Western Michigan University

ScholarWorks at WMU

Books Written by World Languages and World Languages and Literatures

Literatures Faculty

2020

A Primer for Beginning Russian

Dasha Culic Nisula
Western Michigan University, dasha.nisula@wmich.edu

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Part of the European Languages and Societies Commons, Language Interpretation and Translation
Commons, and the Russian Linguistics Commons

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Nisula, Dasha Culic, "A Primer for Beginning Russian" (2020). Books Written by World Languages and
Literatures Faculty. 1.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/languages_books/1

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scholarworks@wmich.edu.
 A PRIMER

FOR

BEGINNING RUSSIAN

Dasha C. Nisula, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus
Department of World Languages
and Literatures

Western Michigan University

1903 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008 USA
Copyright © 2020 by Dasha C. Nisula

ISBN: 978-1-7329856-1-2

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

 DEDICATION

This Primer is dedicated to

all my teachers, students, and colleagues
who, over the years, inspired me in my work and study
of Russian language, literature, and culture.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………….. 3
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Week I ………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Day 1 – Russian Alphabet, Russian Cognates, Five Russian Words .…………. 6
Day 2 – Short Dialogues, Introduction to the Russian Alphabet –Worksheets… 10
Day 3 – Our Room, Mastering the Russian Alphabet, Russian Vowels .……… 14
Day 4 – Vowel Pronunciation, Vowel Reduction ……………………………… 17
End of Week I – Dictation, Practice Quiz ……………………………………… 19
Introduction to the Cyrillic Alphabet in Cursive ...…………………...... 20
Cursive Practice Sheets …………………………………………….…... 21
Alphabet ………………………………………………………………... 23
Numbers 0-10 ……………………………...…………………………... 24
Supplement for Week I .………….…………………………………………….. 25
Russian Alphabet in Pictures …………………………………………… 26
Cut-up Alphabet ………………………………………………………… 28
5-point Leaf for a Quiz …………………………………………………. 31
Russian Names …………………………………………………………. 32
Movement of the Hand in Cursive ……………………………………... 34
Cursive Grid ……………………………………………………………. 35

Week II ……………………………………………………………………………......... 36
Day 1 – Review Dialogs, Vocabulary ……………………….………………,… 37
Day 2 – Review Cursive Worksheets, Mock Quiz …...................……………… 38
Day 3 – Dialogues, Vocabulary ………………………………………………… 39
Consonant Assimilation ……………………………………………….. 40
Consonant Devoicing ………………………………………………….. 41
Day 4 – Official Quiz, Hard and Soft Signs ……………………………………. 42
End of Week II – Introduce Textbook, Workbook, etc. ….................................. 44
Supplement for Week II ……………………………………………………....... 45
Russian Letter in Cursive ……………….……….…..…………………. 46
Schedule of Classes/Days of the Week ………………………………… 47
Multi-point Leaves for Dictation ………………………………………. 48
Numbers 0-10 ………………………………………………………….. 50

1
Appendix ………………………………………………………………………………. 51
Word Order ……………………………………………………………………. 52
Intonation Construction (IC) ………………………………………………….. 53
Rhythm in Russian Words …………………………………………………….. 54
Formation of Nouns in Plural …………………………………………………. 56
Verbs: Conjugations I and II …………………………………………………... 57
Consonant Mutation ……………………………….………………………….. 58
Interchange of Consonants in Verb Forms ……………………………………. 59
Spelling Rules ………………………………………………………………..... 60
Use of Root Word GAP in Verbs, Nouns, Adjectives ……..………………….. 61
Russian Preposition Chart ……………………………………………………... 64
Practice Reading Russian Script ………………………………………………. 65
Russian Proverbs …………………………………………………………….... 66
American Proverbs ……………………………………….………………….... 67
Clocks for Telling Time of Day……………………………………………...... 68
Writing Notes and Valentines ………………………………………………..... 69
Russian Alphabet: Names and Sounds of Letters ……………………………... 70
Russian Cognates (pages 2-4) ………………………………………………..... 72
Three Russian Songs
2x2=4 ………………………………………………………………….. 75
Body parts with body picture ………………………………………….. 76
“The Russian Alphabet Song” ……………………………………........ 77
Practice Russian Alphabet in Cursive ………………………………………..... 78
Ye-llow-blue vase! – I love you! …………………………………………….... 100
Credits ………………………………………………………………………………..... 101
Addendum – “A Teaching Method for Any Subject”………………………………..... 102

2
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Working with the Russian alphabet, especially in its cursive form, is not an easy task. I want to
thank Ms. Jennifer Morrow, former office associate in the Department of World Languages and
Literatures, for her patience and excellent computer and editing skills, as she helped me create
and bring together various drafts of this project. My sincere thanks go to Ms. Natalia Tischenko
from St. Petersburg, Russia, who taught with us for a year. Her design of cursive letters on lined
sheets was indispensable for completion of this project. I also want to thank Mr. Marko Marian,
Art Instructor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, for his advice and fine design of the cover
for this publication. In addition, my thanks go to Mrs. Rita Slutsker, M.A., a former colleague
who taught with me for several years, for her willingness to proofread the Russian text. Last, but
not least, my thanks go to Maira Bundza, Associate Professor, University Libraries, for setting
up the Primer, and Mr. Jason Glatz, Maps Specialist, University Libraries, Western Michigan
University, for his input and patience on the final draft of this project before putting it up on
ScholarWorks.

3
 INTRODUCTION

The idea to create A Primer for Beginning Russian has evolved into its current state through years of
my teaching introductory Russian classes. As I continued with assessment of these classes and the
program as a whole, I began to realize how important the first two weeks of language study are. It is
within the first few weeks that someone new to the language begins to formulate his or her stand
towards it and acquires skills to become competent. Should the first two weeks be successful, they
are likely not only to continue their studies but even do well later on in the program. The Primer
contains strategies I developed for preparing beginning students to succeed. It has helped me nurture
and maintain my own program for two and a half decades as the sole full-time professor, while
retaining seventy-five percent of students in the introductory level classes.

It is interesting to note that, according to the two most recent Modern Language Association (MLA)
surveys, conducted in 2013 and 2016 on the study of languages other than English, interest in
Russian language has fallen in spite of domestic needs and the world’s political and economic
pressures. There is, however, more interest in the study of Russian at the advanced level, but
diminishing numbers at the introductory level. There may be many reasons for these numbers,
among them the difficulty of the language for native speakers of English, and the ability of the
instructors at the introductory level of study to engage the students and prove that, in fact, they can
do it and do it well.

We often think of beginning language classes, especially Russian, to be difficult and boring, and
most seasoned teachers opt to teach higher level courses which offer their own charm. However,
it is precisely the introductory level of language study that is most important, not only for
sustaining the program itself, but to offer the beginning student the best circumstances under which
to succeed. Introductory Russian language classes are exciting. This is true not only for the
instructor who faces new candidates to the program, but because students beginning to learn the
Cyrillic alphabet cannot avoid but be excited to learn what each of these strangely curved letters
sounds and eventually means.

A Primer for Beginning Russian may be used with any Russian textbook that is on the market or
it can be used independently by anyone who thinks their beginning study of Russian needs to be
reviewed. Lessons are geared for a course based on four or five days of language study per week.
The two-week period ends with a quiz on the alphabet (sounds of 25 letters) which everyone needs
to pass with at least a strong B. Information supplied in the Appendix that follows the two-week
period is intended for those studying or teaching Russian who might find these graphs, pictorial
additions, and worksheets useful in their work. And in the Addendum I included in Russian “A
Teaching Method for Any Subject” which may be of interest.

The main goal of this Primer is not to serve as the final word on introductory courses, but to serve as
an impetus to adopt and expand on what one is already doing. Part I of the project follows.

Пусть всегда будет солнце в Вашем классе!

4
 WEEK I

Day 1 – Russian Alphabet, Russian Cognates, Five Russian Words

Day 2 – Short Dialogues, Introduction to the Russian Alphabet – Worksheet I,

Introduction to the Russian Alphabet – Worksheet II, Review Cognates

Day 3 – Our Classroom Vocabulary, Mastering the Russian Alphabet,

Russian Vowels

Day 4 – Vowel Pronunciation and Vowel Reduction

End of Week I – Dictation, Practice Quiz, Alphabet in Cursive, Cursive

Practice Sheets, Numbers 1-5

5
Week 1 – Day 1
Instructor arrives right on time, when all the students are already seated. S/he brings in the
following: textbook, syllabi, attendance sheet, sign-in sheet, and the following items:

Matryoshka and Mishka (the bear)

Sheet with Russian alphabet
Sheet with Russian cognates

As the instructor walks in, s/he utters a greeting ЗДРАВСТВУЙТЕ! and continues talking in
Russian, telling students how good it is to see them, how wonderful it is that they signed up, how
the class will be easy for them, etc.

Then the instructor turns toward Matryoshka and/or Mishka (the bear), and introduces them as
Masha and Mishka, then introduces self with the name МЕНЯ ЗОВУТ _____, and follows by
asking each student what his or her name is, КАК ВАС ЗОВУТ? All this is happening in Russian,
while the instructor finds out whether there are among the students any names that are similar to
Russian names. For example, is there a David, Ivan, Maria/Masha, Christina, Peter, Pavel, Mark,
etc.? If so, the instructor immediately shifts the stress and welcomes the names in Russian
pronunciation. See a list of Russian names in Supplement for Week I.

This continues for about 10 minutes. The instructor then breaks into English and tells the students
they already know some Russian words, just as they can recognize Russian names. At this point
the instructor begins to utter Russian cognates and asks students to give the English equivalent.

