Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'stutter'

English Word: stutter

Key Russian Translations:

• заикание [zɐɪˈkanʲɪje] - [Noun, Formal, Used in medical or linguistic contexts]
• заикаться [zɐɪˈkat͡sə] - [Verb, Informal or Everyday, Used to describe the action of stuttering]

Frequency: Medium (commonly encountered in healthcare, education, or psychological discussions, but not in casual everyday conversation)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate, per CEFR; requires basic understanding of Russian noun and verb inflections; for заикание: straightforward as a noun; for заикаться: slightly more challenging due to verb conjugation)

Pronunciation (Russian):

заикание: [zɐɪˈkanʲɪje]

Note on заикание: The stress falls on the third syllable ("kan"), which is common in Russian neuter nouns; be careful with the palatalized 'n' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers.

заикаться: [zɐɪˈkat͡sə]

Note on заикаться: This is an imperfective verb; the 'ts' sound is a voiceless alveolar affricate, similar to the 'ts' in 'bits'. Pronunciation may vary slightly in fast speech.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

As a noun, referring to a speech impediment or the condition of stuttering

Translation(s) & Context:

• заикание - Used in formal contexts like medical diagnoses or psychological evaluations, often to describe a persistent speech disorder.

Usage Examples:

• У него хроническое заикание, которое началось в детстве.

  He has a chronic stutter that started in childhood.

• Заикание может быть вызвано стрессом или генетическими факторами.

  Stuttering can be caused by stress or genetic factors.

• Логопеды специализируются на лечении заикания у детей.

  Speech therapists specialize in treating stuttering in children.

• Заикание иногда проходит само по себе с возрастом.

  Stuttering sometimes goes away on its own with age.

• В школе он стеснялся из-за своего заикания.

  At school, he was embarrassed because of his stutter.

As a verb, referring to the act of speaking with involuntary repetitions or blocks

Translation(s) & Context:

• заикаться - Used in informal or narrative contexts to describe the action, often with emotional or situational undertones, such as nervousness.

Usage Examples:

• Он всегда заикается, когда нервничает перед публикой.

  He always stutters when he's nervous in front of an audience.

• Дети иногда заикаются, но это обычно временно.

  Children sometimes stutter, but it's usually temporary.

• Она начала заикаться от неожиданного вопроса.

  She started stuttering from the unexpected question.

• Заикайся, если хочешь, но постарайся говорить четко.

  Stutter if you need to, but try to speak clearly.

• Под влиянием алкоголя он начал заикаться сильнее.

  Under the influence of alcohol, he began stuttering more severely.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For заикание (neuter noun, second declension):

This noun follows standard Russian neuter patterns and inflects for case and number. It is regular and does not have irregularities.

For заикаться (imperfective verb, reflexive):

This is a reflexive verb that conjugates regularly in the present tense but follows imperfective aspect patterns. It is used for ongoing actions.

Note: In past tense, it becomes заикался (masc. sing.), заикалась (fem. sing.), etc., following standard past tense rules.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • невнятная речь (nevnatnaya rech) - Less formal, emphasizes unclear speech; used in everyday contexts.
  • заглатывание слов (zaglatyvanie slov) - Implies swallowing words, often for hesitant speech.
• Antonyms:
  • плавная речь (plavnaya rech) - Smooth, fluent speech.
  • чёткая артикуляция (chotkaya artikulyatsiya) - Clear articulation, opposite in clarity and flow.

Related Phrases:

• лечение заикания (lechenie zaikaniya) - Treatment of stuttering; used in medical contexts to refer to therapy sessions.
• заикаться от волнения (zaikatsya ot volneniya) - To stutter from excitement; common in emotional or stressful situations.
• бороться с заиканием (borotsya s zaikaniem) - To fight against stuttering; implies efforts to overcome the condition.

Usage Notes:

заикание is the most direct noun equivalent to "stutter" as a condition, often used in formal or professional settings like psychology or education. In contrast, заикаться is the verb form, capturing the action, and is more versatile for describing temporary or situational speech issues. English users should note that Russian often requires the reflexive particle "-ся" for verbs like заикаться, which has no direct English parallel. Choose заикание for static descriptions and заикаться for dynamic ones. Be mindful of context: in informal speech, Russians might use euphemisms to avoid stigma.

Common Errors:

• Confusing заикание with заикаться: English learners often use the noun where a verb is needed, e.g., saying "Я заикание" instead of "Я заикаюсь." Correct: "Я заикаюсь" means "I stutter." Error explanation: The noun describes the condition, while the verb describes the action.

• Overusing in casual contexts: Beginners might incorrectly apply заикаться in formal writing, e.g., "Он заикается хронически" (redundant). Correct: Use заикание for chronic conditions. This stems from not distinguishing aspect and noun/verb forms.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, stuttering (заикание) is often depicted in literature and media as a symbol of vulnerability or inner turmoil, as seen in works by authors like Chekhov. It carries less social stigma than in some Western cultures, but therapy is widely available through public health systems, reflecting Russia's emphasis on accessible medical care.

Related Concepts:

• дислалия (dyslaliya) - A speech sound disorder.
• задержка речи (zaderzhka rechi) - Speech delay.
• артикуляция (artikulatsiya) - Articulation.