Consonant Mutation - Russian

Russian

In Russian, consonant mutation and alternations are a very common phenomenon during word formation, conjugation and in comparative adjectives.

The most common classes of mutations involve

  • velar/postalveolar alternation /k/→/tɕ/ (к→ч), /ɡ/→/ʐ/ (г→ж), /x/→/ʂ/ (х→ш): тихий/тише (comparative adjective: quiet→quieter)
  • Gain/loss of palatalization: царь/царский (adjective formation: tsar (n.)/ tsar (adj.))

Other common mutations are:

  • /t/→/tɕ/ (т→ч) / /d/→/ʐ/ (д→ж)
  • /z/→/ʐ/ (з→ж)/ /s/→/ʂ/ (с→ш) / /ts/→/tɕ/ (ц→ч)
  • /sk/→/ɕː/ (ск→щ): плеск → плещет "splash" / "(he) splashes"

Read more about this topic:  Consonant Mutation

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