How to pronounce from English to Russian. Correct pronunciation of English letters. Reading rules: open and closed syllables

When you start learning English, the first thing you encounter is the English alphabet (english alphabet [ˈalfəbɛt]). Writing English letters is not something completely new even on the very initial stage learning, because any modern man daily encounters English letters on the keyboard of a computer and phone. Yes, and English words are found at every step: in advertising, on the labels of various goods, in shop windows.

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But while the letters seem familiar, pronouncing them correctly in English is sometimes difficult, even for those who speak English tolerably well. Everyone is familiar with the situation when you need to spell an English word - for example, to dictate an email address or a website name. This is where the wonderful names begin: i - “like a stick with a dot”, s - “like a dollar”, q - “where is the Russian th”.

English alphabet with Russian pronunciation, transcription and voice acting

The English alphabet with Russian pronunciation is only for the very beginners. In the future, when you get acquainted with the rules of reading English and learn new words, you will need to study transcription. It is used in all dictionaries, and if you know it, it will once and for all remove the problem of the correct pronunciation of new words for you. We advise at this stage to compare the transcription icons in square brackets with the Russian equivalent. Perhaps, in these short examples, you will remember some of the ratios of English and Russian sounds.

Below is a table showing the English alphabet with transcription and Russian pronunciation. Notice how the uppercase and lowercase letters look.

← Move the table to the left to view it in full

Below, you can listen to all the letters of the English alphabet at once:

Alphabet Trainer

Choose the letter that matches its pronunciation.

English alphabet cards

Very effective cards of the English alphabet in its study. Bright and large letters will be easier to remember. See for yourself:

Such cards can be made independently, for example, according to the above sample. Next, print, cut out the letters and arrange them in the correct sequence.

For children, on the cards of the English alphabet, you can depict animals in addition to the letters in order to immediately memorize new words, and the learning process was not boring.

Features of some letters of the English alphabet.

In the English alphabet 26 letters: 20 consonants and 6 vowels.

The vowels are A, E, I, O, U, Y.

IN English language There are a few letters that we want to pay special attention to because they have certain features that need to be taken into account when learning the alphabet.

• The letter Y in English can be read as a vowel and as a consonant. For example, in the word “yes” it is a consonant sound [j] (th), and in the word “many” it is a vowel sound [i] (and).
• Consonants in words, as a rule, convey only one sound. The letter X is an exception. It is transmitted immediately by two sounds - [ ks ] (ks).
• The letter Z in the alphabet is read differently in the British and American versions (as you probably already noticed in the table). The British version is (zed), the American version is (zi).
• The pronunciation of the letter R is also different. British version - (a), American version - (ar).

To make sure that you pronounce English letters correctly, we recommend that you not only look at them and read (using transcription or the Russian version), but also listen. To do this, we advise you to find and listen to ABC-song. This song is usually used when teaching children the alphabet, but it can also be useful for adults. ABC-song is very popular in teaching, it exists in various variations. If you sing it with the announcer several times, you can not only check the correct pronunciation of the letters, but also easily remember the alphabet along with the melody.

Listen to a song about the English alphabet:

A few words about spelling

So, we learned the alphabet of the English language. We know how English letters are pronounced individually. But turning to the rules of reading, you will immediately see that many letters in different combinations read quite differently. A reasonable question arises - as the cat Matroskin would say - what is the use of memorizing the alphabet? In fact, there are practical benefits.

The point here is not the ability to tell the alphabet from beginning to end, but the ability to easily spell any English word. This skill is necessary when you need to write down English names under dictation. If you need English for work, this skill can be very useful, since English names, even if they sound the same, can be spelled in several ways. For example, Ashley or Ashlee, Mila and Milla, not to mention surnames. Therefore, for the British and Americans themselves, it is considered absolutely natural to ask to spell the name if you need to write it down (spell it) - hence the word spelling, which you can see in various tutorials.

Online exercises to consolidate the alphabet

Choose the letter that goes

Write the letter that starts the word.

