RUSSIAN DIALECT NOTES

PITCH & PLACEMENT: The Slavic countries speech is located towards the back of the tongue, almost as
if you are swallowing your words. This placement is true for Czech, Russian, Polish, Slovak, Bulgarian, Croat
and Ukranian accents. If you AW-AW-AW like in a super villain laugh, youll feel the back of the mouth
placement. Not so far back that you are in the throat, but toward the back of the tongue, near the back
molars.
Russians tend to be very staccato with their sentence rhythm and make a dramatic pitch shift down at the
end of a sentence. Bah-da-da-da-da DOOM is the melody of Russian speakers.
Russian also hit their beginning consonants harder than Americans do. [T], [B], [P], [K], [CH], [D]all of them
have more breath support to bring forth the harder, sharper sound.
Russians men tend to use a dramatically lower pitch than American men.
Russian women, on the other hand, use a much higher pitch and allow for more pitch variation in their
sentences.

you
You can say

like

what

going
but

its

not

to

hap-

course

pen. Of

not.

RUSSIAN CONSONANTS:
Palatization or adding the [j] sound following [M] and [N], sometimes before [i] and []
Metre, enable, beneath, meeting, dialect, needful, meaning, never, main, street, my, wise
[H] becomes harder KH/G or [X] sound
whose, holy, home, rehearsals, hungry, hopeful, inhabitants, had, happy, here, happen, how
[] and [] become [t] and [d]; sometimes [s] or [z]
although, there, then, they, that, those, breathing, this, together, them
throw, think, thank, with, something, anything, nothing, bath, things, theatre
[L] becomes dark, liquid []
military, Kremlin, flying, losing, slim, clean, limitless, bleeding, help, Ill, will, feel, all, live, like,
light, looting

[W] becomes [V]

question, where, we, square, reward, whether, why, what, when, which, quick, will
Final [V] becomes [F]
Romanov, love, wave, aggressive, slave, olive, above, believe, arrive, receive, votive, passive
[R] becomes harder, trilled [R]
are, rubbish, strange, hurt, prisoner, future, burden, target, border, fair, for, criminal, treatment
[] becomes [g] or [k]
wishing, going, flinging, king, song, gang, rolling, binding, wearing, passing, loving, seeing
Final [Z] becomes [S]
Whose, peas, because, cleanse, toes, clothes, news, pills, feels
RUSSIAN CONSONANTS CHEAT SHEET:
Insert [j] before [M], [N], [i], []
[H] = [X]
[] and [] = [T] and [D] or [S] and [Z]
[L] = []
[W] = [V]
Final [V] = [F]
[R] = [R]
[] = [g] or [k]
Final [Z] = [S]

RUSSIAN VOWELS:
[] becomes [i]
sit, think, hymn, listen, his, is, children, busy, business, little, missionary, hitter, city, bricks
[] becomes [e]
plane, late, came, able, stay, danger, wave, May Day, James, label, waistline, maintain, today
[ou] becomes []
go, alone, throw, below, ago, hello, sofa, open, broken, hopeless, moaning, Estonia, program
[] becomes []
love, one, country, interrupt, bunches, among, tough, up, vagabond, monk, sprung, stuff
[] becomes [u]
book, full, foot, woman, should, wooden, crooked, took, good, couldnt, put

[] becomes []
flat, attack, collapse, hat, snapper, package, bad man, jacket, cant, lapdog, batter
[] becomes [r]
work, first, churn, turn, learn, earn, burner, worst, heard, bewilder, were, thirty third
RUSSIAN CONSONANTS CHEAT SHEET:
[] = [i]
[] = [e]
[ou] = []
[] = []
[] = [u]

[] = []

[] = [r]

RUSSIAN PRACTICE SENTENCES:

I like psychedelic and techno music.
a lak sakdlk nd tkn mjusk
Excuse me, can you move? We want to sit down.
kskjus mi, kn ju muf? Vi vnt tu st daun.
The theatre was a thrilling thing, though Id rather be bathing.
He who is home; his heart is happy.
The ministerial meeting was never needed.
ACTORS/ACTRESSES:
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Joanna Pacula
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Yuliya Snigir
Pasha D. Lychnikoff
Lev Gorn
Annet Mahendru
Costa Ronin
Eugenia Kuzmina
Svetlana Khodchenkova
Igor Jijikine

TV/FILM/PLAYS:
White Knights
To Russia With Love
A Good Day to Die Hard
Dr. Zhivago
The Russia House
Eastern Promises
Goldeneye
Red Heat
Allegiance
The Americans
Indiana Jones & Kingdome of the Crystal Skull