{"id":1356,"date":"2010-08-28T22:04:47","date_gmt":"2010-08-28T22:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=1356"},"modified":"2014-07-17T13:32:33","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T13:32:33","slug":"homophones-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/homophones-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Same-Same but Different II: Homophones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two days ago we discussed \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e\u043c\u043e\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043c\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [pl.<\/em> homonyms] here on our blog<\/a>. As a part of that process I tried to be funny but was probably only silly when I used the popular phrase \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043d\u0430\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u043c\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> in a sentence so it wouldn\u2019t mean \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043d\u0430\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u043c\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> as in \u2018to distill moonshine\u2019 <\/em>\u2013 like it usually does \u2013 but \u2018to chase the moonshine (or home-made vodka, if that\u2019s what you prefer to call it)\u2019<\/em>. This example was not true grammatically, I am afraid. If you really want to say \u2018to chase the moonshine\u2019 <\/em>in Russian you would have to use the reflexive version of the same verb \u2013 \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [to chase, pursue] \u2013 together with the preposition \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [here:<\/em> after] which forces the noun coming after it into the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u043f\u0430\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0436\u00bb<\/strong> [instrumental case] like this: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f <\/strong>\u0437\u0430 <\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u043c\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043e\u043c\u00bb <\/strong>[to chase after the home-made liquor]. Why am I elaborating so much on this\u00a0when\u00a0it is such a minor correction? You never know; anyone of us might end up \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0442\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u0441\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u043e\u0439 <\/strong>\u0441\u0438\u0442\u0443\u0430<\/span>\u0446\u0438\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [in such a difficult situation] one day where we must speak about this in Russia. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0428\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0438 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043d\u0443\u00bb<\/strong> [joking aside], this is important grammatical commentary!<\/p>\n

Today we\u2019re going to continue our discussion about words that look or sound the same but mean different things and talk about \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u044b<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong> [homophones<\/a>]. \u00ab<\/strong>\u041e\u043c\u043e\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [homophone] is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. \u00ab<\/strong>\u041e\u043c\u043e\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [homophones] are commonly used by teachers of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043a <\/strong>\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [Russian as a foreign language] at universities in Russia as a way to test the students\u2019 \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u043b\u0443\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> [hearing] \u2013 even though sometimes even Russians themselves can\u2019t hear the difference between two homophones. For example, back in June this year a friend of mine in Yekaterinburg \u2013 \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u0443\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442 <\/strong>\u0438\u0437 <\/strong>\u041a\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [a student from China] \u2013 \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0434\u0430\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043b <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0441(<\/strong>\u0443\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439) <\/strong>\u044d\u043a\u0437\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0435\u043d <\/strong>\u043f\u043e <\/strong>\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c\u0443 <\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043a <\/strong>\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0443\u00bb<\/strong> [was taking his state exam in Russian as a foreign language] and the teacher pronounced a word that sounded like \u00ab<\/em><\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u043f\u00bb<\/em><\/strong>. She then asked him which noun she was pronouncing: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u0431\u00bb<\/strong> [mushroom] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u043f\u043f\u00bb<\/strong> [influenza]. These two words are homophones due to the rules of assimilations<\/a> in Russian phonetics<\/a> which make the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u00bb<\/strong> at the end of a masculine noun sound like a \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u00bb<\/strong><\/a>. Since \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u0431\u00bb<\/strong> [mushroom]\u00a0and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u043f\u043f\u00bb<\/strong> [influenza] sound exactly the same when pronounced correctly, I don\u2019t know what the\u00a0right way to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0434\u0430\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u044d<\/span><\/strong>\u0442\u043e\u0442 <\/strong>\u044d\u043a\u0437\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0435\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [pass this exam] would’ve been. Perhaps to answer \u2018both\u2019<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Because \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [homophones] can easily be confused with each other they also offer much material for \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043b\u0430\u043c\u0431\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [pl.