Synopsis
Ukrainian language study changed dramatically when Ukraine became an independent state in 1991. In the period since then, the Ukrainian nation has initiated a robust re-examination of its language and fostered the spread of Ukrainian-language heritage learners who previously made up the bulk of students in Ukrainian-language courses. These new students are interested in professional opportunities in Ukraine or Ukrainian studies; many have been exposed to Russian.
"Rozmovliaimo!" is the first textbook to fully embrace the new realities of the Ukrainian landscape and to incorporate the latest advances of the communicative classroom. Mainly geared toward three to four semesters of college-level work, "Rozmovliaimo!" can also be used for advanced high school learners. At the core of the book are twenty-two lessons, each beginning with situational polylogs and communicative exercises and followed by grammatical explanations with further exercises for practice. These lessons allow for a variety of classroom pedagogical approaches and provide a wealth of material for structured and open-ended conversational exercises, as well as a clear reference grammar that will aid more traditional learners. The lessons are supplemented by a detailed "Ukrainian for Russian Speakers" section that specifically aids students who already have studied Russian by giving them lists of faux amis, explanations of correspondences and historical divergences, etc. The book also includes fourteen topical conversation lessons--above and beyond the polylogs--to further diversify the book's utility, as well as tabular appendices, a glossary, and a detailed index.
For those who wish to learn or teach the Ukrainian that is now spoken in Ukraine, "Rozmovliaimo!" will be an indispensable tool. The authors have carefully keyed the text to the dominant conversational standard in post-Soviet Ukraine. Authentic texts and numerous illustrations incorporated into the book will provide students with a good sense of today's Ukraine. "Rozmovliaimo!" sets a new standard for Ukrainian language instruction for the decade to come.
Review
'Rozmovljajmo!' is a much needed textbook in the dramatically changing landscape of Slavic studies, where a truly diverse expertise of Slavic languages and cultures is in increasing demand. The book covers the basic grammar of Ukrainian and aims to develop all basic language skills. It is a result of years of classroom teaching and is built on a strong foundation in the latest teaching methodologies. Written with a profound knowledge of the recent linguistic development, the textbook represents the dominant conversational standard in post-Soviet Ukraine. Each lesson opens up with situational polylogs and communicative exercises, which are followed by grammatical explanations with practice exercises. The main chapters are supplemented by further dialogs, rozmovnyky, and their English translations. 'Rozmovljajmo!' contains impressively rich spoken language input that can be used for conversational as well as structured tasks. Numerous authentic photographs also provide a good sense of today's Ukraine. The book includes an additional section that presents the frequent pitfalls for speakers of Russian, tabular appendices, a glossary, and a detailed index. 'Rozmovljajmo!' is an excellent textbook that will be used in colleges and high schools as well as in self-study for many years to come. --American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) book award, Best Contribution to Language Pedagogy (2007)
It is hard to find a comprehensive Ukrainian textbook for beginners with a focus on the contemporary, colloquial language and with cultural commentary on recent events. Those in the teaching field will find that 'Rozmovljajmo!' ('Let's Talk!') has both.
The organization and content of the textbook reflect the authors' extensive experience in teaching all aspects of Ukrainian. 'Rozmovljajmo!' provides various language teaching methods and strategies that help instructors make language lessons less draining and more interesting and effective. ...
One of the strongest features of the textbook is the skillfully compiled 'polylogs' (conversations among more than two interlocutors) that are designed to teach grammar in context, in this case, among Ukrainian speakers in Kiev. The authors do an excellent job of selecting a large variety of conversational topics and models for group conversations. The polylogs are followed by effective post-reading exercises, such as questionnaires, interviews, pair drills, assignments for skits, etc. The textbook excels in the number of assignments that require students to produce similar texts, which gives them the chance to experience many social variables based on the 'roles' they play.
The grammar is presented as a necessary tool for communication and introduced systematically throughout the lessons. The meaning-based assignments of the textbook play an important role in helping motivate students to increase their everyday vocabulary. The vocabulary is carefully chosen and presents cultural topics relevant to 'real-life' situations. Glossary entries indicate morphological information and stress patterns (all the Ukrainian in the textbook is marked for stress). Students have numerous oportunities to use words repeatedly and to see how a given word assumes different meanings in different contexts. Of particular interest in this regard are the commentaries that can be used to stimulate discussion about literature and traditions. Each lesson contains a concise 'Kultura' section with cultural and sociolinguistic information offered for several lexical items. ...
Overall, the textbook is well organized and effectively presents often complex grammatical material. The authors display a fine sense of humor that will keep students smiling and curious. 'Rozmovljajmo!' will prov --Svitlana Malykhina, "Slavic and East European Journal"
It is hard to find a comprehensive Ukrainian textbook for beginners with a focus on the contemporary, colloquial language and with cultural commentary on recent events. Those in the teaching field will find that "Rozmovljajmo!" ("Let's Talk!") has both.
The organization and content of the textbook reflect the authors' extensive experience in teaching all aspects of Ukrainian. "Rozmovljajmo!" provides various language teaching methods and strategies that help instructors make language lessons less draining and more interesting and effective. ...
One of the strongest features of the textbook is the skillfully compiled "polylogs" (conversations among more than two interlocutors) that are designed to teach grammar in context, in this case, among Ukrainian speakers in Kiev. The authors do an excellent job of selecting a large variety of conversational topics and models for group conversations. The polylogs are followed by effective post-reading exercises, such as questionnaires, interviews, pair drills, assignments for skits, etc. The textbook excels in the number of assignments that require students to produce similar texts, which gives them the chance to experience many social variables based on the "roles" they play.
The grammar is presented as a necessary tool for communication and introduced systematically throughout the lessons. The meaning-based assignments of the textbook play an important role in helping motivate students to increase their everyday vocabulary. The vocabulary is carefully chosen and presents cultural topics relevant to "real-life" situations. Glossary entries indicate morphological information and stress patterns (all the Ukrainian in the textbook is marked for stress). Students have numerous oportunities to use words repeatedly and to see how a given word assumes different meanings in different contexts. Of particular interest in this regard are the commentaries that can be used to stimulate discussion about literature and traditions. Each lesson contains a concise "Kultura" section with cultural and sociolinguistic information offered for several lexical items. ...
Overall, the textbook is well organized and effectively presents often complex grammatical material. The authors display a fine sense of humor that will keep students smiling and curious. "Rozmovljajmo!" will prove useful either for the classroom setting, which is its primary purpose, or for self-learning. --Svitlana Malykhina, "Slavic and East European Journal"
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