Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

Slavic 108Y, Elementary Ukrainian, 2012-2013

Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Course Description

In SLA 108, students can expect to acquire only a minimal proficiency in speaking and understanding Ukrainian. The course focus is on the essential elements of grammar, providing a strong base for further study of the language. The goal of the course is to give students a strong command of the conjugation of verbs and the declension of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives (at least in the singular).

Students should be aware of the fact that Ukrainian, like all second languages, cannot be mastered without a considerable investment of time. Even a diligent student cannot expect to acquire real proficiency in spoken Ukrainian in a single year. Students should plan two or three years of courses followed by an extended stay in Ukraine.

Please note: This year, the course textbook will be changed. We will be using Yuri Shevchuk. Beginner's Ukrainian. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2011.
The web pages for this course that are tied to the previous textbook are, thus, outdated.
Please consult the web pages for the new textbook: http://www.hippocrenebooks.com/beginnersukrainian/

Textbooks

A dictionary is an essential tool in learning a language.
M.L. Podvesko & M.I. Balla English-Ukrainian Dictionary Toronto - Edmonton. CIUS Press, 1995. ISBN 0-920862-62-4
C. H. Andrusyshen, Ukrainian-English Dictionary. Toronto: Univ of Toronto Press, 1990. ISBN: 0802064213
These books are available at the University of Toronto Bookstore.

The textbook and English-Ukrainian Dictionary are also available from the campus office of CIUS Press. Call them before going to make a purchase, 416 978-6934. They're at 256 McCaul St. Rm 308 (across the street from the new examination centre.)

The language laboratory dialogues and drills correlated to the Humesky textbook are available for purchase from the Language Resource Center at the University of Michigan in CD format at this website: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/flacs/products&mode=single&recordID=000000000000000000000000000000000000000002687162&nextMode=list. These are the same audio materials that are available on-line for students in SLA108 in our Language Lab. See below.

Supplemental materials also authored by Assya Humesky are available from the Ohio State University Foreign Language Publications office : http://140.254.248.80/flpubs/about.htm. Please note that that these supplemental materials are NOT required for SLA108. This link is for information only, it is not a suggestion that students should purchase these materials.

Aids specifically associated with the textbook you use in SLA108 (Assya Humseky. Modern Ukrainian.
• Language Lab
  • Note: the audio files are password protected, you must get a logon and password from the instructor.
• Vocabulary lists with paradigms, correlated to the chapters of your textbook ( Assya Humseky. Modern Ukrainian).
• Class handouts in SLA108.
• Vocabulary Aids
• Family ties
• Other Aids
• Ukrainian On-line Dictionary with Grammatical Paradigms (Gives definitions and, below, grammatical paradigms, i.e. conjugations and declensions)
• English-Ukrainian and Ukrainian-English On-Line Dictionary
• Ukrainian-English Translator
• Kyiv University Electronic Language Textbook (In Ukrainian.)