Vowel Reduction Rules
Яканьне й аканьне
Vocabulary
- а — house → houses (unstressed о becomes а)
- я — sisters → sister (unstressed ё becomes я)
Two Friends
Vowel Reduction Rules
Яканьне й аканьне
Unstressed ё and е — Yakannie
When ё or е lose their stress, they become я in the syllable immediately before the new stress. This is called 'yakannie' (яканьне) — one of the most distinctive features of Belarusian.
лéс → у лясý — forest → in the forest
вёска → вяскóвы — village → village (adj.)
сёстры → сястрá — sisters → sister
цёплы → цяплó — warm → warmth
You already see this in the text: сёстры (sisters, stress on сё-) but сястра (sister, stress shifts to -рá, so ё → я). This pattern applies throughout the language and is reflected in spelling.
Akannie and Yakannie Summary
Unstressed о becomes а. This is consistent in Belarusian spelling (unlike Russian, where о is kept in writing).
дом → дамы́ — house → houses
гóрад → гарады́ — city → cities
вóкны → вакнó — windows → window
Unstressed е/ё becomes я in the pre-stress syllable.
сёстры → сястрá — sisters → sister
лес → лясы́ — forest → forests
How vowels change when unstressed:
Vocabulary
| Belarusian | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| а | house → houses (unstressed о becomes а) | — |
| я | sisters → sister (unstressed ё becomes я) | — |
Practice
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