Changes in Russian pronunciation

[John Dunn]

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see Ivan Pyr'ev's 1936 film 'Partyjnyj bilet'.  Leaving aside the debatable cinematic qualities of the film (some of which may be inferred from the title), I was struck by how different Russian, as spoken by the actors in the film, sounds in comparison to the present-day language.  It is difficult to draw too many conclusions based on a mere 90 minutes, but in part this seems to relate to the method of delivery: in a film that shows distinct signs of having been made at a time of transition from silent films to 'talkies'  the actors have a tendency to declaim.  There also seem, however, to be differences in pronunciation, particularly relating to akan'e and the difference in weight between stressed and unstressed syllables.      

I am used to the fact that the English pronunciation of British actors of the 1930s bears little resemblance to present-day practice, but I was a little surprised to find something similar reflected in a Russian film.  Does anyone have any comments?

John Dunn.

   

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