БАНК ПАРК СТОП БАНАН МАТЕМАТИКА

МАМА ПАПА ФИЗИКА РАДИО АНТРОПОЛОГИЯ
БОКС ДОКТОР ГИТАРА ВОДКА ЛИТЕРАТУРА
ДЖИНСЫ ТЕЛЕФОН ДИРЕКТОР ГЕНЕРАЛ ДЕМОКРАТИЯ
ТЕАТР СTУДЕНТ ЛАМПА ВИТАМИН СТУДЕНТКА
ДРАМА ТАЛАНТ ЧЕМПИОН БУФЕТ ТЕРМОМЕТР
БАР ЛАВА ПОСТ СОДА ФАКТ

As students are listening to these words and giving English equivalents, they begin to understand
that Russian has just a different stress in each word, and it is the stress that makes them think they
do not understand these words. They begin to figure out the English equivalent and grow assured
that they can, indeed, understand some of the Russian cognates. Upon finishing the list, the
instructor passes out the sheet with the Russian alphabet.

Russian alphabet: Instructor begins to read Russian letters and produces ONLY the sound of
each letter across the page, row by row, while students repeat. It is important to give the students
the sound of each letter first. At this point, the focus is on pronunciation of the sounds and not the
name of each letter of the alphabet, which can be learned later. After the instructor reads and the
students repeat the sounds for the second time, the students are asked to write the English
equivalent of that sound above each letter, so that students can reproduce it for themselves at home.
For example, if the sound is Y in Russian, it may be rendered OO in English. The students
6
themselves write out the pronunciation of the Russian letter. Then the instructor asks who among
the students would like to read the first row of the Russian alphabet, who would like to read the
second, and who would read the third, and so on. Students participate. Who would like to read
the whole alphabet? Here some brave souls raise their hands, and we have the beginning of
independent new sound formation.

Students are asked to put their favorite letter or sound in the box at the bottom of the page. We
review their favorite sounds/letters and move on to another task.

Next, they are asked to phonetically spell out their names in Russian script. Those who can figure
it out first go up to the board and write their names in Russian. There are always names that are
not one hundred percent phonetic. Here is where we work out the differences. How do you spell
Whitney? What about Jason? Here we indicate Уитни, Джейсон, Джуди, etc.

A blank sheet is passed out on which the students sign in their names and their contact information.
The instructor shows the students a copy of the book and workbook they will be using during the
semester, pointing out what they will cover during the first semester of Russian language study.
The syllabi is passed out and reviewed. Students are asked to read the details at home and ask
questions next time they come to class.

Homework for day two: Students are to return the next day knowing how to pronounce Russian
alphabet sounds, and bring with them a list of names written in Russian of their siblings, parents
and friends. They should be able to read the whole alphabet out loud. And, before the lesson ends,
here are five words they will need to learn. They are:

НЕТ!

ДА!

СПАСИБО!

ПРИВЕТ!

ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

Class is dismissed.

7
А Б В Г Д Е

Ё Ж З И Й К

Л М Н О П Р

С Т У Ф Х Ц

Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь

Э Ю Я
8
 RUSSIAN COGNATES

KAФЕ СУП ВОДА

ПЛАН ПРЕЗИДЕНТ ГАРАЖ

ЮМОР АВТОР ГАРДЕРОБ

БЮРО ГОЛ ЭРА

КАССА НОС ПОРТ

ЖИРАФ ШКОЛА УНИВЕРСИТЕТ

ЛИТЕРАТУРА ЦАРЬ ТАКСИ

СПОРТ АСПИРИН ОПЕРА

ЦЕНТР БУФЕТ МЕТРО

РАДИАТОР ОРГАН КИОСК

БАР ПОЛИТИКА КАПИТАН

ФИЛОСОФИЯ ГАЗ КЛУБ

ДИАЛОГ СОЦИОЛОГИЯ МУЗЫКА

КОМПЬЮТЕР КОМФОРТ КОМПЛИМЕНТ

КОМПАС ЦИЛИНДР ПРОФЕССОР

ТЕЛЕГРАФ ТЕЛЕВИЗОР ДИСКОТЕКА

ФОРМАЛИСТ ФОТОАППАРА ТРАКТОР

ТРАНСПОРТ Т ПАРАДОКС ТЕМПЕРАТУРА

АГЕНТ АВГУСТ АВТОБУС

БАССЕЙН ДОКУМЕНТ ЖУРНАЛ

ЭНЕРГИЯ ЭКЗАМЕН ЭКВАТОР

КИНО КИЛОГРАММ ЛАБОРАТОРИЯ

9
Week I – Day 2
Students return the next day and the class begins with conversation in Russian.
ЗДРАВСТВУЙТЕ! КАК ВАС ЗОВУТ? Students respond: МЕНЯ ЗОВУТ _______.
Then the instructor points to male and female students indicating: ЭТО СТУДЕНТ,
И ЭТО СТУДЕНТ, СТУДЕНТ, СТУДЕНТ. А ЭТО СТУДЕНТКА, СТУДЕНТКА,
СТУДЕНТ, СТУДЕНТ, СТУДЕНТКА, СТУДЕНТКА, СТУДЕНТ, etc.

Pointing to a female student, the instructor asks – Это студентка? Да, это студентка.
Pointing to a male student, the instructor asks – Это студентка? – and asks students to respond all
together. They say: Нет, это не студентка – это студент. This kind of conversation continues
so everyone has a chance to say who they are or whether another person is a male or female.

The same pattern continues with the following: Это американец, американка, aмериканка,
американец, etc. It is important that the students respond in full sentences, not just with one word:
НЕТ, Я НЕ СТУДЕНТ, Я СТУДЕНТКА.

Vary the exercise with the following: ВЫ АМЕРИКАНЕЦ? ДА ИЛИ НЕТ? ВЫ

АМЕРИКАНКА? ВАС ЗОВУТ АННА? НЕТ, Я НЕ АННА, Я ЭРИКА И Я АМЕРИКАНКА.
ВЫ СТЕПАН, ДА? НЕТ, Я НЕ СТЕПАН, Я ИВАН, А СТЕПАН ТАМ.

The instructor now turns back to the alphabet. Together they review reading the complete
alphabet. Who is ready to read either one line or the whole alphabet? Each student must read at
least one line on the alphabet sheet. After some students volunteer to read the alphabet, the
students are asked to come up to the board and write out their names. They were asked to prepare
their first and last names in Russian for homework.

After reviewing and making sure all the names are spelled correctly, the class begins to explore
the alphabet in detail, working in groups of three.

The instructor passes out Introduction to the Russian Alphabet – Worksheet I with seven questions
that each group needs to answer, looking at the Russian alphabet sheet passed out on Day 1. After
they complete the exercise, each group comes up and puts one of the answers on the board.
Answers are reviewed. If there is some disagreement, other groups help to correct the answers.

Now they are ready to apply what they have learned by writing out in Russian 15 words they are
given in the Introduction to the Russian Alphabet – Worksheet II. The words are cognates which
need to be printed in Cyrillic script. Students write these words independently, looking at their
alphabet sheet. Once they are confident that they have done the best they can, students are asked
to write the words on the board. Each student will defend his or her answer. Students will begin
to see that there are numerous cognates which can easily be written out. They will also learn that,
though the letters easily transfer from Latin to Cyrillic script, Russian pronunciation will vary.

10
The instructor then reviews with the students all the words on the board, pointing out where the
stress falls in Russian. To indicate what stress means, the instructor pauses longer on each vowel
that carries the stress. Students are asked to indicate the stress for each word on the list. They are
then asked to read all together with correct pronunciation. Those who are willing to read alone are
now asked to perform.

Before the class ends, the group reviews the vocabulary. The instructor asks:

КАК СКАЗАТЬ ПО-РУССКИ? –

YES!
NO!
THANK YOU!
HI!
HELLO!
GOOD-BYE!

WHAT’S YOUR NAME? MY NAME IS __________.

ARE YOU A STUDENT? YES, I AM A STUDENT.

NO, I AM NOT A STUDENT.

ARE YOU AN AMERICAN? YES, I AM AN AMERICAN.

NO, I AM NOT AN AMERICAN.

HOW ARE THINGS? GOOD!

NOT SO GOOD.
NOT BAD.

The main thing for the instructor to remember is to have three separate activities the students will
do at every class session. Each activity lasts about 10-15 minutes for fifty-minute class sessions.

Class is dismissed: СПАСИБО И ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

11
 INTRODUCTION TO THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET
(Work in groups of three)
Worksheet I

On the sheet of paper before you are letters of the Russian alphabet. Examine them carefully and
try to deduce the following:

1. Are there more letters in the English alphabet or in the Russian alphabet?

2. Are there any letters in the Russian alphabet that look like letters in English?
What are they?

3. Are there any letters in the Russian alphabet that look like English letters but are not
pronounced as they are in the English alphabet? What are they?

4. List those letters of the Russian alphabet which look quite different from English or any
other letters you have seen.

5. Identify Russian letters that do not sound like any letters in the English alphabet.

6. Can you identify any vowels in the Russian alphabet?

7. What about the consonants?

12
 INTRODUCTION TO THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET
Worksheet II

Review the Russian alphabet again and try to write the following words in Russian. You may
look at the alphabet sheet as you fill in the blanks.

1. MAMA ____________________________

2. PAPA ____________________________

3. ATOM ____________________________

4. OPERA ____________________________

5. SPORT ____________________________

6. LONDON ____________________________

7. BANK ____________________________

8. PARK ____________________________

9. TELEPHONE ____________________________

10. STOP ____________________________

11. MICHIGAN ____________________________

12. AMERICA ____________________________

13. WASHINGTON ____________________________

14. STUDENT ____________________________

15. RADIO ____________________________

13
Week I - Day 3
Each class session begins with 5-10 minutes of dialogue with the instructor. Students are asked to
answer in complete sentences. The questions learned are repeated and each student gets a chance
to speak. To make conversation and thereby introduce additional vocabulary, the instructor
practices with the following questions:

КАК ВАС ЗОВУТ? ВЫ СТУДЕНТ? ВЫ АМЕРИКАНКА? ВАС ЗОВУТ ДЖЕННИ?

КТО ЭТО? ЭТО ДАВИД? ДА, ЭТО ДАВИД. НЕТ, ЭТО НЕ ДАВИД, ЭТО ИВАН. А

ЭТО? ЭТО АННА. АННА ЗДЕСЬ. ЧТО ЭТО? ЭТО СТОЛ. ЭТО СТУЛ? НЕТ, ЭТО НЕ

СТУЛ. ЭТО СТОЛ, А СТУЛ ТАМ. А ЧТО ЭТО? ЭТО ЛАМПА.

