Troika : a communicative approach to Russian language, life, and culture

628 Pages·1996·220.247 MB·English

by  Marita Nummikoski

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MARITA NUMMIKOSKI
University of Texas at San Antonio
JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.
New York • Chichester • Brisbane • Toronto • Singapore
ACQUISIТ!ONS EDITOR Carlos Davis
MARKETING MANAGER Leslie Нiпеs
PRODUCT!ON EDITOR Edward Winkleman
DESIGN DIRECT!ON Kariп Кiпcheloe
DESIGNER Lee Goldsteiп
ASSISTANT MANUFACТURING MANAGER Mark Ciril\o
Рното EDIТOR Mary Аnп Price
Рното RESEARCH Ram6п Rivera Moret
SR. FREELANCE ILLUSTRAT!ON COORDINATOR Аппа Melhom
COVER Рното Origiпal artwork from the book Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales Ьу Lucy Maxym.
Reproduced with permissioп of Comers of the World, Iпс.
Тhе art оп the cover is а represeпtative of Russiaп miпiature paiпtiпg, ofteп called Palekh, after the village where
this art form origiпated iп the late eighteeпth ceпtury. Тhе Ь!асk plates or boxes оп which the miпiature paiпtiпgs
are drawп are made of lacquered papier-macM Ьу а process which takes up to two moпths to complete.
Тhе artist theп draws the paiпtiпg оп the lacquered plate usiпg а magпifyiпg glass апd а thiп brush coпsistiпg of
опlу опе piece of squirrel hair. Gold is applied to the borders and the plate is theп polished with а wolfs tooth.
lt sometimes takes the artist as loпg as eight moпths to fiпish опе Palekh plate or Ьох.
Тhе themes оп Palekh art come mostly from folk tales and are ofteп iпspired Ьу the great poets Pushkin апd Lermoпtov.
Mythological horses are а popular theme of Palekh art, especially iп the form of а Troika, а group of three horses.
Тhis book was set iп Times Transcyril\ic Ьу Alexaпder Graphics
апd priпted and bouпd Ьу Doппelley/Willard. Тhе cover was priпted Ьу New Eпgland.
Recogпiziпg the importance of preserviпg what has Ьееп writteп, it is а
policy of Johп Wiley & Soпs, Iпс. to have books of eпduriпg value puЬ!ished
iп the Uпited States priпted оп acid-free paper, and we exert our best
efforts to that епd.
Copyright © 1996 Ьу Johп Wiley & Soпs, Iпс.
All rights reserved. PuЬ\ished simultaneously iп Canada.
Reproductioп or traпslatioп of any part of this work Ьеуопd that permitted Ьу
Sectioпs 107 and 108 of the 1976 Uпited States Copyright Act without the
permissioп of the copyright owпer is uпlawful. Requests for permissioп or further
iпformatioп should Ье addressed to the Permissioпs Departmeпt,
John Wiley & Soпs, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Puhlication Data:
Nummikoski, Marita.
Troika : а commuпicative approach to Russiaп laпguage, life and
culture 1 Marita Nummikoski.
cm.
р.
Iпcludes iпdex.
ISBN 0-471-30945-1 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. Russian laпguage-TextЬooks for foreigп speakers-Eпglish.
1. Title.
PG2129.E5N86 1996
491.782'421-dc20 95-46413
CIP
AIE ISBN 0-471-12926-7 (c1oth : alk. paper)
Priпted iп the Uпited States of America
10 9 8 7 б 54 3 2
Acknowledg01ents
~would like especially to thank Michael Katz, chair of the Department
V of Slavic Languages at the University of Texas at Austin, for giving me
the opportunity to experiment with new teaching materials for Russian that
finally, after many years of revising, turned into Troika. I would also like to
thank Pete Smith and Woody Smith, who were my colleagues at the Univer
sity of Texas at Austin at the time, for using the manuscript in its earlier stages
and for providing me with many helpful comments and suggestions.
I am grateful to my colleagues at the University of Texas at San Antonio,
Kathleen Rueppel and Edvinna Veksler, for using the book throughout its many
revisions and for giving me feedback on various components of the book. I
would also like to acknowledge Frank Pino, Jr., director of the Division of For
eign Languages at the University of Texas at San Antonio, for supporting me
at every stage of the project.
Two people deserve a special recognition for their part in helping me pol
ish the book into its final version. Edvinna Veksler read the manuscript for lin
guistic accuracy and provided useful comments at every stage regarding both
language and culture. Woody Smith, currently at Southwest Texas State Uni
versity, proofread the entire manuscript, paying special attention to the gram
mar explanations. He has also used Troika in his classes from its earliest
developmental stages to its final form.
