General information
Before we talk about what kind of letter “th” is (soft or hard), you should find out why the letters of the Russian alphabet are generally divided according to such characteristics.
The fact is that each word has its own sound shell, which consists of individual sounds. It should be noted that the sound of a particular expression is completely correlated with its meaning. At the same time, different words and their forms have completely different sound design. Moreover, the sounds themselves have no meaning. However, they play a vital role in the Russian language. After all, thanks to them we can easily distinguish words. Here's an example:
- [house] – [lady’] – [house’];
- [m'el] - [m'el'], [tom] - [there], [house] - [volume].
A little bit of history
Y, or I short, as this letter in the alphabet is called, is known in many Slavic languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian; in Serbia and Macedonia, the letter J is used to indicate the sound Y.
In non-Slavic languages that use Cyrillic writing, this letter is also present.
In Russian, this letter is the 11th letter.
The sound Y was formed on the basis of the non-syllabic vowel “I” and the similar voiced consonant “J”.
Thus, the sound Y really combines a vowel and a consonant.
In the Bulgarian and Ukrainian languages, the letter Y is still used in the combination “YO”, which is intended to denote the letter E.
The letter Y arose in Church Slavonic writing in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 17th century, during the time of Patriarch Nikon Y, it was already included in the publication of books in Church Slavonic in Moscow.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the so-called civil script was introduced. Superscript signs in Slavic writing were eliminated, and the letter Y was removed from the alphabet, although the sound remained in the language.
During the time of Peter the Great in 1735, Y was rehabilitated and appeared again in writing, but it was not included in the alphabet and did not represent any numbers (previously, numbers were designated by letters of the Church Slavonic alphabet). Already in the 20th century, the letter Y finally became part of the alphabet, but still remained somewhat “disregarded in its rights.” It was not included in the letter designations of the lists, and sometimes the tail above the letter in the letter is skipped, as are the dots above the e.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the letter Y was already part of the Ukrainian and Belarusian alphabet. In Ukrainian it is called “ii”, which once again demonstrates its dual origin.
Transcription
Why do we need information about what type of letter “th” is (hard or soft)? During phonetic analysis of a word, it is very important to correctly display the transcription that describes its sound. In such a system it is customary to use the following symbols:
[ ] – this designation is called square brackets. They must be placed to indicate transcription.
[´] is the accent. It is placed if the word has more than one syllable.
[b'] - a kind of comma is placed next to the consonant letter and denotes its softness.
By the way, during phonetic analysis of words the following symbol is often used – [j]. As a rule, it denotes the sound of the letter “th” (sometimes a symbol such as [th] is used).
Letter "y": consonant or vowel?
As you know, in the Russian language all sounds are divided into consonants and vowels. They are perceived and pronounced completely differently.
- Vowel sounds are those sounds during the pronunciation of which air easily and freely passes through the mouth, without encountering any obstacles on its way. Moreover, you can pull them, you can shout with them. If you put your palm to your throat, you can quite easily feel the work of the vocal cords during the pronunciation of vowels. There are 6 stressed vowels in the Russian language, namely: [a], [e], [u], [s], [o] and [i].
- Consonant sounds are those sounds during the pronunciation of which the air encounters an obstacle on its way, namely a bow or a gap. Their appearance determines the nature of the sounds. As a rule, a gap is formed when pronouncing [s], [w], [z] and [z]. In this case, the tip of the tongue approaches the upper or lower teeth. The presented consonants can be drawn out (for example, [z-z-z], [z-z-z]). As for the stop, such a barrier is formed due to the closure of the speech organs. The air, or rather its flow, abruptly overcomes it, making the sounds energetic and short. That is why they are called explosive. By the way, it is impossible to pull them (try it yourself: [p], [b], [t], [d]).
In addition to the above consonants, the Russian language also has the following: [m], [y], [v], [f], [g], [l], [r], [ch], [ts], [x] . As you can see, there are many more of them than vowels.
Summary of a literacy lesson “Sound [Y] and letter Y”
Abdulova Dzhume Sirazhutdinovna
Summary of a literacy lesson “Sound [Y] and letter Y”
Goal: To consolidate children's knowledge about the sound and letter J
Materials: demonstration material, workbooks part 2, a simple pencil, colored pens and pencils, tumblers, counting sticks, felt-tip pens for working at the board
I. Organizational moment
Educator: Today we will get acquainted with the new sound “Y”. The sound [Y] is indicated by the letter - and short (Y).
-What letter does it look like (I). This letter is very similar to the letter "I"
Educator;
The letter Y is called “And short”
“Y” is like “I” in a notebook.
So that Y is not confused with I
Write a tick at the top.
Educator;
The letter "Y" is lazy. It rarely occurs at the beginning of a word, and then only in foreign words iodine, yoga, yogurt
Educator;
Determine: vowel or consonant?
Place your fingers on the larynx and determine the voiced or unvoiced sound [Y'].