1) The instructor passes out the vocabulary list НАША КОМНАТА, reads it, and the
students repeat. Then each student is asked to read with the stress in the right place. The instructor
continues pointing to different items in the classroom, asking students to identify each in Russian.
Students are asked to study the list daily so they can answer and be ready for dialogue in every
class session.
2) The class then focuses on vocabulary that is not familiar to the students in the
exploratory exercise that is passed out, Mastering the Russian Alphabet. The students try to figure
out proper pronunciation, placing the stress on the right vowel. They will be working in groups of
three to complete the exercise. After the whole class reviews the English equivalent for each word,
each group selects one person who will write three to five words on the board from the list,
indicating where the stress falls.
The class reviews which vowels keep their sound when stressed and those which are
reduced when unstressed. A vowel that is stressed is pronounced with extra force; those which
are not stressed are reduced or pronounced with less force. We review A that keeps its value as in
the first three words. Then we may look at MOCKBA and see that A is stressed even though it is
at the end of the word, and thus is not reduced. We examine O in that word and agree that it is not
stressed, is to the left of the stressed vowel, and is therefore reduced to A.
3) The class reviews the vowels in Russian based on the vowels we know in English. The
instructor asks students to come up to the board and write out which letters in the Russian alphabet
may be considered vowels. Then they review the following: A E I O U in English becomes A Э
Ы О У in Russian. These are hard Russian vowels. Each hard vowel has its soft equivalent Я Е
И Ё Ю. Students read both hard and soft vowels. They review all the words written on the board
and check whether the stress has been placed on the right vowel. Students volunteer to read five
words with stress on the right vowel. Some may wish to read a full column correctly, while others
will practice at home and read next time.

Class is dismissed: СПАСИБО И ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

14
 НАША КОМНАТА

УРОК
КЛЮЧ
РУКА
КАРТА
РУЧКА
КАРТИНА
КАРАНДАШ
СТОЛ
БУМАГА
СТУЛ
БЛОКНОТ
ПАРТА
ТЕТРАДЬ
МЕЛ
КНИГА
ПОРТФЕЛЬ
ПОЛ
ГАЗЕТА
ПОТОЛОК
ЖУРНАЛ
ДВЕРЬ
КЛАСС
СТЕНА
СУМКА
ОКНО
ПИСЬМО
ДОСКА
КОМПЬЮТЕР
ЛАМПА

15
 MASTERING THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET
(Work in groups of three)

Each student should have a list of Russian cognates. Examine them carefully and try to
pronounce them. Then give the English equivalent for each.

ПАСПОРТ ____________________ МОСКВА __________________

БРАТ ____________________ СПОРТ __________________

БАНК ____________________ ОПЕРА __________________

ПОЭТ ____________________ ЗООПАРК __________________

АЭРОПОРТ ____________________ КАФЕ __________________

ЛОНДОН ____________________ ХОККЕЙ __________________

ЖАРГОН ____________________ ТЕЛЕФОН __________________

РЕСТОРАН ____________________ КОМЕТА __________________

КЛАСС ____________________ АТОМ __________________

ДАЛЛАС ____________________ ПАРК __________________

КОМПОЗИЦИЯ ____________________ АВГУСТ __________________

АНТЕННА ____________________ ТАКСИ __________________

ФОТОГРАФИЯ ____________________ ОРКЕСТР __________________

КОНЦЕРТ ____________________ СТОП __________________

САКСОФОН ____________________ ЖУРНАЛ __________________

ПРОПАГАНДА ____________________ ЛАМПА __________________

МУЗЫКА ____________________ БАНАН __________________

УНИВЕРСИТЕТ ____________________ КАНАДА __________________

16
Week I – Day 4
Class begins with five to ten minutes of dialogue with the instructor as the day before. Each student
must speak and be involved in class activities. They then read together all the words on the
exercise sheet passed out the day before and from the list of items in the classroom. Those who
are having difficulties are encouraged to practice reading out loud at home. The class then
examines English/Russian vowels in more detail.

English vowels: A E I O U

Russian has five vowel sounds, but ten vowel letters: five letters are “hard” and five are “soft.”

Hard: А Э Ы О У
-----------------------------------
Soft: Я Е И Ё Ю

VOWEL PRONUNCIATION

Hard vowels – They indicate that the preceding consonant is “hard,” i.e., non-palatalized:

A A as in father - A as in Russian ДА

Э E as in echo - E as in Russian ЭХО

Ы I as in Bill is ill - I as in Russian МЫ

О O as in Hello - O as in Russian НО

У U as in rule - U as in Russian НУ

Soft vowels – They indicate that the preceding consonant is “soft,” i.e., palatalized. Soft vowels
palatalize or soften the preceding consonant. A palatalized consonant is pronounced by placing
the tongue up toward the back roof of the mouth. Some consonants may also be palatalized if
followed by a soft sign (Ь):

Я YA as in Yahoo - YA as in Russian Я

Е YE as in Yes - YE as in Russian НЕТ

И EE as in Bee - I as in Russian ИВА

Ё YO as in Yo-yo - YO as in Russian ПОЛЁТ

Ю U as in Union - YU as in Russian ЮМOP

NOTE: Soft vowels following Ж, Ц, and Ш are pronounced as their hard counterpart.
There is no effect on pronunciation of Ж, Ц, and Ш, even when followed by a soft sign (Ь).
17
 VOWEL REDUCTION

Stress in Russian varies, which means that any syllable may carry the stress. A syllable is a unit
of pronunciation consisting of a vowel and usually a consonant. Only vowels carry stress. If a
word has only one vowel, the stress will fall on that single vowel, which often will not be indicated
in your book or on the following list. The vowel that carries the stress is the strongest; other vowels
in a word are reduced, depending upon where they are located in relation to the stressed vowel.

O – if stressed has full value = O as in ОН, ÓПЕРА, ЛÓНДОН

О – if unstressed, at the beginning or just before stress, is reduced = A as in МОСКВÁ,

ОНÁ, ОКНÓ

O – if unstressed and more than one syllable before the stress and anywhere after stress, it is
reduced and pronounced as ‘uh’ = Ə as in ПÁСПОРТ, КОЛОРÁДО

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A – if stressed has full value = A, as in ПÁРТА, МÁМА, ПÁПА

A – if unstressed, before and after stress, pronounced as ‘uh’ = Ə, as in ГАЗÉТА,

КАРТЍНА

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Я – if stressed has full value = YA, as in Я, МЯ́ СО, Я́БЛОКО

Я – if unstressed and at the end of the word = YƏ, as in РОССИ́Я

Я – if unstressed and at the beginning or elsewhere = Yi, as in ЯЗЫ́К

́

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Е – if stressed has full value = Ye, as in МЕЛ, АМÉРИКА

Е – if unstressed, at the beginning of a word and elsewhere = Yi, as in EВРÓПА,

АМЕРИКÁНКА, РЕСПÝБЛИКА, МЕДÁЛЬ, ТЕЛЕФО́Н

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Students are encouraged to ask the instructor any questions they might have or seek an explanation
if they are confused about any of the topics covered during the week. If there is time left, students
work in pairs asking each other questions and providing answers. They begin to form a short
dialogue. They also ask the instructor a question or two in Russian.

Class is dismissed: СПАСИБО И ДО СВИДАHИЯ!

18
End of Week I
Practice dictation: letters of the alphabet are read while the students write them out on the board.
They come up in twos representing their side of the class. Whichever side gets more points, wins.
Those students who have not read the complete alphabet in class are asked to do so at this time.
Once everything has been completed, the instructor reads the sounds of 20 letters as a practice
quiz. Sheets are exchanged and the students grade each other. The practice quiz may be completed
at the end of Week I or at the beginning of Week II.
The rest of the class period is devoted to the sheet Introduction to the Cyrillic Alphabet in Cursive.
See the Алфавит in print and cursive.
During each class period the instructor may devote a few minutes to new vocabulary by giving
dictation in print or cursive form. It is best to begin with print and then focus on cursive. Best
results may be observed if done on a regular basis. One begins with Russian letter sounds; cognates
and items in the classroom follow. At the end of Week I, it is also good to introduce numbers 1-
5, followed by spelling them out (see Numbers preceding Supplement for Week I).
Students should also be asked to learn how to spell their names in cursive. All vocabulary lists
distributed so far can be practiced in cursive. In addition, certain exercises from the book may be
completed in cursive as part of weekly homework.
Cursive Practice Sheets with letters of the alphabet that is passed out in class should be completed
by the end of Week II and turned in at the beginning of Week III. The instructor should examine
the two pages and catch early any problems that students might have.
Those students who still have trouble differentiating new sounds and require additional practice in
linking sounds with appropriate letters, need to practice at home, with another student, or work
with the tutor. The official quiz on the alphabet will take place at the end of next week. If the
score on the quiz is below 85 percent, the student must repeat the alphabet quiz in the instructor's
office the following week. All repeat alphabet quizzes need a score of 95 or 100 percent.

Class is dismissed: СПАСИБО И ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

19
 INTRODUCTION TO THE CYRILLIC ALPHABET IN CURSIVE

Though computer remains the principal mode of communication today, Russians still write official
and unofficial notes in cursive. It is essential, therefore, that students master writing Cyrillic in
both print and cursive. Here are some samples that may serve as guides even for those with
excellent penmanship. One should keep in mind that Russian cursive letters are connected (see
Russian Letter in Cursive in Supplement for Week II).

In addition, writing out new vocabulary has proven to aid memorization, especially writing in
cursive. And there is yet an unexplored correlation between writing and development and
preservation of cognitive abilities. Just for that reason alone, it is advisable to write in cursive
whenever one can.

