Unit 2 - Simple words

2.3 - How a soft vowel can change the meaning of a word

Quite a lot of space has been devoted to syllable formation because, in many cases, a syllable or word with a soft vowel can mean something different from exactly the same syllable which differs only in having a hard vowel. Examples of these are:

loudspeaker

дума – Дюма

 loudspeaker

лук – люк

 loudspeaker

суди – сюди
loudspeaker

тупати – тюпати

 loudspeaker

Лада – ляда

 loudspeaker

навчати – нявчати

 

If you want to read accurately, you have to be aware of these differences. Practise distinguishing between the sounds by doing Exercise 2.3A.