental[w], [w "], [w], [h "], [p];

3) middle language(mid palate) [j], [and];

4) consonants back-lingual(back palatine) [k], [k "], [g], [g"], [x], [x"], as well as rare

sounds [γ], [γ "], [n].

The sound [n] - nasal back-lingual - is rare in Russian. It is pronounced in place [n] before [k], [g], usually in cases where a consonant follows: pu[n] ktir, fra[n] ksky, ko[n] gress.

3. Classification of consonants according to the method of formation:

Depending on the difference in the methods of noise formation, consonants are divided into:

1) consonants explosive(constant): [b], [p], [d], [t], [g], [k];

2) consonants fricatives(slotted): [c], [f], [h], [s], [g], [w], [w "], , [x];

3) affricates[ts], [h "];

4) consonants closure-through, which include nasal[m], [m "], [n], [n"] and side[l], [l"];

5) trembling[p], [p "].

4. Classification of consonants by the presence or absence of palatalization:

1) consonants solid, formed without additional mid-palatal articulation (all consonants, except for [g "], [w"], [h"], [j]);

2) consonants soft, formed with additional articulation (all consonants, except for [g], [w], [c]).

By education, they differ in the absence or presence of palatalization, which consists in additional articulation (the middle part of the back of the tongue rises high to the corresponding part of the palate).

With the formation of soft consonants, the tongue is concentrated in the front, and with the formation of hard ones, in the back of the oral cavity; compare: [in "] il - [v] yl, [n"] il - [n] yl, [l"] yog - [l] og, [r "] poison - [r] hell.

Consonant sounds form pairs of hardness / softness: [b] - [b "], [p] - [n"], [c] - [c"], [f] - [f "], [h] - [ h "], [s] - [s"], [d] - [d"], [t] - [t"], [m] - [m"], etc. Unpaired solid sounds are [g], [w], [c]; unpaired soft - [g "], [w"], [h"], [j].

In [j], the elevation of the middle part of the back of the tongue to the middle part of the palate is not additional, like in other consonants, but the main articulation, therefore [j] - palatal , not a palatalized consonant.

Table of classification of consonants by hardness-softness

5. Classification of consonants by the presence or absence of nasality:

1) consonants nasal(nasal): [n], [n "], [m], [m "];

2) consonants non-nasal(non-nasal, oral): all others.

During the formation of nasal consonants, the palate descends and the air stream passes into the nasal cavity, causing nasal resonance. A characteristic feature of nasal consonants is that, along with the bow, the passage of air through the nose is open. Therefore, these sounds are classified as a special group of stop-passing sounds.

Voice and noise	Way of education	Place of education
Labial	lingual
labial	labiodental	Frontlingual	Middle-lingual	Back lingual
		dental	palatine-dental
Noisy	explosive	b b’ p p’		d d’ t t’			g g’ k k’
affricates			c	h'
fricatives		in v’ f f’	s s ’s s’	w w’ w w’	ј	x x'
Sonorant
Connecting passageways	lateral			l l'
nasal	mm'		n n'
Trembling				p p'

Table of articulation of consonants

The table lists the most important features and main sounds of the modern Russian literary language. However, not all. If, for example, we compare the initial sounds of words garden and court, lady and doom, taz and ace, you can see the difference in their articulation. Before [a], consonants are pronounced without tension of the lips, and before [y] - with rounded and elongated lips. We're just getting ready to say the words court, doom, ace, and the lips have already taken this position. This additional articulation is called labialization (from Latin labium - “lip”), and consonants [s °], [d °], [t "], etc. - labialized (or ruined). These sounds differ from [s], [d], [t] by articulation and by ear. (This difference can be heard if you start pronouncing the word garden and stop after the first consonant, then start pronouncing the word court, but pronounce only the first consonant.) In Russian, the labialization of consonants is always associated with their position before [u] or [o], as well as before labialized consonants: [s°t°ul], [s°t°ol], but [became]. There are no exceptions, so it is usually not noted in transcription.

The vowel sounds of the modern Russian language are classified according to three criteria:

1. according to the degree of elevation of the tongue during the formation of a vowel sound;

2. on the basis of a row (according to the place where the tongue is raised), i.e. by the movement of the tongue horizontally in the oral cavity;

3. in relation to labialization, i.e. participation / non-participation of lips in the formation of a vowel sound.