Write the letter that ends the word.

Decipher the code and write down the secret message in letters. The number corresponds to the order of the letter in the alphabet.

You can apply the knowledge gained in practice with the help of. With the help of unique exercises, even at the most basic level, you can master not only reading, but also writing English words, as well as learn the basic grammar rules and continue learning further.

Having studied the Russian alphabet, we can easily read any texts. But for correct reading in English, you will have to make more efforts, because there are many discrepancies between the spelling and pronunciation of words. If you decide to learn this language on your own and cannot understand how to read words in English correctly, then this material is exactly what you need. Today we will analyze the nuances of the pronunciation of English letters and letter combinations, and find out how easy it is to learn to read English from scratch. And it will help to learn the rules of reading English for beginners with a table that shows all the letters and their sound.

First, let's get acquainted with the most important law of reading in English - the rule of open and closed syllables. There is no similar norm in Russian, so let's analyze in detail what it is. Pay attention to transcription.

An open syllable is a syllable that ends in a vowel. As a rule, it occurs in the following cases:

• The word ends in a vowel, so the last syllable is always open: t ake[take].*
• A vowel is followed by a consonant followed by a vowel again: ed uca tion [education].
• Two vowels side by side in a word: cr ue l [cruel].

*Ultimate e in most cases it is considered "dumb", that is, it is not pronounced, but appears at the base of the word precisely for the formation of an open syllable.

In open syllables, the vowel is always pronounced smoothly and extended. Accordingly, closed syllables are all those syllables in which the vowel sound is closed by a consonant and therefore sounds short and abrupt: c ut[cat].

In addition, special reading rules in English are characteristic of syllables in which the vowel sound is closed by the letter r. The fact is that in the British version of the pronunciation of such syllables, the letter r is often completely skipped, i.e. not pronounced. Therefore, there are two options for reading such letter combinations:

1. In an open syllable, when r is surrounded by vowels, only both vowels are read: c are[keea]. In such cases, the last e won't be dumb.
2. In a closed syllable ( voice + r + acc.), r is also not readable, but affects the sound of the vowel sound, making it more drawn out: start [staat]

The rule of open and closed syllables is the basic law of reading in English, although there are many exceptions to it. But it is too early to learn exceptions without knowing the main rules. Therefore, now we will consider the sound options for all letters and letter combinations.

Other English topics: English transcription, translation and pronunciation of frequently used words

Rules for reading English for beginners - a table of correspondence of letters and sounds

Even if you started learning English and reading it from scratch, you probably already know the spelling and sound of all the letters of the English alphabet. But, as we already learned from the previous section, when reading, the pronunciation of letters depends on the type of syllable or letter combination. Therefore, in the tables below you can find several variants of the sound of the same letter at once. But do not be alarmed, for each case an accessible explanation will be given. So, let's continue to learn English for beginners and learn the rules of reading in English.

Consonants

Let's start with the easiest: with a table of consonants, the pronunciation of which is similar to the Russian sound.

*English d and t are more aspirated than their Russian counterparts.

**w is pronounced with lips extended into a tube, resulting in something between the Russian sounds в and у.

Now let's deal with more complex letters.

And also we will study the letter combinations of consonants in English.

In addition, it is worth considering that the consonants at the very end of the word, the English language never allows you to stun. Otherwise, you may say something completely different from what you wanted to say. For example: back [back] - behind, behind; bag [bag] - bag, bag.

Vowels

It is much more difficult to cope with reading English vowels, but the already familiar rules of open and closed syllables will help us figure it out. We take them into service and learn how to read the vowels of the English language correctly.

Do not forget that in a closed syllable all letters are pronounced briefly.

And the vowels of an open syllable are always smooth and drawn out.

Remember that the letter r after a vowel, as a rule, is not pronounced.

Now we know how to read vowels in English words. But for perfect reading in English, one more point needs to be studied.

