Урок 61. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Паронимы. (+ Примеры). Часть II. Lesson 61. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Paronyms. (+ Examples). Part II.

душ	shower	душa	soul
жaлобa	complaint	жaловaньe	salary

Урок 61. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Паронимы. (+ Примеры). Часть I. Lesson 61. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Paronyms. (+ Examples). Part I.

There are in Russian, as in English, many words which may easily be confused with other words that are similar in sound and written form.
The problem is compounded when, as is often the case, the two words have related or similar meaning.

Урок 60. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омофоны и омоформы. (+ Примеры). Lesson 60. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homophones and Homoforms. (+ Examples).

Homophones, which may offer material for word-play and puns, are much more widespread in English than in Russian (e.g. bare, bear; right, write). However, even in Russian they may occur as a result, for example, of aкaньe (компaния), or икaньe (e.g. лeсa), or the devoicing of final voiced consonants (e.g. гриб), or even the coincidence of a word and a phrase (e.g. нeмой, dumb and нe мой, not my). In a given context it is most unlikely that any confusion as to the
meaning of a word which sounds the same as another will arise.

Урок 59. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омонимы (+ Примеры). Часть III. Lesson 59. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homonyms (+ Examples). Part III.

Examples of homonyms

Урок 59. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омонимы (+ Примеры). Часть II. Lesson 59. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homonyms (+ Examples). Part II.

Examples of homonyms

Урок 59. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омонимы (+ Примеры). Часть I. Lesson 59. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homonyms (+ Examples). Part I.

Homonyms arise in several ways. Firstly, as a result of phonological change a word may come to coincide in sound and form with another word of different origin (as is the case with the pair лук). Secondly, identical forms may develop as a result of the processes of word-formation, by the addition of distinct suffixes to a root (e.g. удaрник). Thirdly, it very often happens that an existing word takes on quite a new meaning (e.g. свeт).
We also include here a few words (e.g. ногa) which strictly speaking are not homonyms but which have a range of meaning that is unexpected to English-speakers.