Basic stressed vowels

§3. Classification of consonants

All consonants of the modern Russian language are classified according to four articulatory features:

2. at the place of noise generation;

3. according to the method of noise generation;

4. by the presence/absence of palatalization (additional iot articulation).

Sonorant are the most sonorous of all consonants. Their formation involves the voice with little participation of noise (approximately 75% - voice, 25% - noise).

noisy are those consonants in the formation of which noise prevails over the voice or the voice is completely absent. Noisy voiced the consonants are composed of noise with little voice participation (approximately 75% noise, 25% voice). Noisy deaf are formed without the participation of voice, consist entirely of noise.

Many noisy consonants are paired according to the participation of voice and noise. Noisy consonants are paired, differing only in this one feature (with others in common): [b] - [p]; [b '] - [n '], etc. Sonorant consonants do not have a pair on the basis of "participation of voice and noise."

Note: For a list of consonants, paired and unpaired by the participation of voice and noise, see the Phonology section.

Location of noise

The division of consonants into labial and lingual is related to which active organs of speech are involved in their formation: lips or tongue. In the formation of labial consonants, the lower lip plays an active role, in the formation of lingual consonants - the tongue. Active (moving) speech organs interact with passive ones, which include the upper lip, alveoli, teeth, and hard palate. So, in education labial consonants, the lower lip closes with the upper lip, and when formed labiodental consonants, the same active organ - the lower lip - approaches the upper teeth. Lingual consonants are divided into three groups depending on whether the front, middle or back of the tongue plays an active role in the formation of sound. The group of front-lingual consonants is heterogeneous. Depending on which passive organ the anterior part of the tongue approaches, there are anterior lingual dental(tongue moves towards upper teeth) and anterior-lingual palatine-dental(tongue approaches the alveoli, rising in front of the hard palate).

Noise generation method

According to the method of noise formation, several groups of consonants are distinguished. At education stop (explosive) consonants, the active organ, approaching the passive, forms a link, overcoming which an explosion occurs, because. an air jet breaks the barrier with force. Stop consonants are very short, they are often called instantaneous sounds. Slotted (fricative) consonants are formed by incomplete convergence of the active and passive organs, between which there is a gap. The jet of air passes through the slot relatively freely, but the friction of the air against the walls of the slot creates noise. The absence of an explosion when overcoming an obstacle allows fricative consonants to acquire longitude, which is impossible for stop sounds. affricates are sounds that are complex in formation: at the initial stage of articulation, a bow is formed, but the expected explosion does not occur, the barrier opens, passing from the bow into a gap through which the air leaves the oral cavity. Affricates, thus, combine the features of stop and fricative consonants. Connecting passages consonants are formed by complete closure of the active organ with the passive one, air passes simultaneously through the oral cavity and the nasal cavity. Depending on how the air passes through the barrier, occlusive-passing nasal and occlusive-passage lateral (oral) sounds. Consonants, during the formation of which the tip of the tongue vibrates, then closes, then opens with the alveoli during the passage of a stream of air, are called trembling (vibrants).

Language is truly a wonderful gift to humanity. This perfect instrument of communication has a complex device, it is a system. Traditionally, starting the study of a language, they turn to phonetics - a branch of the science of language, the subject of which is the sounds of speech, and more specifically, the classification of vowels and

Phonetics

Phonetics is designed to study speech sounds. It occupies a special position, which is determined by the fact that the subject of its study is the units of the language that have a material nature. Sounding speech is formed by the human speech organs and air vibrations. The perception of sounding speech occurs by the organs of hearing of a person.

Phonetics deals with the most minimal unit of language - the sound of speech. There are an infinite number of such sounds. After all, everyone pronounces them differently. But it is possible to distinguish among this variety such sounds that are pronounced in the same way. The method of formation is the basis for the classification of sounds.

The main thing is the classification of vowels and consonants. Articulatory and speeches are or provide speech with melodiousness. Consonants - noise.

Consonants, on the other hand, are produced when air overcomes obstacles in its path. They consist of voice and noise or only noise. Different ways of forming and overcoming these obstacles make it possible to distinguish consonant sounds from each other. The classification of vowels / consonants of the Russian language is based on these differences. We will discuss its principles below.

Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies the articulatory and acoustic features of speech sounds. Articulatory phonetics deals with the study of the anatomical and physiological nature of sound and the mechanisms of its production. Acoustic phonetics studies sound as vibrational movements carried out by passing it through the vocal cords and oral cavity. The subjects of study of acoustic phonetics are its height, strength, longitude and timbre.

Acoustic classification of vowels

Acquaintance with phonetics usually begins with the study of vowel sounds. We will not deviate from traditions, which are due to their greater significance. They are syllabic. The consonants are adjacent to the vowels.

What classification of vowels and consonants will be the subject of our attention for the study of vowels in the first place?

First, consider the acoustic features of vowels:

• all these sounds are formed by the tone of the voice;
• characterized by impact and unstressed, that is, they are weak and strong;
• weak vowels are short in sound, when they are pronounced, it is not necessary to strain the vocal cords;
• strong vowels are distinguished by a longer pronunciation and with tension of the vocal cords.

The tone of vowels is not a semantic characteristic. It can only convey the emotional state of the speaker or grammatical meaning. For example, in an interrogative sentence, the vowel in the word that carries the greatest semantic load is pronounced with a higher tone.

Weak and short sounds are called unstressed in Russian. Strong and long are shock. Stress is unfixed in our language and most often performs a grammatical function: house (singular), houses (plural). Sometimes the stress is meaningful: lock (structure), lock (device for locking the door).

Classification of vowel sounds according to articulatory features. Rounded/unrounded vowels

The articulatory classification of vowel sounds is much wider than the acoustic one. In addition to the voice, they are formed by the lips, tongue and lower jaw. The sound is formed in a certain way and is characterized by the following features:

• the participation of lips in its formation;
• the degree of elevation of the tongue;
• horizontal movement of the tongue in the oral cavity.

Vowels can be formed by stretching the lips, then they are called rounded (labialized). If the lips do not participate in the formation of a vowel, then it is called unrounded (non-labialized).

Rounded vowels are formed when the lips protrude forward, close to each other. The air passes through the narrow space formed by the lips folded into a tube, the oral resonator lengthens. The degree of roundness is different: the vowel [o] is less, and the vowel [y] is characterized by a greater degree of roundness. The remaining vowels are unrounded, that is, non-labialized.

Vowels according to the degree of vertical movement of the tongue, that is, according to the rise

According to the way the tongue rises to the palate, vowel sounds are:

The lower the rise, the wider the mouth opens and the lower the jaw drops.

Vowels by horizontal tongue movement

According to the horizontal movement of the tongue in the mouth, vowels are also divided into three groups:

• The front row is the sounds [and], [e]. When they form, the front of the tongue must be raised to the front of the palate.
• The middle row is the sounds [a], [s]. When they are formed, the middle part of the tongue rises to the middle part of the palate.
• Back row - [y], [o]. When they are formed, the back of the tongue rises to the back of the palatine.

In a generalized form, the classification of vowel sounds is reflected in the vowel triangle. You can see it in the picture below.

Vowel shades

The division by row and rise does not correspond to all the richness and variety of vowels. In general, the classification of vowels / consonants of the Russian language is much wider than given in the textbooks of the school curriculum. Both the former and the latter may have pronunciation variants. It depends on the position they are in.

In addition to the sound [and], there is one that is pronounced with a slightly more open mouth and a lower rise of the tongue than [and]. Such a sound has a name [and] open. In transcription, it is indicated [and e]. Example: forests [l "and e sa"].

Not so open is the sound [s e]. For example, in the word "iron", which is pronounced as [zhy e l "e" hot].

In a weak position, before the stressed syllable, instead of the sounds [a], [o], a non-labialized sound is pronounced. According to the position of the language, it occupies a place between [a] and [o], for example: grass [tr / \ va "], fields [p / \ l" a "].

There are also reduced vowels, they are also called weakened sounds. This is [b] and [b]. [b] is the sound of the middle row of the mid-low rise. [b] - this sound is the sound of the front row of the middle-low rise. Examples: steam locomotive [par / \ in "s], water [vod" and e no "th]. The weakening of their pronunciation is due to the distance of these vowels from the stress.