The instructor introduces cursive (passes out lined Cursive Practice Sheets for cursive writing)
and examines the following letters:

Letters with a hook – л - м - я

Letters with a tail – ц - щ

Letters with a curve – г, п, т, н

-write them out in capital and small letters on the sheet provided

At home, students should practice cursive by writing out vocabulary lists distributed so far in class.
Their first and last names should be written in cursive. Students may also complete exercises from
the book in cursive. For homework they write out the whole alphabet in cursive on two sheets
passed out in class and turn them in for a grade by the end of next week. See additional lined sheet
that follows.

At the end of Week I or at the beginning of Week II, there should be a mock quiz on the Russian
alphabet (20 letter sounds are read aloud as students write them out).

20
21
22
23
 NUMBERS
HOMEPA

0 нуль

1ОДИН 2 два 3 три

4 четыре 5 пять 6шесть

7 семь 8 восемь 9 девять

1024
десять
 SUPPLEMENT FOR WEEK I

Russian Alphabet in Pictures

Cut-up Alphabet

5-point Leaf for a Quiz (Cognates per tip and indentation)

For additional leaf forms, see Supplement for Week II

Russian Names

Movement of the Hand in Cursive

Cursive Grid

25
26
 АЗБУКА

АРБУЗ БАРАБАН ВЕРТОЛЁТ ГРУША ДОМ

ЕЛЬ ЁЖ ЖЁЛУДЬ ЗАЯЦ ИГЛА

ЙОД КОТ ЛЕВ МЯЧ НОЖНИЦЫ

ОСЁЛ ПЕТУХ РАКЕТА САМОЛЁТ ТЕЛЕВИЗОР

УЛИТКА ФЛАГ ХЛЕБ ЦЫПЛЁНОК ЧАШКА

ШАРИК ЩЁТКА - - -

ЭСКАЛАТОР ЮЛА ЯБЛОКО

27
28
29
30
31
 РУССКИЕ ИМЕНА
Женские имена:

Александра Саша, Шура Alexandra

Алёна Алёнушка Alyona
Алла Аля, Аллочка Alla
Анастасия Настя, Настенька Anastasia
Анна Аня, Анюта, Аннушка Anna, Anne

Валентина Валя, Валечка Valentina

Варвара Варя, Варенька Barbara
Вера Верочка Vera

Галина Галя, Галочка Galina

Дарья, Дария Даша, Дашенька Daria

Евгения Женя, Женечка Eugenia

Екатерина Катя, Катюша, Катенька Catherine
Елена Лена, Леночка Helen
Елизавета Лиза, Лизанька Elizabeth

Ирина Ира, Ириша Irina

Констанция Constance
Ксения Ксена, Ксюша Ksenia

Лариса Лара, Ларочка Larissa

Лидия Лида, Лидочка Lydia
Любовь Люба, Любушка Lyubov (Love)
Людмила Люда, Мила Ludmilla

Майя Майечка Maya

Маргарита Рита Margarita
Мария Маша, Маруся Maria

Надежда Надя, Наденька Hope

Наталья Наташа, Ната Natalie

Ольга Оля, Олечка, Лёля Olga

Полина Поля, Поленька Polina

Светлана Света, Светочка Svetlana

Тамара Тома, Мара Tamara

Татьяна Таня, Танечка, Танюша Tatyana
32
 Мужские имена:

Александр Саша, Саня, Шура Alexander

Алексей Алёша, Лёша Alexei
Анатолий Толя, Толик Anatole
Андрей Андрюша Andrei
Антон Антоша, Антошенька Anton

Борис Боря, Боренька Boris

Василий Вася, Васенька Vasily, Basil

Вениамин Веня, Венечка Benjamin
Владимир Володя, Вова Vladimir
Вячеслав Слава, Славочка Vyacheslav

Георгий Гоша, Жора George

Григорий Гриша, Гришенька Gregory
Дмитрий Дима, Митя, Митенька Dimitry
Евгений Женя, Женечка

Иван Ваня, Ванечка John

Игорь Igor
Иосиф Ося, Осинька Joseph

Константин Костя, Костенька Constantine

Лев Лёва, Левушка Leo, Leon

Леонид Лёня, Лёнечка Leonid

Максим Макс Maxim

Михаил Миша, Мишенька Michael

Николай Коля, Николаша Nicholas

Павел Паша, Павлик, Павлуша Paul

Пётр Петя, Петруша Peter

Сергей Серёжа, Серёженька Sergei

Степан Стёпа, Стенька Stephen

Фёдор Федя, Феденька Theodore

Фома Thomas

Юрий Юра, Юрочка Yuri

Яков Яша, Яшенька James, Jacob
33
 MOVEMENT OF THE HAND IN CURSIVE
(Practice cursive letters in each group that has a corresponding movement of the hand.)

Г П Т

Р В Б

К Н Ю

С Х Ж

И Й Ц

Ч У Ш Щ

О Д Ф

З Е Ё Э

А Л М Я
ъ ы ь
34
35
 WEEK II

Day 1 – Review of Vocabulary, Alphabet, Cognates, Dialogues and Cyrillic

in Cursive

Day 2 – Review Dialogues, Vocabulary, Cursive, Mock Quiz

Day 3 – Dialogues, Vocabulary, Consonant Assimilation, Devoicing Voiced/

Voiceless Consonants

Day 4 – Official Quiz, Hard and Soft Signs

End of Week II – Review of Weeks I and II, Alphabet, Cognates, Vocabulary,

Numbers 6-10

36
Week II – Day 1

Begin the week with a review of all vocabulary, the alphabet sound system, questions, and answers
covered during Week I. Prepare for dictation of words that are cognates and can be spelled
phonetically. Then move on to vocabulary from the list НАША КОМНАТА.

After the initial dialogues with the instructor, students practice alphabet sounds in preparation for
the quiz at the end of Week II. They are also preparing for the mock quiz which will take place
on Day II of this week. Those who have not read the whole alphabet out loud do so at this time.

All along the students are practicing short dialogues with the instructor and each other. Working
in groups of two, students compose short dialogues with minimum vocabulary that focus on getting
to know each other. These dialogues consist of five statements. Students greet each other, ask
about each other’s names, then find out how things are going, ask one another who is this, or what
is that, then close the conversation, and say goodbye (minimum five statements in sentence format
per student).

These dialogues are performed in groups of two in front of the class. We begin with two student
volunteers. The others will prepare to perform on another day. The dialogues are initially oral;
for homework students learn to write them out.

The class then turns to the Cyrillic alphabet in cursive. The students examine both print and cursive
letters (see End of Week I – Алфавит), as well as the sample Russian letter in cursive (see
Supplement for Week II). Cursive Practice Sheets that were passed out for homework last week
are now examined. Students with difficulties will work on their penmanship at home. The
instructor reviews similar letters in Russian and English, as well as the most difficult or different
Cyrillic letters. Special attention may be given to к in cursive, as well as р, з, э, ы, etc. See the
sheet on Introduction to the Cyrillic Alphabet in Cursive from last week.

If there is time left before class ends, another pair of students are asked to come up and do a five-
sentence dialogue.

Class is dismissed: СПАСИБО И ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

37
Week II – Day 2 – Mock Quiz

The class begins with the instructor asking questions and students answering. Every student in
class must participate and speak each time the class meets.

Cursive worksheets are examined and the instructor reviews those letters that seem to present the
most problems for the students. Students prepare to turn in their sheets on cursive letters as soon
as they have completed the two pages, but no later than by the end of this week. The instructor
then turns to a quick review of Russian alphabet sounds.

The review is followed by a mock quiz on the alphabet in preparation for the real quiz at the end
of the week. The mock quiz consists of approximately 20 letter sounds at five points apiece. They
grade each other’s scores and get a sense of where they are having problems, if any. At the end of
two weeks of study, each student must pass the alphabet quiz with a minimum score of 85 percent.
The instructor may prepare an alphabet quiz of 25 letters at four points each. Students are told
that, should they not pass the quiz by the end of this week, they may retake another quiz at the
beginning of Week III for a score of 100 percent.

Those students who have not yet volunteered to do a five-sentence dialogue in front of the class
are asked to do so now. The rest of the class period is devoted to reviewing the mock quiz, Russian
alphabet in cursive, and vocabulary that has been covered so far.

If there is time left, students are asked to write in cursive several cognates and words that are
difficult to spell. They then correct each other’s papers. The class is asked to examine the
movement of the hand as letters are being written. See Movement of the Hand in Cursive in
Supplement for Week I.

Class is dismissed: СПАСИБО И ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

38
Week II - Day 3
The instructor begins the class with a conversation. Vocabulary that consists of cognates and
those from НАША КОМНAТА are reviewed. Students are encouraged to ask questions about
pronunciation of the Russian alphabet and its writing in cursive.
The instructor then introduces the topic consonant assimilation. Our focus now is on Russian
consonants. We know that there are consonants called Voiced (V) and Voiceless (VL). A voiced
consonant is pronounced with the vibration of the vocal cords. Each student can put his or her
fingers around the neck in front and feel the vocal cords vibrate as one pronounces a voiced
consonant. In the same manner, when one produces a voiceless consonant, the vocal cords do not
vibrate, and one will not feel that tension that is normally produced when voiced consonants are
uttered.
When speaking English, we also practice Consonant Assimilation. An example would be the word
BAGS, a word in which the S is pronounced as Z. The instructor shows the students how they can
check for themselves whether vocal cords are vibrating or not. The class then turns to Consonant
Assimilation and Consonant Devoicing (see worksheet for each that follows).
When Voiced and Voiceless consonants are next to each other, assimilation takes place. The latter
consonant changes the consonant preceding it into its either voiced or voiceless equivalent. The
effect in Russian is on the preceding consonant (or what we call the “backward” ← effect). In
English, the effect is created by the first consonant, i.e., the first consonant affects the one
following it (or what we call the “forward” → effect).
Looking at the English example once again and the word BAGS, the Voiced G affects the
Voiceless S, so that S is pronounced as Z, the Voiced equivalent of Voiceless S. Because G is
Voiced, the Voiced equivalent of S has to be pronounced as Voiced Z. In English this is known
as the “forward” effect.
In Russian, try to do this with the word ВОДКА. In Russian the ''backward'' effect, Voiceless K
affects Д to be pronounced as Voiceless T. Thus, we read the word VOTKA. Working in groups
of three, students apply the rule for all examples on the worksheet that is now passed out. The
instructor then asks each student to read one of the words on the list correctly.
There are Voiced consonants in Russian that have a Voiceless counterpart. (Note: all Voiced
consonants that have a pair are at the beginning of the alphabet.) These pairs are listed on the
following page. Remaining consonants do not occur in pairs. They are:
Voiced consonants without a pair - Л, М, Н, Р
Voiceless consonants without a pair - Х, Ц, Ч, Щ
This makes for a total of 20 consonants in the Russian alphabet, 10 vowels, and
Ъ, Ь, and Й.
Before the class is dismissed, the instructor introduces numbers 6-10 in Russian (see Numbers in
Supplement for Week II). Class is dismissed: СПАСИБО И ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

39
 CONSONANT ASSIMILATION
(Worksheet)

A Voiced consonant next to a Voiceless consonant at the beginning or in the middle of a word.

