“In school years, we studied all letters of the English alphabet and even learned to read, but then we found out that some letters in combination with others produce completely different sounds,” said journalist Igor Sirin.Įnglish intonation is also different from the Russian one. “Some kids, to avoid memorizing English names for things and places, just try to make Russian words sound more English, for example, ‘proods’ (ponds) and ‘greebs’ (mushrooms),” Stambler said. And this sometimes takes time to listen and reproduce.” “And there is the word ‘led’ with the narrow sound.
“For example, there is a sound as in the word ‘cat’ that is wide when you ‘put’ your jaw on the chest,” Grigoyeva said.
“Students often confuse ‘ship’ and ‘sheep.’” The length of a sound is also a tricky thing, said teacher Tamara Grigoryeva. Some people confuse “s” and “ th.” So, don’t be surprised if your interlocutor tells you that he “sinks,” instead of what he “thinks.” Maria Stambler, a Russia-American bilingual speaker, who used to teach English, explained: “Words and phrases like `Tina Turner’ and `happy birthday’ are hard to pronounce because Russians put the ё and з everywhere.” Ordinary phrases such as “is the,” and “is there” can be real headaches for Russians – due to a jumble of unpronounceable vowels, the tongue is just getting tied. What is the problem with studying English in Russia? Russians can’t hear certain English sounds Even with such a small number, it’s still the most popular foreign language in the country – many Russians study it at school and in universities. That is, until you try speaking a foreign language yourself and then become that target of mockery.Īccording to a Levada center poll from 2014, only 11 percent of Russians speak English. Having a good laugh at a struggling foreigner who is trying to say something in your native language is always fun.
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