Sounds [and e], [s e],, [b], [b] are found only in a position without stress.

The dependence of vowel sounds on the softness of consonants

Changing the pronunciation of vowels depending on soft (palatalized) consonants is considered by phonetics. The classification of vowel sounds depending on such a neighborhood can be represented as follows:

• The vowels ["a], ["e], ["o], ["y] move slightly up and forward at the beginning of pronunciation.
• If these vowels stand between soft consonants, changes in articulation persist throughout the entire pronunciation of the sound: son-in-law [z"a"t"], aunt [t"o"t"a], tulle [t"u"l"].

Types of stressed vowels

Our language has six positions, which are represented by different types of stressed vowels. All of them are presented in the table below.

Types of unstressed vowels

The classification of unstressed vowels depends on the proximity or distance from the stress and preposition or postposition in relation to it:

• The vowels [and], [s], [y], standing in the pre-stressed syllable, are slightly weakened in their articulation, but do not change dramatically.
• If [s] stands after hissing and hard before soft, then it moves up and forward a little at the end of pronouncing the sound, for example, in the word f[y˙]vet.
• The sound [y] at the very beginning of the word, standing before soft consonants and after hard back-lingual or hissing, also slightly shifts up and forward at the end of pronunciation. For example: [u˙] tyug, f[u˙] rit.
• The vowel [y], if it is behind a soft consonant, before a hard consonant, moves up and forward at the beginning of pronunciation. For example: [l'˙y] bov.
• If [y] is between soft consonants, it moves up and forward throughout the entire time of pronunciation: [l'˙u˙] beat.
• The vowels [a], [o], if they come after back-lingual at the beginning of a word, hard and [c], are pronounced like [ㆄ], this vowel is formed in the middle row, it is mid-low in rise, it is non-labialized.
• Vowels [a], [o], [e], if they are after soft consonants, [h], [j] are pronounced like [e], which is characterized as a non-labialized vowel, middle between [i] and [e], according to in a row of education, it is front, in terms of rise it is medium-upper.
• The vowels [e], [o] that come after [w], [g] are pronounced like [ye], it is a non-front row sound, it is no longer s and not e, such a sound can be heard, for example, in the word " live [ye] vat".
• The vowel [a] after [w], [g] is pronounced as [ㆄ]. This sound can be heard in the word "sh[ㆄ] pour".
• [and], [s], [y] weaken their articulation in the third and second pre-stressed syllables, but do not change their pronunciation character.
• The vowel [y], if it is in the second and third pre-stressed syllables, before palatalized consonants and behind solid sounds, does not differ from the sound pronounced in the pre-stressed syllable, this also applies to vowels [s] and [and].
• The vowels [a], [o], [e] in the third and second pre-stressed syllables, at the very beginning of the word, change according to the type of syllable before the stress - in place of the stressed vowels [a], [o] is pronounced [ㆄ], and in place [e] it is pronounced [ye].

Changes in vowel stressed sounds in stressed syllables are reflected in the table below.

Conclusion

Summing up, we can conclude that the position of the language affects the classification of vowel sounds. Moving in the mouth, it creates different conditions for the formation of sounds. They are perceived as different vowels.

Vowel sounds in Russian are contrasted on four grounds: the degree of sonority, the degree of advancement of the tongue (row), the degree of elevation of the tongue (rise) and the participation of the lips (labialization).

1. The degree of sonority of a vowel is determined by the degree of tension of the vocal cords during their formation and is related to the position of the sound in relation to the stress. According to the degree of sonority, vowels of complete and incomplete education are distinguished. With the formation of vowels of a complete formation, the vocal cords are strained to the maximum, the sound is pronounced with maximum strength and duration. When vowels of incomplete formation (reduced) are formed, the vocal cords tense to a lesser extent.
2. The number of vowels depends on the degree of horizontal advancement of the tongue in the oral resonator (forward-backward movement). According to the degree of horizontal advancement of the tongue, front vowels [u, e], middle row [s, a], and back row vowels [y, o] are distinguished. The articulation of the front and back vowels is characterized by the advancement of the tongue into the front and back zones, respectively. When forming middle vowels, the tongue occupies a middle position in the oral resonator. The form of the language is different.
3. According to the degree of elevation of the tongue to the palate, the vowels of the upper rise [i, s, y], the middle rise [e, o] and the lower rise [a] are distinguished. The articulation of high vowels is accompanied by a maximum rise of the back of the tongue to the palate. In the formation of low vowels, the tongue rests on the lower jaw, and in the formation of mid-rise vowels, the tongue occupies a middle position.

