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        Ninilchik Notebook:
        Pronunciation of Words

        The Bobushka's Language pages use two different spelling systems for Russian words: first, one which uses vowels like in American English words, then, second, often in parentheses (...) are spellings which correspond more closely to the Russian alphabet spelling of the Russian words. The pronunciation of the words using the different spellings is the same.

        Most of the differences between the two spelling systems are in how the Russian vowels are spelled. For convenience (although over-simplified) we will call the first spelling system the "American spelling" and the second system the "Russian spelling" (actually both systems match up with American spellings, but the first system does so more clearly):

        Spelling Differences

        Russian"American"Example"Russian"Example
        letterspelling(s)EnglishspellingEnglish
        wordword
        aeletelet
        iipitipit
        oau/awcaughtobought
        ueemeeticasino
        yoosoonurude
        aiighnightay---

        Special note: The American dialect of English spoken in Ninilchik does not have the phonetic "open-o" (backwards "c") sound, as found in the English words "caught" and "bought", as these words are spoken in some areas of the U.S., such as New Jersey on the East Coast. In Ninilchik the English words "cot" and "caught" have exactly the same vowel sound; in New Jersey these vowels are different. If this vowel sound in not in your dialect of American English, you will need to listen carefully to a Russian speaker say this sound, or else imitate this sound when a speaker from a dialect area such as New Jersey pronounces words such as "caught" and "bought".

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