Tell me, what is the character of the sound [Y']?
Conclusion: The sound [Y'] is consonant, sonorous, always soft.
II. Main part.
One child does a task at the board.
Whoever has the sound Y in their name goes to the board. Yes, this is our Andrey
(Work in the notebook Elena Astafieva: We play, read, write. Workbook No. 2. Federal State Educational Standard).
1. Game exercise “Put the letter in her apartment”
Objectives: consolidate knowledge about the studied sound and letter; learn to choose the right and left front house, count the floors in order, starting from the bottom; explain the choice of your decision based on knowledge about sound.
Educator: Guys, look, in your notebook you have drawn a house for letters, the owner of this house is a tumbler. Andrey placed the letter Y on the first floor, under the letter L, in front of the letter R.
Educator: which tumbler do we choose?
Andrey: green with a bell
Educator: why?
Andrey : because Y is a consonant, voiced, and can only be soft
Educator : Now Andrey, find the sound Y in the words and write the letter Y. (the child writes a letter if he writes all the letters in short words)
1. We appreciate the words:
Parrot: Y- consonant, voiced, soft, located at the end of the word, written in green
Yod : Y- consonant, voiced, soft, located at the beginning of the word, written in green
Mike : Y- consonant, voiced, soft, located in the middle of a word, written in green
2. In empty cells, draw objects with the sound Y
Andrey:
Yogurt : Y- consonant, voiced, soft, located at the beginning of the word, written in green
Tram : Y- consonant, voiced, soft, located at the end of the word, write in green
Nightingale: Y- consonant, voiced, soft, located at the end of the word, write in green
Educator : What objects did Dasha and Zhenya draw?
Dasha : sparrow, yogurt, ant
Zhenya : Thumbelina, Aibolit, watering can
Educator: Well done guys, you did it all
2. Game exercise “Continue according to the example”
Goals: consolidate knowledge about sounds and letters. Training a child's visual memory
3. Exercise “Continue the ornament”
Goal: continue according to the example; develop visual memory
4. Exercise “Finish the drawing”
Goal: develop hand motor skills
5. Game "Transport"
Goals. Using the words: transport, air, water, city as an example, we train the ability to perform sound-letter analysis and synthesis of words. We develop the skill of dividing words into syllables. We consolidate knowledge on the topic “Transport”, the ability to distinguish between types of transport (water, air, city, railway).
Progress of the game. The adult offers to name and summarize in one word the objects presented in the picture (transport). The child performs a sound-letter analysis of the word transport. (The adult draws his attention to the difference in the pronunciation and spelling of the word: [transport], transport.)
The child names the letters missing in this word, writes them (T, R, N, S, P, R, T) and generalizes (consonants).
Assignment: remember the types of transport (air, water, city, railway). The child analyzes the words written under the pictures and performs a task with them similar to the previous one; fulfills the sound and syllabic schemes of the words water, air, urban.
The child indicates with arrows what type of transport each car belongs to.
An adult asks the question: “What type of transport was not mentioned in the game?” (Railway). The child lists cars related to this type of transport.
6. Game “Draw it yourself” Goals. We train the ability to write (copy) words. We consolidate knowledge about the correct spelling of the word transport. We develop the skill of sound-letter analysis and synthesis. We test your knowledge on the topic “Transport”.
Progress of the game. When performing a sound-letter analysis of the unfinished word transport, the child writes in the missing vowels, commenting on the correct spelling of this word. Then he analyzes the outline of the sentence that includes the word transport, and determines how many more words need to be added to this sentence. The adult explains that the word denoting the mode of transport is unfinished here. The child needs to enter (copy from the previous game “Transport”) the name of any type of transport. While completing the task, he remembers the rule: the first word in a sentence is written with a capital letter.
In conclusion, the child draws and names cars related to this type of transport.
7. Game "Tram"
Goals. We learn to divide words into syllables and determine the order of syllables in a word. Using the example of the words dump truck, truck, tram, we continue to develop the skill of sound-letter analysis and synthesis. We consolidate the ability to differentiate types of transport (freight and passenger transport). We develop visual attention, the ability to recognize objects by dotted patterns and independently complete such a pattern.
Progress of the game. The adult explains that in the written words you need to place the syllables correctly - then you can read the names of various cars. Having rearranged the syllables, the child reads and writes the words: dump truck, tram, truck.
It is proposed to determine which of the machines is redundant and why. (The tram is superfluous, since it is a passenger transport, and the rest of the cars are freight.) The child must find out which of the cars is drawn with dots (tram). The child completes the dotted drawing, colors it, signs the name, and completes the sound and syllable patterns of the word. An adult should draw the child's attention to the correct pronunciation and spelling of the word tram.
Summary of the lesson.
- So we got acquainted with the sound and letter Y.
- What can you say about this sound?
-Name words with the sound [Y].
- Guys, you tried your best today, listened carefully, answered well, everyone was great!