I thank the reviewers of Troika for their professional comments and sug
gestions, most of which I was able to incorporate into the final manuscript:
Joyce Vining Morgan, Exeter, NH Public School System; Grace Fielder, Uni
versity of Arizona; Emma Marciano, New York University; Arna Bronstein,
University of New Hampshire; Howard H. Keller, Indiana University; Alexei
Pavlenko, Colorado College; Irina Belodedova, New York University; Sandra
Rosengrant, Portland State University; Thomas Garza, University of Texas at
Austin; Alexander Woronzoff-Dashkoff, Smith College and Middlebury Col
lege; and Michael Katz, University of Texas at Austin.
I would also like to recognize other teachers who have used Troika during
its development: Kathleen Schatz and Julianna Nazarjan from San Antonio high
schools, Irina Vishnevetskaya, a teacher at a private school in San Antonio,
and Elizabeth McNeally, from the University of Houston/Clear Lake NASA
program. I am also grateful to the students at Southwest Texas State Univer-
.
Of/ • Acknowledgments
sity and the University of Texas at San Antonio, who have used different ver
sions of the book for several years.
Finally, I would like to thank all the wonderful staff at John Wiley and
Sons who were involved in the project. I am especially indebted to Mary Jane
Peluso for getting the project started and for making the first connection with
the developmental editors, Karen Hohner and Douglas Guy, who diligently ana
lyzed and commented on every detail of the book. Without their help and sup
port, the project would not have been completed. Harriet Dishman, design
coordinator, served as the link who conveyed our suggestions to the design de
partment at Wiley. Jenifer Cooke deserves a special recognition for skillful
copyediting. The production staff at John Wiley was extremely supportive dur
ing the lengthy stages of the project. My warmest thanks go to Edward Winkle
man, Anna Melhorn, Mary Ann Price, Karin Kincheloe, Leslie Hines, and Linda
Muriello. Last, but not least, I would like to thank Carlos Davis, my editor,
who carried the project through with determination and, most importantly, of
fered me invaluable support and encouragement with the enormous task of writ
ing Troika.
Preface
Troika is a communicative introductory Russian text that emphasizes language
proficiency in all four skills of speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Troika
also serves as an introduction to Russian life and culture, from history and tra
ditions to geography, facts, and famous people.
• The syllabus of Troika is based on topics and communicative situations
that gradually increase in complexity. Although the grammatical structure
of the Russian language makes it difficult to follow a true functional
notional approach, the topics are sequenced according to a feasible order
of grammar presentation. The functions are not intended to be all
inclusive; they are necessarily restricted by the scope of grammar
presented in each chapter.
• The introduction of vocabulary at a relatively fast pace is based on the
assumption that with frequent exposure to large amounts of vocabulary,
students will eventually learn more. Thus, the total vocabulary of
approximately 1600 items is not intended for active mastery; rather, it
gives students a chance to individualize their vocabulary by selecting the
items most applicable to them.
• Grammar is taught as a necessary tool for communication, not as a goal
in itself. The chapters cover all points of grammar relevant to their topics,
but avoid presenting grammar that cannot be substantiated by the topics.
Still, Troika contains all the grammatical structures typically introduced in
an elementary Russian textbook.
• The textbook is student oriented, and the topics introduce material to
which students can easily relate. The leading idea of Troika is that, from
the very beginning, students need to be able to talk about something real,
instead of simply memorizing dialogues.
• Culture is both intertwined in the material itself and presented in separate
cultural notes. Troika aims at comparing and contrasting cultures, rather
than presenting the target culture only. Information is given about famous
...
Otll/ • Preface
people, facts, geography, traditions, and history of the country, and
students are asked to give the corresponding information about their own
country.
• Readings are placed within the topics, rather than in separate reading
sections.
• Illustrations in Troika are humorous and cater to the needs of visual
learners.
• Colored information boxes stand out from the rest of the text and serve as
conversation guidelines for the student.
Troika consists of three main parts: the textbook, the workbook/lab manual,
and the laboratory tapes.
I. TEXTBOOK
The introductory chapter teaches the alphabet, pronunciation, and cursive writ
ing. Thereafter, each chapter in Troika is divided as follows: opening page, topic
presentation with several functional subtitles, Chapter Review, (Extra), Word
Building, Grammar, and Vocabulary.
A. Opening Page
The chapter starts with a short dialogue that introduces some of its main themes
and cultural topics. The goal is to make the students interested in the lesson
that follows. The opening page also lists all the themes, cultural topics, and
grammatical structures within the chapter.
B. Topic Presentation
Each chapter has a main theme and subthemes, which include the basic vo
cabulary and structures needed for discussion. The conversational structures are
organized in colored boxes that contain the core structural information. Notes
under the information boxes refer to the corresponding section in the Grammar
in which the material is discussed in detail. The information boxes are fol
lowed by various oral activities, most of which are intended to be led by the
teacher first, then completed by students as pair work.
Authentic readings appear where they are most applicable to the theme.
They also serve as a break from the routine of oral activities. Reading tasks
consist of skimming or scanning for specific information with pre- and/or post
reading activities, as appropriate. Authentic readings are usually intended to be
discussed in English.