Diphthongs and triphthongs in English

An important aspect of English for beginners is diphthongs and triphthongs, i.e. combinations of two or three letters that have a special sound. Their pronunciation is called sliding, because. first, the main sound is pronounced intensely, and then it is smoothly translated into a secondary sound. Diphthongs are a kind of exception and do not obey the general grammatical laws, so they can only be learned by heart. The table below will help us learn the rules for reading English diphthongs for beginners.

* doubling the letter indicates the length of the first sound, in relation to the second.

So, we have considered the main nuances of reading in English. Take these rules responsibly: conduct reading lessons more often and be sure to learn to distinguish between types of syllables in English. Otherwise, you will make gross mistakes in pronunciation, which will lead to a complete misunderstanding by the interlocutor of your words. Good luck in learning English and see you soon!

letters, transmitting vowels, in alphabetical 6: Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, Uu, Yy. There are 20 vowel sounds:

i - and (short)
u - y (short)
ʌ - a (short)
ɔ - o (short)
ə - neutral sound. This sign often denotes unstressed vowel sounds in transcription, regardless of the letters that give this sound.
e - a sound between "e" and "e", pronounced with lips stretched to the side, as if smiling.
æ - sound without analogy in Russian. A long "e" with a wide open mouth and a strongly lowered lower jaw, intermediate between "a" and "e".
i: - and (long)
u: - y (long)
ɑ: - a (long)
ɔ: - o (long)
ə: - Reminiscent of the sound ё, but without the initial sound "y". For example, as in the name of Goethe.
iə - starts with a vowel i and ends with a neutral sound ə
uə - starts with a vowel u and ends with a neutral sound ə
ai -ai
ɔi - oh
ou
ɛə - ea (pronounced very quickly)
au -au
ei -hey

letters, conveying consonants, in alphabetical 20: Bb, Cc, Dd, Ff, Gg, Hh, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Vv, Ww, Xx, Zz. There are 24 consonant sounds.

Voiced consonants:
b - like Russian b
d - d (the tongue at this sound rests on the tubercles in front of the upper teeth)
ʒ - f (harder than Russian)
ʤ-j
g - like Russian g
m - m
n - n
ŋ - nasal sound n, similar to French pronunciation
l - l
r - soft r
w - there is no analogy in Russian, the average between "y" and "v". Similar to the pronunciation of the sound "in" in some dialects. Round your lips as if you were making a "y" sound, then loosen them abruptly.
v - like Russian in
ð - there is no analogy in Russian. Say the Russian "z" with your tongue between your teeth.
z - like Russian z

Voiceless consonants:
p - explosive p
t - t (with this sound, the tongue rests on the tubercles in front of the upper teeth)
ʃ - sh
ʧ - h (much harder than Russian, closer to the combination "tsh")
k - explosive k
f - like Russian f
h - x (much softer than Russian, almost exhalation only)
j - th
θ - no analogy in Russian. Say the Russian "s" with your tongue between your teeth.
s - like Russian with

stress in English transcription it is placed before the stressed syllable, and not above it, as in Russian. This sign (‘) seems to warn us in advance about the stress.

The accent can also be main, located on top, (‘) and secondary located below (,). In this case, the main vocal emphasis falls on the main stress, but we pronounce the vowel sound with secondary stress very clearly, without making it absolutely unstressed and in no case bringing it to a neutral ə.

Comments

The Sound Word service makes it easy to find out transcription, pronunciation and translation of English words online.

To use it, you need to enter a word and click "Search". After a short pause, he gives out a transcription of the English word, pronunciation and translation. For convenience, two options are offered: British and American. You can also listen to pronunciation options online.

What is transcription?

Phonetic transcription is a graphic recording of the sound of a word; pursues the goal of accurate graphic recording of pronunciation. Each individual sound must be separately recorded in the recording. Phonetic transcription is written in square brackets; special phonetic symbols are used for recording.

Why do we need transcription of English words?