Voiced and voiced sounds
According to the relationship between voice and noise, consonant sounds can be either voiced or unvoiced. At the same time, during the pronunciation of voiced sounds, both noise and voice are heard, while deaf people hear only noise.
By the way, many consonant sounds form pairs of deafness and voicedness: [k] - [g], [b] - [p], [z] - [c], [d] - [t], [f] - [v], etc. In total, there are 11 such pairs in the Russian language. However, there are sounds that do not have pairs on this basis. These include: [y], [p], [n], [l], [m] are unpaired voiced ones, and [ch] and [ts] are unpaired voiceless ones.
Soft and hard consonants
As you know, consonant letters differ not only in sonority or, conversely, deafness, but also in softness and hardness. This property is the second most important feature of sounds.
So, is the letter “th” hard or soft? To answer this question, you should consider each sign separately:
- When pronouncing soft consonants, the entire tongue moves slightly forward, and its middle part rises slightly.
- During the pronunciation of hard consonants, the entire tongue is literally pulled back.
It should be especially noted that many consonant letters form pairs with each other based on characteristics such as softness and hardness: [d] - [d'], [p] - [p'], etc. There are 15 such pairs in total. However, there are also sounds that do not have pairs on this basis. Which letters of hard consonant sounds are unpaired? These include the following - [w], [f] and [c]. As for unpaired soft ones, these are [sch'], [h'] and [th'].
Origin of the letter "th"
In 2021, the letter “y” celebrates its centenary since its appearance in the Russian language alphabet. In 1918, linguistic reform made it possible to replace the then-current “i” with the now familiar “th”.
Academicians argued a lot about the belonging of letters to various sounds. This was facilitated by the historical reason where the used “i” was used in such cases where “and” is written, such as “mir” instead of “and”, or “th” is written, for example “major” replacing “th”. And disputes on this issue continued for many years.
Designation on the letter
Now you know the information about whether the letter “th” is hard or soft. But here a new question arises: “How is the softness of such sounds indicated in writing?” Completely different methods are used for this:
- The letters “e”, “yu”, “e”, “ya” after consonants (not counting “zh”, “sh”, and “ts”) indicate that these consonants are soft. Let's give an example: uncle - [d'a'd'a], aunt - [t'o't'a].
- The letter “i” after consonants (not counting “zh”, “sh”, and “ts”) indicates that these consonants are soft. Let's give an example: cute - [m'i´lyy'], leaf - [l'ist], threads - [n'i´tk'i].
- The soft sign (“b”) after consonants (not counting “zh” and “sh”) is an indicator of grammatical form. It also indicates that the consonants are soft. Examples: distance - [dal'], stranded - [m'el'], request - [proz'ba].
As you can see, the softness of consonant sounds in writing is conveyed not by individual letters, but by their combinations with the vowels “e”, “yu”, “e”, “ya”, as well as a soft sign. That is why, when analyzing a word phonetically, experts recommend paying attention to neighboring symbols.
As for the vowel letter “th”, it is always soft. In this regard, in transcription it is usually denoted as follows: [th']. That is, the comma symbol, indicating the softness of the sound, must always be inserted. [ш'], [ч'] also obey the same rule.
The role of b and b in Russian
Let's make a stop at the Istoricheskaya station and go to visit friends: soft and hard signs. They are similar in appearance, only Kommersant has a small tail. They have different meanings. The letters themselves will explain why they do not have sounds, and what role they play in the language.
Let's first listen to what b has to say.
Now let’s listen to Kommersant’s
Guys, sounds are written using letters. In some cases, the pronunciation of a word and its letter form do not coincide. A word can contain more sounds than letters: the word “Christmas tree” has 4 letters, but 5 sounds, е is an iotated vowel, gives two sounds - [й'], [о]. Other examples:
1) “loader” – there are 7 letters and 6 sounds, because 2 letters “z”, “ch” are pronounced as 1 sound “sch”;
2) “mother” – 4 letters, but 3 sounds, because b has no sound;
3) “entrance” - 7 letters, 7 sounds, while Ъ has no sound, and the letter “e” gives 2 sounds [й'], [е].
To determine the number of sounds in a word and their pronunciation, make a transcription: write the sound in square brackets [ ]. Mandatory condition: write sounds as they are heard: family - [s'im'y'a], telephone - [t'il'ifon], laziness - [l'en'], battalion - [batal'on]. Comma , which is placed above to the right of the consonant, is a sign of softness of sound.
You already know about the word hyphenation rule: you cannot leave one letter on a line or move it to a new line. Incorrect: k-oshka, cat, correct: cat.
But what about the soft sign? If a word contains a soft sign, it is transferred along with the consonant. For example, the words: boy, dawn, with a soft sign in the middle of the word to transfer from one line to another, we divide it like this: boy, dawn. Aslova with b at the end: April, run we will divide for transfer like this: April, run. The soft sign is added during transfer to the preceding consonant.
Do you remember? Then let's move on.
