At_it

 Not giving up on learning a spot of Russian...

Perplexity AI:

                                                                              

                                                                      

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Copilot:

Russian language; what is the difference between a voiced and voiceless consonnant?

Great question! In Russian phonetics, the difference between voiced and voiceless consonants comes down to whether your vocal cords vibrate when you pronounce the sound.

🔊 Voiced vs. Voiceless: The Basics

Voiced consonants: Your vocal cords do vibrate. Try saying “б” (like English "b")—you’ll feel a buzz in your throat.

Voiceless consonants: Your vocal cords do not vibrate. Try “п” (like English "p")—no buzz, just air.

🧠 Russian Consonant Pairs

Many Russian consonants come in voiced–voiceless pairs. Here are some common ones:

                                                                                      

🌀 Special Rules in Russian

Final devoicing: Voiced consonants at the end of a word often become voiceless. For example:

“город” (gorod – city) is pronounced more like “gorot”.

Assimilation: In consonant clusters, the last consonant can influence the voicing of the ones before it. So a voiced consonant might become voiceless if followed by a voiceless one, and vice versa.

Want to try a few examples together or hear how they sound? I can walk you through it!

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Perplexity AI:

So what does the name of each station refer to or mean??

Each of the new Moscow Metro station names refers to an important Russian figure, institution, region, or historical site, often commemorating either a scientific heritage or a geographic area:

Вавиловская (Vavilovskaya)

This station is named after the intersection of Leninsky Avenue and Lomonosovsky Avenue, and almost certainly honors the prominent Soviet geneticist and botanist Nikolai Vavilov. His name is commonly associated with research institutes and streets in Moscow, aligning with the tradition of naming sites after distinguished scientists.

Академическая (Akademicheskaya)

The name means "Academic" or "of the Academy." It refers to the proximity of the Russian Academy of Sciences and related institutions. The station is named after several nearby streets (Akademichesky Proyezd) that were formerly dedicated to the Academy. This reflects the area's identity as an academic and scientific hub.

Крымская (Krymskaya)

The name derives from "Крым" (Krym), which means "Crimea" in Russian. Krymskaya likely references Crimea or commemorates the Crimean heritage and the historical ties between the Moscow region and Crimea. It's common in Moscow to find streets, squares, and transit stations named after significant regions or historical events.

ЗИЛ (ZIL)

ЗИЛ is an acronym: "Завод имени Лихачёва" (Zavod imeni Likhachyova, "Likhachyov Factory"). This refers to the legendary ZIL automobile plant, which produced trucks, cars, and limousines for the USSR and Russia. The station occupies the territory of the former factory—a significant industrial landmark in Moscow's history.

Each station's name connects to either a major figure of science, an academic institution, a geographic or historical region, or a major industrial entity, highlighting Moscow's tradition of reflecting national heritage and achievements in its transit system.

Nikolai Vavilov - Wikipedia

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Perplexity AI: 

What does the suffix 'skaya' do?

The suffix -skaya in Russian is the feminine adjective ending and is often attached to place names to create adjectives meaning "of" or "pertaining to" that place. When used for metro stations like Вавиловская

 (Vavilovskaya), Академическая

 (Akademicheskaya), or Крымская

 (Krymskaya), it matches the feminine noun for "station" (станция

, stantsiya) and indicates an association with the root word (a person, institution, or place).

For example:

Вавиловская

 means "of Vavilov" (relating to Vavilov).

Крымская

 means "of Crimea" (as in "Crimean").

The equivalent masculine version is -sky or -skiy, and neuter is -skoye or -skoe, but Russian adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they describe. "Station" is feminine, so metro station names generally use "-skaya".

But 'station' is not mentioned??

Russian metro station names often use the suffix -skaya not because the word for "station" (станция

, stantsiya) is included in the official name, but because the adjective must match the gender of “станция,” which is feminine. So, even though "station" is not stated in the name, the name’s adjective form anticipates it.

For example, "Вавиловская" is understood as "Вавиловская станция

" (Vavilovskaya station) and "Крымская" as "Крымская станция

" (Krymskaya station). This reflects Russian grammar rules, where the adjective agrees with the implied noun. Thus, the station name’s form is chosen for grammatical agreement, not because "station" actually appears in the official name.

And how would I pronounce станция?

The Russian word станция

 is pronounced approximately as STAN-tsi-ya in English phonetics.

The first syllable "ст" sounds like "st" in "stand."

The second syllable "ан" sounds like "an" in "ant."

The third syllable "ци" is pronounced like "tsi" with a soft "ts" sound.

The last syllable "я" sounds like "ya" in "yarn."

So, together it's STAN-tsi-ya, with a stress on the first syllable.