VOICED CONSONANTS VOICELESS CONSONANTS

Б ………………………………………… П

В ………………………………………… Ф

Г ………………………………………… К

Д ………………………………………… Т

Ж ………………………………………… Ш

З ………………………………………… С

Work with a partner and practice “backward” effect (←) on consonant assimilation. A
preposition and the word following it are pronounced as one word. Write out how you would
pronounce the following words:

ВТОРОЙ ________________________________

СОСЕДКА ________________________________

ПОРА ИДТИ ________________________________

ВОДКА ________________________________

ПОВТОРИТЕ ________________________________

ВСЁ ________________________________

ВСЕГО ХОРОШЕГО ________________________________

В ШКОЛЕ ________________________________

КАК ДЕЛА ________________________________

В КЛАССЕ ________________________________
40
 CONSONANT DEVOICING
(Worksheet)

A Voiced consonant at the end of a word undergoes devoicing (it is pronounced like its Voiceless
equivalent). Work with a partner to correctly pronounce all the words listed below.

VOICED CONSONANTS VOICELESS CONSONANTS

Б ………………………………………… П

В ………………………………………… Ф

Г ………………………………………… К

Д ………………………………………… Т

Ж ………………………………………… Ш

З ………………………………………… С

Read the following Russian words with appropriate devoicing:

ДРУГ ХЛЕБ

ГОРОД ДИАЛОГ

НОЖ ПАРИЖ

РАЗ ЧЕХОВ

КЛУБ МОРОЗ

САД ОЛЕГ

ЗАВОД ЗУБ

АВТОБУС ИВАНОВ

ГАЗ МУЖ

ШОКОЛАД ГАРАЖ

СОСЕД ЮГ

41
Week II - Day 4 - Official Quiz
The class begins with questions asked by the instructor as the students answer. Then the students
pose questions to each other or ask the instructor a question or two.

Class reviews the alphabet one more time. Afterwards the class takes its first official quiz on the
alphabet. Instructor reads off 25 Russian alphabet sounds while the students write them out on a
piece of paper. They may print or write in cursive, whichever is more comfortable for them at this
point in the semester.

Selection of letters from the alphabet is made by the instructor, favoring more difficult sounds, and
all of the vowels. Students need to pass the quiz with a minimum of 85 percent. Those students
who perform at a lower level will be asked to come to the office early next week and take another
test in order to prove their command of the alphabet sound system. Students are encouraged to
work together and give each other quizzes. Help is also available from the instructor, since some
students need more than two weeks to master Russian sound-letter association.

The rest of the class period is focused on conversation and review of everything that concerns
mastering the sound system and writing of the alphabet. Having students come up and write on
the board is extremely useful. The class concludes with two letters of the alphabet that do not have
a sound of their own.

RULES FOR USE OF HARD (Ъ) AND SOFT (Ь) SIGNS IN RUSSIAN

HARD SIGN (Ъ):

1. Write the dividing hard sign (Ъ) after a consonant or a prefix ending in a consonant
before these vowels: Е, Ё, Ю, Я. The hard sign keeps the preceding consonant hard.

ПОДЪЁМ CЪЕЗД ОБЪЯВЛЕНИЕ ВЪЕХАТЬ

ПОДЪЕЗД ПРЕДЪЮБИЛЕЙНЫЙ ОБЪЁМ

2. Write the dividing hard sign (Ъ) in compound words after ДВУХ-, ТРЁХ-,
ЧЕТЫРЁХ- before these vowels: Е, Ё, Ю, Я.

ДВУХЪЯРУСНЫЙ

3. Write the dividing hard sign (Ъ) in loan words after the following prefixes:
АД-, ИН-, КОН-, ОБ-, СУБ-.

АДЪЮТАНТ ИНЪЕКЦИЯ КОНЪЮКТУРА

ОБЪЕКТ СУБЪЕКТ

42
 SOFT SIGN (Ь):

Write the dividing soft sign (Ь) after a consonant to soften it, and after consonants before these
vowels: Е, Ё, И, Ю, Я.

ДЕНЬ СЕМЬЯ КОПЬЁ РУБЛЬ ЛЮБОВЬЮ ВЬЮГА МАТЬ

NOTE: Soft sign (Ь) following Ж, Ц, and Ш has no effect on their pronunciation. Consonants
Ч and Щ are always soft (palatalized), even when followed by a hard vowel.

SOFT SIGN (Ь) APPEARS IN THE FOLLOWING INSTANCES:

1. Feminine nouns ending in soft sign: ДОЧЬ, РОЖЬ, ТИШЬ, ЛЮБОВЬ.

2. Masculine and feminine nouns ending in soft sign: НОЧЬ, УЧИТЕЛЬ.

3. Loan words before the letter O: ПАВИЛЬОН, МЕДАЛЬОН, ПОЧТАЛЬОН,

БУЛЬОН, КОМПАНЬОН.

4. Adjectives formed from calendar months: НОЯБРЬСКИЙ, ИЮНЬСКИЙ,

but ЯНВАРСКИЙ.

SOFT SIGN (Ь) IN VERB FORMS:

1. Infinitive forms of verbs: ЗНАТЬ, ПОНИМАТЬ, ГОВОРИТЬ.

2. Second person singular in verbal conjugations: ТЫ ЗНАЕШЬ, ТЫ

ПОНИМАЕШЬ.

3. Verbal commands: СМАЖЬТЕ! НАЗНАЧЬ! ОТСРОЧЬТЕ!

SOFT SIGN (Ь) IS NOT WRITTEN IN THE FOLLOWING CASES:

1. Nouns (masculine, feminine and neuter): СТОЛ, КОМНАТА, ПЕРО.

2. After these consonant combinations: 80, 51 (ВОСЕМЬДЕСЯТ, ПЯТЬДЕСЯТ

ОДИН), BUT write 10 as – ДЕСЯТЬ.

43
End of Week II
By the end of Week II, the instructor has a pretty good sense of where the students are in their
language acquisition. The students have demonstrated their skills in pronunciation and retention,
completed their Cursive Practice Sheets, and taken their first quiz for the semester. At the
beginning of Week III, the students themselves will have a better idea of how they are doing and
what it will take to be successful in class.

There may be one or two students who feel discouraged. If so, they should immediately be
encouraged to work with a partner. In fact, the best solution for those who need a bit of extra help
is to have them work with another student. Those students for whom Russian is easy should be
asked to help others and work as class tutors. Working with a partner is always a win-win situation.
The sooner in the semester such arrangements are made, the better and easier the work will be.

At the beginning of Week III, the class turns to the textbook that will be used for the remainder of
the semester. The instructor reviews the number of chapters that will be covered and the
arrangement of materials, not only of chapter sequence, tables, and dictionary, but the order in
which material is being presented in each chapter. If a workbook accompanies the text, it is also
reviewed, as well as any supplemental or electronic materials available.

The students are asked to keep all class materials in a separate folder in which they will store all
practice sheets, class notes, grammatical information, and returned quizzes. The folder will be
invaluable for future study and preparation for quizzes and exams. Weekly Schedule of Classes
may be found in Supplement for Week II.

In order for students to be successful in Russian, it is best for them to work with each other, ask
questions when necessary, attend classes regularly, and complete all the assignments on time. For
the instructor to have a successful program, s/he needs to be flexible, understand that some students
are slower, make sure to provide tutorial help, and set up a Russian Club that can be used in a
variety of ways to support class instruction.

Class is dismissed: ВСЕГО ДОБРОГО И ДО СВИДАНИЯ!

44
 SUPPLEMENT FOR WEEK II

Russian Letter in Cursive

Schedule of Classes/Days of the Week

Multi-point Leaves for Dictation (tips and indentations)

Numbers 0-10

45
 ...

46
 SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
Р А С П И С А Н И Е У Р О КО В

ПОНЕДЕЛЬНИК ЧЕТВЕРГ

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

ВТОРНИК ПЯТНИЦА

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

СРЕДА СУББОТА

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

47
48
49
 NUMBERS
HOMEPA

0 нуль

1один 2 два 3 три

4 четыре 5 пять 6шесть

7 семь 8 восемь 9 девять

10 десять

50
 APPENDIX

Word Order
Intonation Construction (IC)
Rhythm in Russian Words
Formation of Nouns in Plural
Verbs: Conjugations I and II, Consonant Mutation
Interchange of Consonants in Verb Forms
Spelling Rules
Use of Root Word GAP in Formation of Verbs, Nouns, Adjectives, etc.
Russian Preposition Chart
Practice Reading Russian Script
Russian Proverbs
American Proverbs
Clocks for Telling Time of Day
Writing Notes and Valentines
Russian Alphabet: Names and Sounds of Letters
Russian Cognates (pages 2-4)
Three Russian Songs (2x2=4, Body parts with body picture, “The Russian
Alphabet Song”)
Practice Russian Alphabet in Cursive
Ye-llow-blue vase! – I love you!
Credits

51
 WORD ORDER
Russian is an inflectional language in which the subject-object relation is indicated by inflection.
By inflection we mean the change of form by which some words indicate certain grammatical
relationships (in Russian nouns it is indicated by cases; in verbs it is indicated by tense).

