Textbooks

UCLA Slavic Studies no. 3

This textbook aims to give the beginning student a solid working knowledge of the literary language. It consists of two parts: a grammar and a series of review lessons. The grammar is designed to be covered in one semester and students will be able to master the essentials of the language because the first part avoids nearly all irregularities. They can therefore devote their efforts to the basic patterns rather than the exceptions. Once the students have worked their way through the grammar section, they are ready to begin reading. The texts can be chosen according to the students' interests. Along with the readings the review lessons serve both to foster an active knowledge of basic forms and constructions and to introduce the most common irregularities. "...can be recommended to everyone ... as the best introductory course currently available." (MLJ) "This book has been thoughtfully and intelligently compiled, is well designed, and contains few printing errors. It is to be welcomed as a very useful aid to those learning Czech from scratch." (MLR)

Although this book was written for structure of Russian courses, it can also be used profitably in upper-level grammar courses. It consists of parts on phonetics, phonemics and morphophonemics. The phonetics section gives a general introduction to phonetics and uses Roman transcription to elucidate the spelling system. The morphophonemics section treats such topics as roots, affixes, endings, inserted vowels, Church Slavic forms, stress, and others. A bibliography is among the topics covered in seven appendices. The book concludes with a detailed index.

"...teachers and students who work through the book will surely appreciate the expertise, wit, and grace with which it was written." (RLJ) "The presentation throughout is a model of clarity, concision, and perspicacity." (MLJ)

Compiled and edited from the notes and glossaries of 22 Soviet editions of 18th-century Russian literature, this dictionary is a differential one: it includes only those words and meanings which are not the same in modern Russian. Geographical names, persons, and material from mythology have been included to assist the user. Definitions are given in modern Russian.

An essential book for every student and teacher of Russian. Helps students increase their vocabulary and remember words better because they understand how the meanings are derived.

"The book is a small miracle." (SEEJ)

"It can be recommended without reservation" (NZSJ)

This book teaches the user to read contemporary standard (literary) Bulgarian. Unlike other textbooks which teach a Slavic language in a more or less traditional manner, with references to Russian for those who know it, this book presupposes a good knowledge of Russian and bases its teaching methodology upon the constant comparison of Bulgarian and Russian. Features of Bulgarian which correspond reasonably well to Russian are given little attention, whereas items which differ (such as the past tenses and the presence of a definite article) are given appropriate treatment. In successive sections the most important features of the Bulgarian language are outlined in comparison to both Russian and English. The grammatical material is followed by exercises and reading selections to reinforce the exposition. While a teacher is helpful in using the book, the author recognizes that many persons who wish to learn Bulgarian will not have a teacher available, so the book has been made suitable for self-instruction as well. From the first reading selection broad use is made of proverbs, which provide reading with real content but with limited vocabulary and only those grammatical structures which have been explained to date. This means that from the beginning the student is reading Bulgarian which was not written for a textbook, but which was intended for native speakers and is interesting for the message conveyed, and not just because of the grammatical material presented. Connected, unaltered texts are used for reading as soon as the student has mastered sufficient grammatical structures. Every word of the reading material in the book was taken from works written by Bulgarians and published in Bulgaria. The book also contains several long reading passages on various aspects of Bulgaria and Bulgarian culture (in the broadest sense), a short section on the pre-1945 orthography, and a seven-page annotated Bibliography of dictionaries, grammars, textbooks, etc. for use after finishing this course. "This excellent book is a welcome addition to the materials available for the study of Bulgarian." (SEEJ) "...a useful, imaginative and unobtrusively humorous book..." (SEER) The 2nd edition of this title was published in 2013 and is now available for purchase (ISBN 978-0-89357-416-1).

gala288

While the examples are taken from scientific texts, this dictionary will be of use to all students of Russian, and especially to all translators. "Omissions" are words or phrases that are not to be translated when turning a Russian text into English. Some examples are: dostatochno in "Ne predlozhen dostatochno ubeditel'noe ob''iasnenie" `A convincing explanation has not been offered'; nado skazat', chto in "Nado skazat', chto opisannyi metod iavlhetsia unikal'nym sposobom" `The method is unique'; davat' vozmozhnost' in "Sredstva, daiushchie vozmozhnost' izbezhat'..." `Methods of avoiding...' Knowing these phrases and techniques will greatly improve translations in any field, and will help students develop a better feeling for Russian style and a better understanding of Russian texts that they read. The book has short commentaries on general principles, and a bibliography, in the front and back of the book, but most of it is a listing, in alphabetical order, of items to be omitted, with at least one, and sometimes several examples for each item, and an English translation of each example. The head word or phrase to be omitted also has a literal English translation. Intermediate and advanced students of Russian will find this dictionary a great help in perfecting their knowledge of the language, as well as their ability to translate effectively into English.

"...Geld has made a significant contribution..." (Capital Translator)

"The Dictionary of Omissionsis therefore an invaluable aid to Russian-English translators, be they experienced or mere beginners." (SEER)

"The chief shortcoming of the Dictionary is, paradoxically, that it is so good that one wishes it were larger..." (MLR) "[this book] surely belongs on the shelf of any translator or student of translation." (SEEJ)