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Author Topic: Russian vowel ы  (Read 4662 times)

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Offline tzwd72

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Russian vowel ы
« on: August 25, 2014, 06:13:30 PM »
I'm going "bat crap" crazy folks...

This one vowel has been running threw my head for the past two days as I try and sound it out.  In my mind it sounds right.  When I speak it out loud it sounds right.  When I record myself...HELL NO!

I think I'm almost there though...  I'm combing the i as in ill and then giving a little bit of the e sound as in "EEW that's gross!"

That's the best I've got so far...

Any suggestions?

J
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Online 2tallbill

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2014, 06:26:33 PM »
Quote from: tzwd72 on August 25, 2014, 06:13:30 PM
I'm going "bat crap" crazy folks...

This one vowel has been running threw my head for the past two days as I try and sound it out.  In my mind it sounds right.  When I speak it out loud it sounds right.  When I record myself...HELL NO!

I think I'm almost there though...  I'm combing the i as in ill and then giving a little bit of the e sound as in "EEW that's gross!"

That's the best I've got so far...

Any suggestions?

J

It sounds a bit like the i in Bill. Every Russian will tell you my name is spelled
Билл and pronounced Beel and it's useless to argue with them.

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Offline tzwd72

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2014, 06:32:28 PM »
heh...just thought of something else....is that speak Canadian "Bill" or speak Dakota "Bill"...?))  Just playing.

J
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Offline Halo

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2014, 10:54:55 PM »
I think it is closer to the vowel sound in "sir" rather than "Bill".
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Offline Ste

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2014, 01:35:39 AM »
ila_rendered
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Online 2tallbill

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2014, 02:23:27 PM »
Quote from: Halo on August 25, 2014, 10:54:55 PM
I think it is closer to the vowel sound in "sir" rather than "Bill".

I would go with Halo's because my Russian pronunciation is terrible. 
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Offline tfcrew

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2014, 02:56:55 PM »



                                          Can I have an ы please?
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2014, 03:00:14 AM »
Much like the last sound in "hairy" with a guttural feel, use Ste's example.



The throat and tongue is how you will master this.



Finally, it is helpful if you remember that Russian vowels are paired. There are 5 hard (stressed) vowels, and there are 5 soft vowels. Each is paired. Russian stress is always pronounced on the vowels so this is helpful to understand.

For example:

- a (ah) is a hard vowel and it is paired with я (ya) the soft vowel.

- э (eh as in echo) is hard. It is paired with e (yeh as in yes), a soft vowel.

- ы as you have already correctly identified is a hard vowel. It is paired with и (ee as in bee), the soft vowel.

- o (as in hello) is a hard vowel and it is paired with a soft vowel, ё (yo as in a yo-yo). Very few modern Russian words use the letter ё these days so you'll hardly ever see it in print anymore. Even in writing, most Russians write e instead, but they understand when to speak it as ё (yo). You'll have to watch for that.

- y (u as in rule or neuter) is a hard (stressed) vowel. This vowel is paired with the soft vowel ю (u as in union).

Vowel pairs:

a - я (ya)

э  - e (yeh)

ы - и (ee)

o - ё (yo)

y - ю (u)



The very fact that you're making this genuine effort to learn is impressive.  tiphat

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Offline Ste

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2014, 04:14:18 AM »
We Brits, and maybe elsewhere too pronounce 'neuter' as 'nyooter', not 'nooter' so might bugger your example there for us mate!
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Offline tzwd72

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2014, 05:22:29 AM »
Damn...that helped a lot!  Thanks guys and thanks Mendel!!!
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Offline Gitana

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Re: Russian vowel ы
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2015, 11:39:36 AM »
To get the sound closest to Ы , take three fingers, put them in your mouth and try saying the English EE.
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