The simplest vowel table is:
Table 1.

Climb	Front	Average	Rear
Upper	and	s	at
Average	uh		about
Lower		a

But the division into three rows and rise does not reflect the entire articulatory variety of speech sounds. So, in the flow of speech in an unstressed position in the first pre-stressed syllable after a soft consonant in place of the phonemes lt;egt;, lt;agt; the sound [and] “[and] with an overtone [e]” is pronounced, in the second pre-stressed syllable - [b] “short reduced er” - places [m’iEsta] and place [m’est’]. After solid consonants in the first prestressed syllable, in place of the phonemes lt;agt;, lt;ogt; the sound is pronounced - “close to [a]”, and in the second pre-stressed - [b] “short reduced er” - at home [d / \ ma] and at home [dom]. After solid hissing and c, it is pronounced [yE] “[s] with an overtone [e]” - to regret [zhyElet]. Vowels [ыЭ], [иЭ], [Л], [ъ], [ь] occur only in unstressed positions. But shades of sounds also appear in the stressed position, for example, in the word knead the phoneme lt;agt; between soft consonants is realized in the sound [a] advanced forward and upward throughout the sound.
Shades of sounds can be considered as special sounds, and then the vowel table can be supplemented. See the table of vowels and the order of their characteristics in the "Methodological recommendations for independent work."

Differences in vowel sounds are related to the position of the tongue in the mouth and, to a lesser extent, its shape, as well as the shape of the hole formed by the lips. Due to the movement of these organs, the volume and shape of the resonator - the oral cavity - change. On the basis of this, vowels of various rises and rows, labialized and non-labialized (from Latin labia - lips) are distinguished.

The rise of the back of the tongue in the oral cavity determines the rise of the vowel sound. Therefore, [a] is the vowel of the lower rise (the tongue is located quite low, the distance between the back of the tongue and the palate is the largest, which is also achieved by lowering the lower jaw - the maximum opening of the mouth), [o] and [e] - the middle one (the tongue occupies the middle position), and [y] [s] and [and] - upper (the tongue is raised closest to the palate and even, when pronouncing [s], is slightly bent back).

The assignment of a vowel to one or another row depends on which part of the oral cavity (back, middle or front) the bulk of the tongue is located. When pronouncing the sounds [o] and [y], the bulk of the tongue is concentrated in the back of the mouth, so they are called back vowels. When pronouncing the sounds [e] and [and], the tongue is pushed forward - these are the front vowels. When pronouncing the sounds [a] and [s], the tongue is not pushed forward and not pulled back - it occupies almost the entire oral cavity - these are the vowels of the middle row.

In addition, differences in vowel sounds are associated with the shape of the hole formed by the lips. On this basis, vowels are divided into labialized, that is, rounded ([o], [y]), and non-labialized, that is, not rounded ([a], [e], [s], [and]).

Sounds in unstressed syllables can change their quality. This means that their characteristics in terms of rise, row, labialization (all or one of the characteristics) have changed. So, for example, when pronouncing the sound of the middle rise, the back row, labialized [o] in the first pre-stressed syllable, the sound is not only less intense and shorter. When pronouncing it, the back of the tongue drops, the tongue moves slightly forward from the back position, the lips are relaxed, do not stretch forward - and the sound loses its difference from [a], the sound of the lower rise, the middle row, non-labialized.

All vowels, except [y] (which never changes its characteristics), in unstressed syllables can undergo strong qualitative changes and turn into an unstressed vowel [ъ] (medium rise and middle row) after hard consonants or into unstressed [ь] (medium rise and somewhat advanced forward) after soft consonants.

If the characteristics of a vowel in an unstressed syllable do not change, it retains the semantic function (bullet [pul'ivoj] - field [pul'ivoj]), and if they change, then it loses it: field [pul'ivoj] - dusty [pul'ivoj] ].