This intensive foundation course in Russian is designed for students with no previous knowledge of the language. Developed primarily for classroom use, the course offers an original and distinctive approach to language learning, presenting Russian in context offering access to Russian life, culture, history and society.
Using authentic language throughout, the course takes students from beginner to intermediate level in one year. Progress is carefully structured, starting with simple grammar and working towards more complex points with the acquisition of a significant body of vocabulary. By the end of the course students will have acquired a sound knowledge of the main structures of the language and will be able to express themselves confidently in a wide range of communicative contexts.
The tried-and-tested material featured in the course is structured to improve all four core skills of language learning: speaking, listening, reading and writing. The course is divided in three parts:
- Part 1 provides a foundation which gets the student going in Russian
- Part 2 concentrates on intensive development to take the student rapidly forward
- Part 3 incorporates both revision and further development.
Each unit is divided into lessons which all include lively dialogues, sections on grammar and language functions and lots of exercises that help develop the student's practical language skills.
Audio materials recorded by native speakers include dialogues, exercises and a variety of texts to help students using the course to improve their listening comprehension and pronunciation skills.
Audio materials recorded by native speakers include dialogues, exercises and a variety of texts to help students using the course to improve their listening comprehension and pronunciation skills. The audio materials and other supplementary materials are available as free eResources here: www.routledge.com/9780415223003.
Glossary Unit 1: Grammar The Russian alphabet, pronunciation of Russian, intonation; writing Russian; introductory grammatical points, including gender Topics and Functions Asking, stating identifying and clarifying; negating; pointing and locating; greeting and introducing, names Unit 2: Topics and Functions Asking for things, location Grammar The case system, the nominative, accusative and prepositional case; the present tense of verbs, 1st conjugation Unit 3: Topics and Functions Talking about people, jobs; asking for things; possessions Grammar Animate accusative, genitive, nominative and inanimate accusative plural; accusative, genitive and dative of pronouns; possessives, demonstratives; possession, existence, availability, lack Unit 4: Topics and Functions Description of people; languages; study; time of day and days; topic of conversation/knowledge Grammar Adjectives, adverbs; present tense of 2nd conjugation; reflexive verbs; prepositional case Unit 5: Topics and Functions Location, motion, directions, transport; shopping; daily routines; plans; postcard writing Grammar Constructions of location and direction; verbs of motion; quantity, numerals; time constructions; past tense Unit 6: Topics and Functions Plans, intention; free time and interests; like, dislike, preference, opinion; narration in the past tense Grammar Aspect and formation of aspect pairs; short forms adjectives; negation; verbs of motion; instrumental case; time constructions Unit 7: Topics and Functions Telephone; arrangements, suggestions; meeting, joint action; health; weather; narration; appreciation, opinion Grammar Dative case; future tense; indirect speech; imperatives; prepositions; necessity and obligation; wish and desire, subjunctive and conditional; compound verbs of motion, time constructions; conjunctions Unit 8: Topics and Functions Gifts, shopping, description; comparison; biography; addresses etc.; describing people; work and money; household; food, drink and eating out Grammar Genitive plural; prepositions; expression of need; numerals; comparatives and superlatives; animative accusative; constructions of time; nominative/instrumental in predicate; participles and gerunds Unit 9: Topics and Functions Location, direction, transport; travel, holidays and description of place Grammar Prepositions of location and direction; transport; travel, holidays and description of place Unit 10: Topics and Functions & Grammar: Study; introduction to discursive Russian; views of Russia today Answer Key Vocabulary Index Appendices
Biography
Robin Aizlewood teaches at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL. He is a specialist in Russian language teaching and course design, with very wide experience at university and school levels and in examining. He has been active over many years in the promotion of Russian and modern languages generally. Recent publications include Two Essays on Maiakovskii's verse, articles on Russian identity in Russian thought, on Pushkin's Queen of Spades, and on ab initio Russian.
