• o

  p

  cclusive

• p losive

• bilabial

• strong

• Voiceless

• oral

Letter or letter combination	Sound	Position in the word or conditions of pronouncing	Examples	Exceptions
“p”	[p]		Pen, top	[-]receipt
“pp”	[p]		Clipper, soppy

Comparison with the Russian [n, б, n’, б’]. The Russian consonants [п, б] are mainly pronounced in the same way, but the lips are not so tens as for English_; The Russian [п] is not aspirated. In word final positions only [п] is heard, eg дуб, гриб, while the English [b] j is partially devoiced, cf клуб — club.

The palatalized Russian consonants [п', б'] are formed with the front secondary focus, i. e. the front part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate. The oppositions of the Russian sounds [n — n’, б — б'] may distinguish the meaning of words, eg баки — бяки, об — Обь.

• s

  r

  onorant

• c onstrictive

• medial

• fore lingual

• poist-alveolar

• cacuminal

• oral

Letter or letter combination	Sound	Position in the word or conditions of pronouncing	Examples	Exceptions
“wr”	[r]		Write, wrist
“r”	[r]	Before a vowel letter	Right, street
“rr”	[r]	Before a vowel letter	Berry, herring

Comparison with the Russian [p, p']. The Russian sound [p] is also called cacuminal as the tip of the tongue is raised to the alveolar ridge forming a spoon-shaped passage for the air stream. But when we pronounce the Russian [р] the tip of the tongue taps very quickly several times against the teeth ridge. So the Russian [p] is a rolled or trilled sonorant, cf рис — rice, радиатор — radiator, радикальный — radical, реальный — real.

The palatalized Russian [p'] is pronounced with the front sec­ondary focus. The sonorants [p — p’] distinguish the meaning of words, eg ров — рёв, рад — ряд.

• n

  s

  oise consonant

• c onstrictive

• fricative

• Voiceless

• fore lingual

• alveolar

• apical

• oral

Letter or letter combination	Sound	Position in the word or conditions of pronouncing	Examples	Exceptions
“c”	[s]	Before “e, i, y”	Cell, city, cyst
“ps”	[s]	At the beginning of words in the prestressed position	Psychology
“s”	[s]	At the end of a word. At the end of a word, not between vowels. After voiceless consonant in suffixes – s, -‘s. After the letter “u” read as [Λ]	See, post, lamps, looks, Pete’s, us, bus	[-] island
“ss”	[s]		Assess, assign
“sc”	[s]	Before “e, i, y”	Scene, science
“z”	[s]	At the end of words after “t”	Quartz

Comparison with the Russian [с, з, с’, з’]. The Russian [с, з] are of dorsal dental articulation, i. e. the blade of the tongue is close to the upper teeth, the tip being lowered and passive. [с’, з’] are of the same articulation, only the front secondary fo­cus is formed by raising the front part of the tongue towards the hard palate, eg сад — сядем, сам — сям, сыт — сито.

• n

  ð

  oise consonants

• c onstrictive

• fricative

• voiced

• weak

• fore-lingual

• interdental

• apical

• oral

Letter or letter combination	Sound	Position in the word or conditions of pronouncing	Examples	Exceptions
“th”	[ð]	In form words. In notional words between vowels. In nouns in plural after a long vowel	This, with, weather, baths, mouths	[ө] author, method

Comparison with the Russian Сonsonants. There are no similar sounds in Russian

• n

  Ө

  oise consonants

• c onstrictive

• fricative

• voiceless

• strong

• fore-lingual

• interdental

• apical

• oral

Letter or letter combination	Sound	Position in the word or conditions of pronouncing	Examples	Exceptions
“ө”	[ө]	In notional words between vowels	Thin, width, three, myth bath, mouth	[ð] smooth [t] Thames, Thompson

Comparison with the Russian Сonsonants. There are no similar sounds in Russian