Preface • l.:v
Dialogues and monologues are based on the vocabulary of the lesson, with
only а few glossed vocabulary items. These readings are intended to Ье dis
cussed in Russian. They can Ье used for all-class discussion, questions and an
swers, or retelling, revising, and summarizing.
Writing activities are in the workbook, and therefore the topic presentation
section does not specify writing activities. However, the teacher can opt to as
sign several of the oral activities as written work.
С. Chapter Review
The Chapter Review lists the conversational structures with which students
should Ье familiar. In addition, the Chapter Review includes roleplays and
group activities based on the entire lesson.
D. Extra
This section does not appear in each chapter. It contains authentic or slightly
modified readings with accompanying questions.
Word Building
Е.
This optional section deals with roots, prefixes, suffixes, and other aspects of
Russian word formation relevant to the chapter.
F. Grammar
The Grammar contains detailed explanations to the information boxes in the
topic presentation section. То maximize the classroom time allocated for com
munication practice, grammar is intended to Ье self-instructional. In practice,
however, а varying amount of grarnmar instruction may Ье necessary in the
classroom, depending on the level of the students and on the teacher' s pre
ferred teaching style.
Since the grarnmar is intended to Ье self-instructional, а11 the exercises are
direct drill-type applications of the grarnmar topic in hand. Whenever possiЬle,
these exercises should Ье done as homework. Grarnmar exercises are cross
referenced with more creative activities in the workbook.
G. Vocabulary
Organization of vocabulary Ьу categories helps students to recognize the parts
of speech while providing а quick review of the vocabulary in the chapter. Vo
cabulary learned in previous chapters is reentered frequently throughout the
book. The core vocabulary of the chapter is bold-faced.
..V • Preface
II. WORKBOOK/LAB MANUAL
The workbook consists of written exercises, listening comprehension activi
ties, and oral drills.
A. Written Exercises
These exercises are more communicative than are the guided drills in the Gram
mar and require more creativity and a wider application of skills. They are
cross-referenced with the corresponding sections in the Grammar. This section
also includes several authentic reading tasks.
B. Listening Comprehension Activities
Written exercises are followed by a variety of listening comprehension activi
ties that gradually increase in difficulty.
C. Oral Drills
Each chapter has an extensive oral practice component intended for use in the
language laboratory or at home. These drills emphasize production, rather than
repetition, and gradually move from either/or questions to questions requiring
more creative answers. The scripts for the oral drills are located at the end of
the workbook.
III. LABORATORY TAPES
The tapes include recordings of the pronunciation exercises in the prelesson of
the textbook, as well as listening comprehension activities and oral drills in
each chapter of the workbook (approximately 30 minutes per chapter).
The end matter of Troika consists of a grammar reference, glossaries, indexes,
and ending charts.
A. Grammar Reference
This section presents information in chart form about numbers, indefinite pro
nouns and adverbs, the relationship between location and direction, preposi
tions and their cases, and time expressions.
B. Glossaries
In addition to Russian-English and English-Russian glossaries, Troika has a
separate verb glossary for easy reference and review of aspect pairs, conjuga
tions, and government.
Preface • ,xi;
C. Indexes
The Grammar Index lists the grammatical topics and is cross-referenced to the
corresponding section in the Grammar within the chapters. The Index by Topic
and Function has separate sections for cultural differences and proper behav
ior, cultural information, famous Russians, skills, categories of vocabulary, lan
guage functions, and language topics. The Index by Topic and Function can
also be used as an overall review of the book.
D. Ending Charts
The ending charts are located on the back endpapers of Troika for easy refer
ence. Some charts are presented in a simplified form, and it is assumed that
students have studied the rules for selecting the correct endings in the corre
sponding Grammar sections. The spelling rules are also located on the back
endpapers.
e
The exercise is on audiotape.
() Refers to a numbered section in the Grammar of the chapter.
·9
The activity is intended for two students.
'" Core reading based on the themes and vocabulary of the lesson.
ace. accusative case (the case of the direct object)
adv. adverb
colloq. colloquial
coli. collective (not used in the plural)
comp. comparative degree (in comparing two adjectives or adverbs)
con}. conjunction (e.g., and, but)
dat. dative case (the case of the indirect object)
dim. diminutive (indicating small size)
F,f feminine
gen. genitive case (the case of possession)
imp. imperative (command)
indecl. indeclinable (does not change form)
instr. instrumental case (the case of the instrument)
(continued)
..
.XlL/ • Preface
interj. interjection (e.g., Oh!)
M,m. masculine
N, n. neuter
nom. nominative case (basic form of nouns and adjectives)
Pl., pl. plural
poss. possessive pronoun
prep. prepositional case (the case of location)
sg. singular
soft adj. soft adjective
subst. adj. substantivized adjective (adjective used as a noun)