In English, we have some remnants of verbal inflection shown in third person singular, as in she
reads. However, English is primarily syntactic language in which rules of syntax govern, i.e.,
order or systematic arrangement of words in a sentence. Meaning in a sentence is rendered by
syntactical means.

A good example of Subject-Object relation in English may be rendered by the following:

Subject ----------- Object

A MAN KILLED A DOG. The word order determines who did what to whom.

If the order of words were to be reversed, the meaning would completely change as follows:

A DOG KILLED A MAN.

Here is the same example in Russian which reads as follows:

ЧЕЛОВЕК УБИЛ СОБАКУ.

If the order of words were reversed in Russian, the meaning would remain the same as follows:

СОБАКУ УБИЛ ЧЕЛОВЕК.

It is the Y at the end of the Russian word for DOG (собака) that determines the dog is the object
in this sentence. In fact, it is inflection that allows the object in a Russian sentence to be at the
beginning or at the end of the sentence.

Another interesting difference between Russian and English is the formation of interrogative
sentences. In an English interrogative sentence the word order is inverted. For example:

This is a book. Is this a book?

She is a student. Is she a student?

In Russian we can take a declarative sentence and, while keeping the same word order, make it
into an interrogative sentence just by intonation. For example:

Это книга. Это книга?

Она студентка. Она студентка?

Or one may also form a question by using a question word as: Что, Кто, Где, Как, Когда, etc.
For use of intonation in Russian, see Intonation Construction that follows.

52
 INTONATION CONSTRUCTION (IC)
ИНТОНАЦИОННАЯ КОНСТРУКЦИЯ (ИК)

In Russian there are five basic patterns of intonation construction. At the end of each pattern the
voice may go upward or downward.

PATTERN USE VOICE

ИК – 1 Used in simple declarative statements ↓

Ик – 2 Used in questions with an interrogative ↑

word (кто, что, как, где, сколько)
and in salutations

ИК – 3 Used in questions without an interrogative ↑

word

ИК – 4 Used in elliptical questions. The question ↑

begins with a word …a (…and)

ИК – 5 Used in exclamations that often begin with ↑

one of the following words: как, какой,
какая, какое, какие

53
 RHYTHM IN RUSSIAN WORDS
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation consisting of a vowel and one or more consonants. Only
vowels carry stress. When pronouncing a stressed syllable, one sits on the vowel longer and with
more strength. Here are examples of using Ta (in bold) for stressed syllables:

Single syllable:
Ta - unstressed syllable
Tá - stressed syllable

Two-syllable words:
-with stress on 1st syllable
Ta – ta:
Море, книга, рыба, мама, папа
Быстро, каша, Пушкин

-with stress on 2nd syllable

Ta – ta:
Канал, метро, весна, такси, кефир
Роман, талант, музей

There are words in Russian which are identically written but their meaning is identified by the
stress of the syllable:

Замок – замок
Мука – мука

Three-syllable words:
1) Ta – ta – ta
2) Ta -- ta – ta
3) Ta -- ta – ta

Stress on the 1st syllable – ta – ta – ta:

Улица, комната, девушка, дедушка, бабушка

Stress on the 2nd syllable – ta – ta – ta:

Газета, одежда, страница, дорога, погода

Stress on the 3rd syllable – ta – ta – ta:

Голова, далеко, карандаш, чемодан, молоко
54
Multi-syllable words:
1) Ta – ta – ta – ta
2) Ta – ta – ta – ta
3) Ta – ta – ta – ta
4) Ta – ta – ta – ta

Stress on the 1st syllable – ta – ta – ta – ta:

Масленица
Жаловаться
Пуговица
Заморозки
Мужественно

Stress on the 2nd syllable – ta – ta – ta – ta:

Симфония
Пожалуйста
Германия
Америка
Косметика

Stress on the 3rd syllable – ta – ta – ta – ta:

Композитор
Литератор
Дискотека
Репетитор
Губернатор

Stress on the 4th syllable – ta – ta – ta – ta:

Карандаши
Переводить
Велосипед
Мотоциклист
Экономист
Проговорить

55
 FORMATION OF NOUNS IN PLURAL

Masculine nouns ending with a consonant -----------

Form Plural – Ы(И)
Feminine nouns ending with an A ---------------------

Masculine nouns ending with Й or Ь ------------------

Form Plural – И
Feminine nouns ending with Ь or Я or ИЯ -----------

Neuter nouns ending with an O ------------------------ Form Plural – A

Neuter nouns ending with an E ------------------------ Form Plural – Я

Here are a few nouns that you may or may not know yet. Write out the plural form for each.
Pay attention to spelling rules and noun gender.

Журнал ______________________ Сигарета _________________

Упражнение ___________________ Урок _____________________

Лаборатория __________________ Книга ____________________

Письмо _______________________ Карандаш _________________

Музей ________________________ Пенсия ___________________

Портфель _____________________ Тётя _____________________

Дедушка ______________________ Пасcажир _________________

56
 VERBS
CONJUGATION I (-АТЬ verbs)

STEM STRESS

after vowel - Ю (У) - ЕМ after voiced consonant

and Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ

- ЕШЬ - ЕТЕ

- ЕТ - ЮТ (УТ)

END STRESS
ˏ
after vowel - Ю (Ý) - ЁМ after voiced consonant

- ЁШЬ - ЁТЕ
ˏ
- ЁТ - ЮТ (ÝТ)

CONJUGATION II (-ИТЬ verbs)

after vowel
and soft consonant
- Ю (У) - ИМ after Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ

- ИШЬ - ИТЕ

- ИТ - ЯТ (АТ)

57
CONSONANT MUTATION – Conjugation I

Г/Ж (двигать) Ж / Г (бежать)

К/Ч (плакать)
СК / Щ (искать) In some cases occurs
Т/Щ (клеветать) in 1st person singular
Х/Ш (махать) and 3rd person plural only,
(бегу, бегут), in Conjugation I.

Occurs in all forms in Conjugation I.

Some verbs in Conjugation I have an infix of -ева OR -ова before the infinitive ending.
In conjugating these verbs, the infix is replaced by -Y-, followed by Conjugation I endings.
(Examples are: танцевать, чувствовать).

CONSONANT MUTATION - Conjugation II

Д/Ж (ходить)
Т/Ч (шутить)
З/Ж (возить)
С/Ш (носить)
СТ / Щ (чистить)

Occurs in 1st person singular in Conjugation II.

Verbs in II conjugation (in -ИТЬ, -ЕТЬ) with stem ending in Б, В, М, П, Ф before the ending
-ИТЬ, as in ЛЮБИТЬ / ГОТОВИТЬ / КОРМИТЬ / КУПИТЬ / ГРАФИТЬ, insert Л in 1st person
singular: (люблю / готовлю / кормлю / куплю / графлю).

Reflexive verb endings: After consonant ending add -СЯ

After vowel ending add -СЬ

58
 INTERCHANGE OF CONSONANTS IN VERB FORMS
Conjugation II (verbs in -ИТЬ and -ЕТЬ) with stem ending in the following consonants

Present Tense
1st Person Singular

Б → БЛ ЛЮБИТЬ - ЛЮБЛЮ \ ЛЮБИШЬ

В → ВЛ ГОТОВИТЬ - ГОТОВЛЮ \ ГОТОВИШЬ

Д→Ж ХОДИТЬ - ХОЖУ \ ХОДИШЬ

Ж→Г БЕЖАТЬ - БЕГУ \ БЕЖИШЬ

З→Ж ВОЗИТЬ - ВОЖУ \ ВОЗИШЬ

К→Ч ПЛАКАТЬ - ПЛАЧУ \ ПЛАЧЕШЬ

М → МЛ КОРМИТЬ - КОРМЛЮ \ КОРМИШЬ

П → ПЛ КУПИТЬ - КУПЛЮ \ КУПИШЬ

С→Ш НОСИТЬ - НОШУ \ НОСИШЬ

СТ → Щ ЧИСТИТЬ - ЧИЩУ \ ЧИСТИШЬ

Т→Ч ШУТИТЬ - ШУЧУ \ ШУТИШЬ

Ф → ФЛ ГРАФИТЬ - ГРАФЛЮ \ ГРАФИШЬ

59
 SPELLING RULES

SPELLING RULE #1 After К, Г, Х, Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ

never write Ы - write И instead

SPELLING RULE #2 After К, Г, Х, Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ, Ц

never write Ю or Я - instead

write У or А respectively

SPELLING RULE #3 After Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ, Ц

never write an unstressed О, write Е instead

60
 USE OF ROOT WORD GAP
By using a simple U.S. Brand Name, GAP (in Russian cursive gap), one can explain use of
prefixes and suffixes in Russian verb formation, Perfective and Imperfective aspects of verbs,
Reflexive verbs, formation of Nouns and Adjectives, as well as the use of the Root Word for a
Preposition and an Adverb. (gap- pronounced dar- in Russian means gift; as a root word, it
appears in numerous Russian words, even in names, for example - Daria.)

gap

gapить
поgapить
заgapить
благоgapить
уgapить
отgapить
наgapить
оgapить

61
 VERBS

Imperfective Perfective

наgapивать наgapить
оgapивать оgapить

заgapивать заgapить

Reflexive Verb: gapить --------уgapиться

у

NOUNS

поgapок у gapница
уgap оgapённость

уgapение благоgapность

уgapник
62
 ADJECTIVES

у gapный

оgapённый

благо gapный

благо gapственный

PREPOSITION: благоgapя

ADVERB: заgapом

63
64
 PRACTICE READING RUSSIAN SCRIPT

Each student is asked to read one sentence from the following stories.

