Interesting. I can hear the difference between “мать” and “мат”. I wonder how to do it though?
Probably my guess is “мать” has a harder push of air than “мат”.
I didn’t even notice ы as a distinct entity (because I’m mostly listening rather than reading). I guess I assumed it was a silent sound.
Probably my guess is “мать” has a harder push of air than “мат”.
There is some push of air, but rather as a consequence of the softness of “т + ь”.
Heh, when I’m trying to come up with an explanation it quickly becomes really hard to put the intuitive mechanics into words.
My approach would be is to find one or two explanations from YouTube teachers with blueprints of how to place tongue and mouth, but then, not relying too much on the plain static theory, to create a set of digital audio-recorder tools with a short delay of my own voice’s feedback and to parrot, parrot, parrot until it matches a reference.
Depending on your goal, I think the accent matters to an extent. You should always make an effort, but as long as you can be easily understood, it’s okay to sound a little different. You’re not a native speaker and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It shows you put in a lot of effort to learn this new language and is kind of like a celebration of your own language as well. As an English speaker, I love listening to people with accents. They’re fascinating and fun and I have a lot of respect for those people.