Knowing English transcription is useful. This makes it easy to read and correctly pronounce an unfamiliar English word on your own, without outside help. It is enough to look into the dictionary or use online services. Everyone knows that reading English words is a rather specific process, based not on the “folding” of words from letters, but rather on the transformation of letter combinations into combinations of sounds. Of course, there are certain reading rules that you need to know and apply. But there are many more words that do not obey these rules. This is where transcription comes to the rescue, allowing you to find out the correct pronunciation of the English word, and, accordingly, its reading.

We continue our lessons for learning to read in English. On the plate on the left, green arrows indicate the sounds that we have already passed. Since we have studied almost all consonants, in this lesson we will repeat 8 studied vowel sounds to consolidate their pronunciation. Of the consonant sounds, only 4 remained. Sounds [ r] And [ w] we go through in this lesson, and the sounds [j] and [ŋ] in the next. So, let's begin!

From Lesson 14 you will learn:

• how to read english consonants Rr And www;
• how to read letters wr, wh, rh, er/or,

Let's start with the pronunciation of sounds, and then move on to reading letter combinations.

So the letter www denotes a sound [w]. Letter Rr denotes a sound [r]. Both sounds are quite complex, because there are no similar sounds in Russian.

mouth exercise, which will help you learn how to pronounce the English sound [w]: pull your lips into a tube, as if you want to blow out a candle, and then sharply push the corners of your mouth to the sides, as if in a smile. And so many times: a tube - a smile, a tube - a smile, a tube - a smile ...

Pronunciation of the English sound [w]. Now that your mouth is prepared, let's start pronouncing the sound. For a moment, pull your lips into a tube, as if you want to make the sound "y", and when you start to say "y", immediately smile sharply. You get a sound, a bit like "v".

Actually the sound [w] very often the letters "u" and "v" are transmitted in Russian. Even in official sources, the name William is sometimes spelled William, sometimes William. Because there is NO such sound in Russian.

If you still do not quite understand how to pronounce the English sound [w] correctly, then pronounce it like a short "y", but in no case, like "v".

Once again, note that when you pronounce "y" your lips are rounded and do NOT touch the teeth, the same position of the lips must be observed when pronouncing the sound [w].

When pronouncing the sound "v", the upper teeth touch lower lip. This should not be!

How to pronounce the English sound [r] correctly?

Let me tell you, this is a very complex sound. At least it was for me.

What you need to do to pronounce an English sound [r] right and How does English [r] differ from Russian "r"?

• When making a sound [r] can come from the sound [ʒ], which you already know how to pronounce. Only the tip of the tongue needs to be bent even further back ringlet.
• Tip of the tongue when making a sound [r] located in the back of the upper palate, the tongue does not shake. It looks like a burry "r" sound.
• When pronouncing the Russian sound “r”, the tongue shakes at the upper teeth: “pppp-pp-p ...”

Hear how sounds [w] and [r] are pronounced correctly —

Reading letter combinations with sound R: wr, rh, er / or

2. Letter combinations er, or at the end of the word are read as [ə] : sister, doctor, etc.

3. wr, rh reads like [r]: wr ist - wrist, rh ythm [‘rɪð(ə)m], as well as in such common words that we still cannot read: wr ite (write), wr ong (wrong)

Reading letter combinations with the sound W: wh

1. wh reads like [w]: wh at - What, as well as in such common words that we still cannot read: wh y (why), wh ite (white), wh ile (while).

Exception. wh before o reads like [h]: wh o (who), wh ose (whose)

2. At the end of a word w unreadable: slo w

Phonetic exercises for practicing sounds [w] and [r] with audio recording (closed content)

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Description: Access to a course of lessons on learning to read in English and pronunciation at the same time. 50% discount until 01/01/2020. Author T.V. Nabeeva

Phrases with sounds [w] and [r] for working out during the week:

1. What? - What?
2. When? - When?
3. Very well. - Very good.
4. The weather is terrible. — The weather is terrible.
5. We will see. - We will think about it.
6. What did she see? What did she see?
7. He is sorry. - He's sorry.
8. We are ready. - We are ready.
9. Get well! - Get better!
10. Keep in touch. - We'll be in touch.