А ЛИТЛ БОЙ ВАЗ ГОИНГ ХОМ ЛЕЙТ ВАН НАЙТ ЭНД ХАД ТУ ПЕС А СЕМЕТЕРИ.
ХИ ВОКТ ВЕРИ КВАЕТЛИ СО ДИ ГОСТС ШУД НАТ НОТИС ХИМ.
БАТ ВЕН ХИ ВЕНТ ПЕСТ ДИ ГЕЙТ, А ГОСТ КЕЙМ АУТ ЭНД ЧЕЙСТ ХИМ.
ДИ БОЙ СТАРТЕД ТУ РАН.
ХИ РЕН ВЕРИ ФЕСТ, БАТ ДИ ГОСТ РЕН ДЖАСТ ЭЗ ФЕСТ.
ДЕЙ РЕН ВЕРИ ФАР.
ДЕН ДИ БОЙ ГАТ ТАЙРД ЭНД КУД НАТ РАН ФАРДР.
ХИ ДЖАМПТ ОВР А ЛОГ ЭНД СЕТ ДАУН ТУ КЕЧ ХИЗ БРЕТ.
ДИ ГОСТ СЕД: “ДЖИ, ВИ ШУР РЕН ФАР.”
“ЕС,” ЭНСРД ДИ БОЙ, “ЭНД ВЕН АЙ КЕЧ МАЙ БРЕТ, ВИ АР ГОИНГ ТУ РАН
ФАРДР.”

А МАУС ФЕЛ ИН А БЭРЛ ОФ ВИСКИ.

ХИ ОЛМОСТ ДРАУНД.
А КЕТ ПУЛД ХИМ АУТ ЭНД СЕЙВД ХИЗ ЛАЙФ.
БАТ ДИ КЕТ ВОНТЕД ТУ ИТ ДИ МАУС.
ДИ МАУС ЭСКТ А ФЕЙВР:
“ПЛИЗ, МИСТЕР КЕТ, АЙ ВОНТ ТУ СИ МАЙ ВАЙФ ЭНД ЧИЛДРЕН
БИФОР АЙ ДАЙ.”
“ФАЙН,” СЕД ДИ КЕТ, “АЙ ВИЛ СЕЙВ Ю ФОР ТУМАРОЗ БРЕКФЕСТ.”
ХИ ПРАМИСТ ДИ КЕТ ТУ КАМ БЭК ДИ НЕКСТ ДЕЙ.
БАТ ДИ МАУС ВОЗ ЛЕЙТ НЕКСТ ДАЙ.
ХИ КЕЙМ ЭНД СТУД АН ДИ АДР САЙД ОФ ДИ РУМ.
ЭНД ХИ СЕД: “ХЕЛО, МИСТЕР КЕТ.”
ДИ КЕТ СЕД: “КАМ ХИР ЭНД ЛЕТ МИ ИТ Ю АП.”
ДИ МАУС СЕД: “ХУ? МИ?”
ДИ КЕТ СЕД: “Ю ПРАМИСТ.”
ДИ МАУС ЭНСЕРД: “АЙ МАСТ ХЕВ БИН ДРАНК.”

65
 RUSSIAN PROVERBS
Selected from The Russians Said It First
(Practice the sound system by rendering these proverbs into Cyrillic script)

If you want to learn, teach others!

A mere friend will “yes” you, but a real friend will argue.

It is life that ages you and not the years.

Nothing plush comes in a rush.

Where we are not is the most wonderful spot.

Relatives are friends from necessity.

Empty heads are carried the most erect.

One old friend is better than two new ones.

You will never find wisdom abroad, if there is none at home.

Steal a nickel and no one will trust you with a dollar.

A clean conscience provides the softest pillow.

Promise less and you will lie less.

Better to see once than hear a hundred times.

The less you have the more you give.

Do not judge a friend in three days but in three years.

It takes much courage to differ with the mob.

The real worry is when you have nothing to worry about.

Think three times before you speak once.

66
 AMERICAN PROVERBS

Students are asked to bring to class two or three proverbs that are most popular in their home.
They are then asked to render them phonetically into Russian script.

Too many cooks spoil the soup. Two heads are better than one.

A stich in time saves nine. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. Money cannot buy happiness.

Still water runs deep. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Cheaters never prosper.

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. The best things come to those who wait.

Together we stand, divided we fall. It takes money to ride the train.

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Neither a borrower nor a lender be.

Don’t cut off the hand that feeds you. No one ever said life was fair.

Every cloud has a silver lining. Oil and water do not mix.

When it rains, it pours. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

A rolling stone gathers no moss. It takes one to know one.

Don’t cry over spilled milk. Better safe than sorry.

Fight fire with fire. Curiosity killed the cat.

Be careful what you wish, you might get it. If the shoe fits, wear it.

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. The best things in life are free.

It is better to give than to receive. Waste not want not.

Where there is a will, there’s a way. Blood is thicker than water.

