Search from various English teachers...
yhemusa
How do you pronounce the ль in обстоятельство? How do you pronounce the ль in обстоятельство ( [ɐpstɐˈjætʲɪlʲstvə] as transcribed by Wikitionary. By the way, I feel the front part of the audio coming along is not absolutely identical to the transcription)? I mean I cannot distinguish the Ль sound. Could you please help me with its articulation: the place, the manner and the process of its phonation? Is it a /ʎ/ here? If yes, what are the circumstances in which /ʎ/ will be realized? Is there any allophone of /lʲ/ in Russian? What're the circumstances for it correspondingly?
Feb 12, 2020 1:29 PM
Answers · 3
1
Yes, I believe it is a voiceless allophone of a phoneme [ʎ] - soft/palatized [l] (ль). That's how we pronounce [ʎ]: https://seeingspeech.ac.uk/ipa-charts/?chart=1&datatype=3&speaker=1#location=654 . The tip and blade of your tongue contact the alveolar ridge and the hard palate anteriorly. However, in this context, there is a regressive (backward) assimilation: "st" makes "l" voiceless. We don't have voiceless [l] as a phoneme, that's why we don't distinguish them in a transcription. It seems close enough to this sound: https://seeingspeech.ac.uk/ipa-charts/?chart=1&datatype=3&speaker=1#location=106 . You just need to put your tongue in a [ʎ]-position and do not use your vocal cords. Good luck! upd: However, "ль" is voiceless here only when you pronounce it quickly. Actually, you don't have to learn how to pronounce it voiceless.
February 18, 2020
1
First, touch the part of your tongue behind its tip to the roof of your mouth (that should be the only part touching). Then try to pronounce the sounds L with a very brief Y following immediately after (zero time gap).
February 13, 2020
I guess it is less voiced than it usually is because of the subsequent "ST". My tongue is just in the same place where it is when I say "лес" or "лифт", but the sound is really short
February 12, 2020
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!