Pronunciation Weirdness

In the phrase:
Что э́то?
(meaning “What is this?”), why does the letter ч sound more like “sh” than “ch”?

Simple: you try pronouncing “ch’to” . Hard on your tongue, isn’t it? Now try pronouncing it as “shto” . Easier, isn’t it? Sometimes a sound has to shift a little to make things easier on your vocal apparatus.

What would you like to do next?

  1. Find out why the о is pronounced differently in the two words.
  2. Find out where the word “is” went.
  3. Continue with the tutorial.
  4. Go back to the “What is this” page.