<\/em> word-play, puns]. As such they are more widespread in English than in Russian (consider\u00a0 couples like bare\/bear and right\/write, for example)<\/em>, but even in Russian language they may arise as a result, for example, of the devoicing of final voiced consonants, like in the example above with \u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u0431\u00bb<\/strong> [mushroom] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u043f\u043f\u00bb<\/strong> [influenza], as well as in the case with \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [dumb; mute] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [not my]. In some contexts, however, it is unlikely that any confusion as to the meaning of a word which sounds the same as another will arise, even though it can happen. And it has happened to me many, many times. For example, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043d\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> is the form used in the prepositional case singular of two Russian nouns: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [day] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [bottom]. For the longest time I thought that \u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430\u043a\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u043c <\/a><\/strong>\u0413\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong>\u2019s [Maxim Gorky<\/a>\u2019s] play \u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u0430 <\/strong>\u0434\u043d\u0435\u00bb<\/strong><\/a> translated into English \u201cOn the Day\u201d. I have yet to read this work \u2013 which could be one of the reasons as to why I misunderstood the title \u2013 but now I know that the correct translation of it is \u201cAt the Bottom\u201d (the English translation is commonly called \u201cIn the Lower Depths\u201d \u2013 which is sort of the same thing)<\/a>. And also that there\u2019s a big difference in meaning between those two titles!<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, but I once did manage to confuse the two highly differing words \u00ab<\/strong>\u043b\u0443\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [meadow] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u043b\u0443\u0433\u00bb<\/strong> [onion, bow] with each other. It happened during a lecture on Russian modernism literature when I only heard the professor pronounce the title of one of the early 20th<\/sup> century writer \u00ab<\/strong>\u0410\u043d\u0434\u0440\u0435\u0439 <\/a><\/strong>\u0411\u0435\u043b\u044b\u0439<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong>\u2019s [Andrei Bely<\/a>\u2019s] collection of critical articles \u2013 the professor didn\u2019t write it up on the black board. The result of this was that I thought this collection was called \u00ab<\/strong>\u041b\u0443\u043a <\/strong>\u0437\u0435\u043b\u0451<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u0439\u00bb<\/strong><\/span> [\u2018The Green Onion\u2019] \u2013 and kept wondering to myself what these articles had to do with onions? did it perhaps contain some recipes using onions? was Bely himself maybe a big fan of onions? \u2013 which is as hilarious as it is embarrassing when you consider that \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0435\u043b\u0451<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u043b\u0443\u043a\u00bb<\/strong><\/a><\/span> in Russian actually means \u2018chives\u2019<\/a><\/em>. The real title of the collection is \u00ab<\/strong>\u041b\u0443\u0433 <\/strong>\u0437\u0435\u043b\u0451<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u0439\u00bb<\/strong><\/span> [\u201cThe Green Meadow\u201d]. It might not make more sense but at least it is correct.<\/p>\n

Here is a list with a few (far from all of them!) <\/em>common homophones in Russian language. And while you\u2019re reading through them, I want you to ask yourself if you\u2019ve ever confused any of them with each other? Like I did \u2013 twice \u2013 in my examples above?<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043c\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [campaign];<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u043c\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [company (in various senses)<\/em>].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u00bb<\/strong> [threshold];<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [vice (fault, sin)<\/em>].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0440\u0443\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [labor];<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0440\u0443\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [tinder].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043b\u043e\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [pond];<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043b\u043e\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [twig].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u043e\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [kin, sort, kind, genus, gender];<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u043e\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [mouth].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u0430<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong> instrumental case singular of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u0430\u0433\u00bb<\/strong> [step, pace];<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u0430<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong> adverb [at walking pace].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Two days ago we discussed \u00ab\u043e\u043c\u043e\u043d\u0438\u043c\u044b\u00bb [pl. homonyms] here on our blog. As a part of that process I tried to be funny but was probably only silly when I used the popular phrase \u00ab\u0433\u043d\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0441\u0430\u043c\u043e\u0433\u043e\u043d\u00bb in a sentence so it wouldn\u2019t mean \u00ab\u0433\u043d\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0441\u0430\u043c\u043e\u0433\u043e\u043d\u00bb as in \u2018to distill moonshine\u2019 \u2013 like it usually does…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8,7828,7827,913,7826],"tags":[10982,10984,79,10985,10983,1237,1248,10986,10988,10989,10990,10991,10992,10987,1674,1696],"class_list":["post-1356","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","category-russian-for-beginners","category-russian-life","category-traditions","category-when-in-russia","tag-andrey-bely","tag-at-the-bottom","tag-homophones","tag-in-the-lower-depths","tag-maxim-gorky","tag-russian-grammar","tag-russian-language","tag-the-green-meadow","tag-10988","tag-10989","tag-10990","tag-10991","tag-10992","tag-10987","tag-1674","tag-1696"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1356"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6198,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1356\/revisions\/6198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}