67
68
69
 RUSSIAN ALPHABET

Letter Letter Name Sounds like Letter in a Word

А A a in father акула

Б Бэ b in but бабочка

В Вэ v in very волк

Г Гэ g in gun гусь

Д Дэ d in dad дом

Е Е ye in yet ель

Ё Ё yo in yo-yo ёж

Ж Жэ s in pleasure (zh) жираф

З Зэ z in zone зебра

И И ee in meet ива

Й И краткое y in boy йога

К Ка k in skate кенгуру

Л эЛ l in lamp лев

М эМ m in mama морж

Н эН n in not носорог

О О o in open овощи

П Пэ p in spoon пингвин

Р эР r in rock роза

70
С эС s in self слон

Т Тэ t in tip тигр

У У oo in moon утка

Ф эФ f in fun фазан

Х Ха h in Harvard хвост

Ц Цэ ts in boots цветок

Ч Че ch in church черепуха

Ш Ша sh in shell шимпанзе

Щ Ща shch in Danish charter щенок

Ъ Твёрдый знак no sound of its own

Ы Еры/Yery i in ill сыр

Ь Мягкий знак Э no sound of its own

Э (э оборотное) e in bet экран

Ю Ю you in youth юность

Я Я ya in yard ягода

71
 RUSSIAN COGNATES (pages 2-4)

ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТ МАЙ ИНФЕКЦИЯ ЭКОЛОГИЯ

АГРОНОМ СТАРТ ДОЛЛАР СТАНДАРТ

ТЕКСТ ШАРМ СТАДИОН АКАДЕМИК

БАКТЕРИЯ ИДЕЯ АВТОБУС МИРАЖ

БАЛЕТ МЕТРО ТЕЛЕГРАММА СЕСТРА

ЮРИСТ ЦИРК АДМИНИСТРАЦИЯ ПАРТНЁР

КОММУНИКАЦИЯ ДУЭТ ЭКЗАМЕН ХУЛИГАН

АНТЕННА СПОРТ КОСМОС ДРАМА

ПРОЕКТ БАГАЖ СПЕКТАКЛЬ КОНТРОЛЬ

МЕТАЛЛ АППАРАТ БАСКЕТБОЛ АКАДЕМИЯ

ХОККЕЙ МУЗЫКАНТ ДЕЛЬФИН СУВЕНИР

АДВОКАТ БУКЕТ ГАРАЖ КУЛЬТУРА

СЕКРЕТ ИНТЕРЕС ПОРТРЕТ ИНСТИТУТ

ЭКОНОМИКА ФРАЗА ХИМИЯ АБСОЛЮТ

АССОЦИАЦИЯ САЛЮТ АТМОСФЕРА ЭМИГРАНТ

БОКСЕР ХАРАКТЕР ЦИВИЛИЗАЦИЯ БРЮНЕТ

АРТИСТ ПУБЛИКА АССАМБЛЕЯ КЛАСС

ПРОДУКТЫ ЦЕМЕНТ ФРУКТЫ СУБЪЕКТ

ЭКСПОРТ АКТЁР ФОТОГРАФ МАЙОР

АТТРАКЦИОН ЦАРЬ АРЕНА СИСТЕМА

ВИЗИТ СПУТНИК ЖУРНАЛ ГРАММ

САЛАТ МОТОР ОБЪЕКТ СОРТ

72
ШТОРМ МАРС ВИЗА ЧЕК

ФОТОГРАФИЯ МОДА ВАЗА ЭКСПЕРТ

БОМБА ХОР ФОНТАН ТОСТ

ЭКВАТОР ДАТА ОРКЕСТР АТОМ

ФОРМА АКТ СОДА СУП

ТЕМА ГАЗ ПОПУЛЯРНЫЙ РОЗА

МОТИВ ПЛАТФОРМА МОТЕЛЬ ПЛАН

ФИГУРА КРИСТАЛЛ ПЕРСПЕКТИВА ОПЕРАЦИЯ

АВАНТЮРА ДЕМОКРАТ ИДИОТ КАПИТАН

ЛОГИКА МАГНЕТИЗМ ОПТИМИСТ ФАНТОМ

ПЛАТФОРМА РОК ЭЛЕКТРОНИКА АВИАЦИЯ

АНТИБИОТИК ДЕФИНИЦИЯ ИММИГРАЦИЯ МИЛЛИОН

АЛКОГОЛЬ ДЕЛЕГАТ ТЕРМОСТАТ ПРОЦЕСС

ЭНЕРГИЯ ТРАКТОР ТРАНСМИССИЯ ЭПОХА

АПОСТОЛ ДИНАМИКА КОМПОНЕНТ КОМПАС

ПОЛИТИКА ТЕОРИЯ ФЕДЕРАЛИЗМ ЦЕНТР

АРБИТРАЖ РИС КОМПЛЕКС БАНАН

АССИМИЛЯЦИ ИМПОРТ КОМПОСТ ДЕФИЦИТ

Я МИНИСТР ИНТОНАЦИЯ ТРАНСПОРТ ФИЛОСОФ

АРГУМЕНТ БОКС ОРГАНИЗМ АУКЦИОН

МЕДАЛЬОН КОЛЛЕГА АРЕСТОВАТЬ ТИГР

ПРОФЕССИЯ ТЕХНИКА ФОРМАЛИЗМ АЦЕТОН

ТЕННИС ДЕЛЕГАЦИЯ КАПИТАЛИЗМ ОКЕАН

73
ПЕЛИКАН ВОЛЕЙБОЛ КЕНГУРУ ЛАМПА

ТЕЛЕВИЗОР КРОКОДИЛ САКСОФОН ДЖАЗ

ПАСПОРТ МИНУТА КОМПЬЮТЕР ФЕРМЕР

ФЛАМИНГО БЕЙСБОЛИСТ АЭРОПОРТ ПИЦЦА

СОЛДАТ ПАНДА УНИВЕРСИТЕТ ЭТИКЕТ

ШОКОЛАД САРДИНА МАЙОНЕЗ КОНЦЕРТ

БИФШТЕКС КАКАО АСТРОНАВТ ФАБРИКА

ПРЕЗИДЕНТ ТЕЛЕФОН КОВБОЙ МУЗЫКА

ШКОЛА ДИНОЗАВР БЕЙСБОЛ ЖИРАФ

ТУРИСТ СЕКУНДА РАКЕТА ЯГУАР

СИМФОНИЯ ЛИМОНАД ПИНГВИН РАДИО

ПИЛОТ РУБЛЬ ИНЖЕНЕР КОФЕ

КИЛОМЕТР ЛЕОПАРД ДИСКОТЕКА ТЕАТР

ГЕНЕРАЛ ВИТАМИН АКРОБАТ АРМИЯ

ПРОФЕССОР ТРЕНЕР ГОРИЛЛА АТЛАС

АСТРОФИЗИКА ДИПЛОМАТИЯ ДЕМОНСТРАНТ КАРАВАН

ИСТОРИЯ ДЕМОГРАФИЯ КОНГРЕСС МЕХАНИК

БАЛЕРИНА АВГУСТ ДЕМОРАЛИЗАЦИЯ ИРОНИЯ

ИНСТРУМЕНТ КОМАНДИР КАПУТ АРОМАТ

АРАБ БАТАРЕЯ ДЕМИЛИТАРИЗАЦИЯ ОПЕРА

МАКАРОНЫ ДИРЕКТОР СПОРТСМЕН ЗЕБРА

ВИДЕОКАМЕР ПАРК КАПИТУЛИРОВАТЬ ЛИТР

А БАНК ПУМА ПРОГРАММИСТ ФУТБОЛ

БАСТА!
74
 THREE RUSSIAN SONGS

1) ДВАЖДЫ ДВА ЧЕТЫРЕ,

ДВАЖДЫ ДВА ЧЕТЫРЕ,

А НЕ ТРИ, А НЕ ПЯТЬ

ЭТО НАДО ЗНАТЬ.

ДВАЖДЫ ДВА ЧЕТЫРЕ,

ДВАЖДЫ ДВА ЧЕТЫРЕ,

А НЕ ШЕСТЬ, А НЕ СЕМЬ

ЭТО ЯСНО ВСЕМ.

ДВАЖДЫ ДВА ЧЕТЫРЕ,

ДВАЖДЫ ДВА ЧЕТЫРЕ,

ЭТО ВСЕМ ИЗВЕСТНО

В ЦЕЛОМ МИРЕ.

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2) РОТ НОС УШИ И ГЛАЗА И ГЛАЗА

РУКИ НОГИ ГОЛОВА ГОЛОВА

ШЕЯ ГРУДЬ ЖИВОТ КОЛЕНИ И СТУПНИ

НЕ ЗАБУДЬ КАК НАЗЫВАЮТСЯ ОНИ

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3)

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YE—LLOW—BLUE—VASE!

Я –ЛЮ--БЛЮ—ВАС!
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 CREDITS

Soviet-era alphabets were obtained from venders throughout the former Soviet Union, as well as
from Soviet book publications.

Reading Russian Script

Russian Department
Arizona State University

“Russian Alphabet Song”

Mr. Kelly K. Wahl
P.O. Box 14232
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Russian Letter in Cursive

ACTR Letter, Fall 1990
Newsletter of the American Council of Teachers of Russian

Russian Alphabet Cutups

From Classroom Potpourri
ACTR Letter
Newsletter of the American Council of Teachers of Russian

Russian Preposition Chart

Designed by Kenneth R. Zachmann, 1995
Western Michigan University

Russian Proverbs
Selected from The Russians Said It First
Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1963

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 A TEACHING METHOD FOR ANY SUBJECT
МЕТОД ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ ЛЮБОГО ПРЕДМЕТА

The following report may seem to some outdated; however, Jean Piaget’s focus
on learner-centered education is as pertinent today as it was decades ago.

Несколько замечаний о новых направлениях в методике –

Комментарии Даши Нисулы к докладу Профессора Китайгородской на IREX
семинаре в Московском Государственом Университете (МГУ) 1987 года

Уважаемые коллеги –
Уже название моего сообщения свидетельствует, что я выбрала очень
трудную тему. К тому же, это касается языка, который я преподаю всего
несколько лет. Но, я выбрала эту тему именно потому что во время нашего
пребывания в СССР наши Советские коллеги в МГУ, и даже журналисты в
Ташкенте очень часто спрашивали нас о методах преподавания, которыми
мы пользуемся. До сих пор я не слышала ни от одного из моих коллег по
делегации, что он или она систематически использует только один метод
преподавания русского языка.

Кроме того, месяц тому назад мы слушали очень интересный доклад

Профессора Китайгородской, который подвигнул меня рассказать вам
немного об одном методе преподавания – модели обучения не только
иностранным языкам, а об обучении какому-либо предмету. Я
познакомилась с этим методом три месяца тому назад. Может быть,
некоторым из вас этот метод уже знаком – а тем, кто захочет познакомиться с
этим методом поглубже, я могу послать в США список самых важных книг.
Метод тот называется обучающим циклом. Он базируется на
психологическом развитии по плану Джона Пиаже, и он принят как самый
положительный метод преподавания в университете Небраска.

В моём университете Бэйлор в Техасе есть группа профессоров,

которые считают, что цель обучения молодых людей состоит не только в
сообщении известных фактов, но в развитии способности самостоятельно
думать. Поэтому они ищут новые методы преподавания, и многие увлечены
именно обучающими циклами. Прежде чем объяснить, что это за обучающие
циклы и как ими пользоваться, я хочу вам напомнить три важных фактора,
которые привела Профессор Китайгородская в своём докладе несколько
недель тому назад.
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 Во-первых – как вы помните – Профессор Китайгородская
подчеркнула, что человек обучается один – один в группе, но всё-таки один.

Второе – она отметила, что при этом одиночестве обучения есть

отрицательный аспект – то есть, состояние испуга.

И третье – наши преподаватели часто занимаются языком как системой

но не процессом. Но, как сказала Профессор Китайгородская, язык не просто
система – это средство обучения и это важнее. Значит надо идти через
процесс к системе, а не наоборот.

Сейчас давайте сравним эти три фактора с методом обучающих циклов.

Действительно, человек обучается один – это действительно так.
Пиаже разделяет психологическое развитие на четыре уровня, которые
следуют один за другим. Значит, человек не может переити с первого на
третий уровень – пропустив второй. Это значит, что человек воспринимает и
усваивает новый материал на базе того, что он уже знает и именно так, как он
способен усваивать новое в определённый момент. Следовательно, мы не
можем требовать от каждого студента одного и того же продвижения при
обучении иностранному языку или другим предметам.
Дальше – чтобы усвоить новый материал, человек не должен быть в
угнетённом состоянии – именно в страхе – лучше можно сказать, он должен
быть в положении так называемого отсутствия равновесия или так
называемой дисеквилибрации.
Перед тем как человек усваивает новое, он находится в равновесии, но
сразу, когда он усваивает что нибудь новое, он переходит, можно сказать, в
отсутсвие этого равновесия. Это не совсем отрицательное положение,
потому что человек по природе стремится к положению противоположному
равновесию. Это значит, что цель преподавателя - преподнести студентам
материал в такой форме, чтобы он сначала оказался трудным, но которым
каждый студент овладеет через 5-10 минут, работая один или в группе.
В этом смысле, я согласна с Профессором Китайгородской, которая
говорит, что преподаватель должен глубоко продумать свой урок, который на
занятии кажется студентам чистой импровизацией.
И в конце, обучающий цикл – это новый материал – то есть, частица
языковой системы, которая сразу потрясает и приводит студента в положение
отсутсвия равновесия. Выводы, которые делает студент сам или в группе,
подтверждаются и потом тренируются в упражнениях. Именно этот процесс
продвигает студента к следующему, более высокому, уровню знания.
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 Сейчас один пример использования обучающих циклов на занятиях по
русскому языку. Скажем, например, что сегодняшний урок посвящён
образованию русских отчеств. Сразу я не скажу студентам о законах
образования отчества. Сначала я напечатаю абзаца два из романа Толстого,
из которых можно сразу увидеть как часто отчества появляются в романах, и
именно в романах 19-ого века.

Потом я дам каждому студенту список имён – значит: имя-отчество-

фамилия – дайте, скажем, семь мужского рода и семь женского. Потом я
разделяю класс на несколько групп – каждая группа должна сделать вывод о
том, каким образом появляется отчество у мужчин и у женщин, и какие там
есть исключения. Тогда мы вместе формулируем законы образования
отчества. В домашней работе все должны написать имена и отчества всех
членов своей семьи.

Эта модель обучения побуждает студента узнать новый материал.

Законы языковой системы находятся в обучающем цикле, и студент сам или
в группе побуждается к более высокому владению материалом. Самое
важное то, чтобы законы языковой системы были представлены всегда перед
студентом в таком виде, чтобы он дошёл до них сам.

Чтобы нагляднее объяснить, как студент самостоятельно приходит к

определённому выводу, давайте сыграем в кости. Здесь самое название игры
– лепестки около розы – открывает нам законы той игры. Значит, здесь у нас
5-6 костей и необходимо пять-шесть добровольцев. Джери и Джон уже
согласились, а сейчас надо ещё два-три участника. Я приглашаю двух или
трёх наших русских коллег. Игра состоит в том: я бросаю кости на стол и
скажу сколько лепестков около розы – например:

Сейчас 2 лепестка около розы

Сейчас 5 лепестков около розы
Сейчас нет лепестков около розы
и так дальше

Вы смотрите на кости и доходите до закона игры сами. Я только

подтверждаю ваш вывод и ни вы, ни я не скажем другим как мы открыли
этот закон.
Давайте начнём - Игра заканчивается, когда все в группе знают законы
игры.
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