A Guide to Russian and Eastern European Studies: Language Study

"START explains the fundamental concepts of Russian pronunciation and writing to first year English-speaking students. Pronunciation by native speakers is given with reference to English sounds and words: hard and soft consonants, voiced and voiceless consonants, regressive assimilation, and the reduction of unstressed vowels. Self-quizzes and dictations are included at the end of every chapter." - from the publisher

"Unlocking Russian Pronunciation is a comprehensive multimedia experience designed to facilitate the development of speech that sounds authentically Russian. Over the course of ten lessons, Unlocking Russian Pronunciation helps students:

1. Reset their default mouth position
2. Move from basic knowledge of Cyrillic to mastery of the rules of phonetics
3. Learn seven well-known Russian songs (although singing them is completely optional!)

The book and the accompanying online videos together comprise a flipped classroom learning experience that can minimize the burden of phonetics instruction for Russian language teachers. The book and videos together can also function as a stand-alone phonetics course for students studying Russian independently." - from the publisher

Additional Note: "To access the online component of Unlocking Russian Pronunciation, go to www.unlockingrussianpronunciation.org. After you create an account, you can access the videos using the password "shazam". :)"--Title page verso.

"This comprehensive and up-to-date dictionary is the first to reflect the changes in the Russian language since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Special emphasis is placed on current idioms and colloquial usage with thousands of examples to illustrate their use. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Russian language has exploded, responding to new idioms, terminology, and usage pouring in from the West. Anyone wishing to keep up with contemporary Russian will search existing dictionaries in vain for such words as "cash machine," "road rage," "mobile phone," and many other terms reflecting the rapidly changing reality in the former Soviet Union. This completely revised edition of The Oxford Russian Dictionary is the first to incorporate those changes. Offering a comprehensive look at both languages, it includes over 185,000 words and phrases and 290,000 translations. The dictionary provides exceptional coverage of regional Russian, British, and American dialects as well as of modern idioms and colloquial usage, with numerous illustrative examples. It also includes all common abbreviations and acronyms, such as DTP, ROM, AIDS, and others; helpful advice on difficult points of grammar; and pronunciation in the International Phonetic Alphabet for every English headword, an indispensable aid for Russian speakers. Features include: Over 185,000 words and phrases, and 290,000 translations to provide comprehensive coverage of contemporary Russian and English; All the latest vocabulary from "hyperinflation" to "multimedia" and from "cash machine" to "electronic security system" and "road rage"; Special emphasis on current idioms and colloquial usage with thousands of examples to illustrate their use; The latest business, computing, and specialist vocabulary along with common abbreviations and acronyms; Attractive layout to facilitate ease of use, improved typography, and Russian alphabet at the foot of each page." - from the publisher

"Based on American rather than British English, this is among the first Russian dictionaries revised for the post-Soviet era. Includes new political terminology, new Russian institutions, new countries and republics and new city names. Contains 26,000 entries in the English-Russian section and 40,000 words in the Russian-English section. Irregularities in Russian declensions and conjugations appear at the beginning of each entry. This impressive volume has been revised and updated for the new geographical realities of the '90s. It is the first Russian-English dictionary to cover all the linguistic changes--new political terminology, new Russian institutions, new place names--that have accompanied the breakup of the Soviet Union. This edition is ten percent larger than the first edition, with 27,000 words in the English-Russian section and 40,000 words in the Russian-English section." - from the publisher

"Designed to help students of Russian increase their knowledge of wordbuilding and, as a result, increase their vocabulary, Roots of the Russian Knowledge includes 450 of the most commonly used roots of the Russian language. After mastering Russian prefixes and suffixes, students develop an ability to construct words and terms from a given Russian root." - from the publisher

"Edited by the philologist and lexicographer Dmitry Ushakov, the dictionary was published in four volumes over the period 1935–1940. Its appearance filled an important gap in the description of modern twentieth-century Russian. The success of the dictionary may be partly attributed to the work of skilled specialists using lexicographic works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, without which the picture of the modern Russian language would be incomplete. The dictionary contains over 90,000 entries and is designed for a wide range of readers." - from Wikipedia

Librarian's note: Four volumes bound in one. Russian only. Also available electronically here.

"Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian, Sixth Edition, strikes a true balance between communication and structure. It takes a contemporary approach to language learning by focusing on the development of functional competence in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), as well as the expansion of cultural knowledge. It also provides comprehensive explanations of Russian grammar along with the structural practice students need to build accuracy. The sixth edition of the best-selling communicatively based text for beginning Russian is updated by a greater focus on contemporary culture and simplified, visual grammar explanations that will better engage your students. Books 1 and 2 are a basic proficiency-oriented complete course in Russian language designed to bring students to the ACTFL Intermediate range in speaking (A2/B1 on the CEFR scale) after 200-250 classroom contact hours, or two years of academic study. The program also covers the basic morphology of Russian (declension, case government, conjugation). The program has been the best seller as a college Russian textbook through five editions since 1993. It is designed to be the principal textbook for a two-year college sequence running at 3 to 5 hours a week - a total of 150 to 250 hours of face-to-face instruction at the college level, double at the high school level. Golosa is divided into two books (Book 1 and Book 2) of ten units each. The units are organized thematically, and each unit contains dialogs, texts, exercises, and other material designed to enable students to read, speak, and write about the topic, as well as to understand simple conversations. The systematic grammar explanations and exercises enable students to develop a conceptual understanding and partial control of all basic Russian structures. This strong structural base enables students to accomplish the linguistic tasks and prepares them for further study of the language. Each book is accompanied by the Student Workbook, Book 1 and 2, and a rich companion website with audio and video" - from the publisher

Librarian's Note: Audio and video support material is available for listening/viewing on the publisher's website.

"Panorama aims to move intermediate-level students of Russian into advanced proficiency by integrating a systematic and comprehensive approach to Russian grammar with Russian texts, proverbs, and contemporary culture. Through 16 chapters, each corresponding to a timely and interesting topic, Panorama will engage students and teachers. By reading and listening to Russian literary classics and contemporary nonfiction texts, students develop a contextual understanding of Russian culture and forms of expression that grow their command of vocabulary, grammar, and complex syntax. The textbook includes comprehensive in-class vocabulary and grammar and vocabulary exercises and discussion topics, as well as the reading texts (for work in class and at home), and summative oral and written exercises. The Electronic Workbook (aka, companion website) available via IXL Learning, has copious homework exercises, including vocabuarly, grammar, listening, and oral exercises for students. On the GUP website are a free Teacher's Manual with many features (see that description) and 16 audio files of native speakers reading the literary classics from each chapter. The competition does not offer nearly what this program does and it has a far more robust website than others. This, with the colorful contemporary photos and texts from a news radio station and website, will make Panorama stand out."

"Faces of Contemporary Russia is a one-semester textbook for high-intermediate to advanced level Russian students that aims to develop students' linguistic proficiency by examining significant personalities in current Russian culture. In addition to introductory and concluding chapters, the book features 12 individuals (one per chapter), drawing from a range of areas such as arts, sports, journalism, and business. While upper-level Russian textbooks tend to emphasize grammar and reading more traditional works from Russian literature, this book seeks instead to primarily engage students in learning about and discussing the breadth of contemporary Russian culture while weaving the study of grammar and vocabulary into those discussions. In addition to readings and in-class communicative activities, the book also features guided research assignments that encourage students to make use of the many personality interviews and YouTube clips available online." - from the publisher

"This new series of Russian textbooks provides a rigorous but rewarding approach to the language. It assumes no prior knowledge of Russian, and is intended for ambitious beginners, or more advanced students seeking a highly structured review of the language. It assumes that its readers are interested in long-term mastery of the language, within the rich historical, cultural, and literary contexts that often draw students to Russian in the first place. It therefore takes the time to explain challenging grammar topics in depth, striving to provide the full picture as clearly as possible. It is richly illustrated with Soviet-era propaganda posters, whose slogans serve as examples of each lesson's grammar. It is structured as a series of 50 daily lessons, which build upon one another and give a clear sense of progress. It is the equivalent of a semester of intensive college-level study of Russian. Visit www.russianthroughpropaganda.com for more information and to access video lessons." - from the publisher

"Kinotalk: 21st Century is a cinema-based textbook that enhances students' linguistic and cultural proficiency through guided studies of twelve Russian feature films released since the year 2000. Each chapter includes a series of original readings and activities that present captivating and thought-provoking frameworks, in which students of Russian can practice and perfect all four language skills. While providing active stimuli for language production, the volume also aims to immerse students in the world of Russian cinema, society, and culture. Key features include: A broad cross-section of prominent films, directors, cinematic styles, trends, and genres that have emerged in Russia since 2000. A wide selection of authentic texts from Russian scholars and film critics that familiarise students with the language of critical film inquiry in Russian. A multi-disciplinary approach that combines close readings of individual films with considerations of the socio-political, ideological, and economic contexts of their production. A flexible and dynamic modular structure that allows instructors to pick and choose films and topics that are best suited for their classrooms. Aimed at the Intermediate-High to Advanced levels (B1-C1, CEFR levels), this textbook is designed for all those interested in the rich palette of voices, genres, and contexts of 21st century Russian cinema." - from the publisher