No homework. In class--get acquainted and talk about the course.

Print this six-page handout in Acrobat (PDF) format: Page 4; Page 5; Page 6; Page 7; Page 8; Page 9. These pages describe the Russian alphabet and show samples of cursive writing. Learn the alphabet and copy the writing on these pages. This video is a good way to learn how to connect the letters. This link may help you learn the alphabet.

Print this five-page handout in Acrobat (PDF) format: Page 12; Page 13; Page 14; Page 17; Page 18. Copy these pages in cursive to practice your handwriting.

Labor Day

Consult Letters and Sounds. Part 1. Write 30 Russian words that illustrate various points of this section. Indicate what your words/letters are examples of. You may pick those words from a book, newspaper, or Web site, or just look around and write what you see.

Read Один за трех; Три за одного from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Find and copy (in longhand) 30 words from this story that illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 2.

See Course Description for directions on creating an account and getting a password and a free subscription for doing this homework. Advanced Russian: Chapter 2. Interviews. Interviews 2-1, 2-2, 2-3. (Михаил Мишин. Выступление, интервью).

Go one more time over Letters and Sounds. Part 2 and write 30 words that illustrate the points that you have not illustrated (or thought about) as yet. Read Самая удивительная буква русской азбуки from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского.

Make up and write 10 short Russian sentences to illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 3

Read Course Description (the link at the top of the Syllabus page) to find out how to get access to the Advanced Russian website and how to do each type of homework. On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 2. Stories. Story 2-1 (A or B). Pages 1-20. (Михаил Мишин «История»).

Read Еще одна «редкостная» буква from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Find and copy (in longhand) 30 words from this story that illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 3.

Read Било и крыло; За что бьют рынду? from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Write 10 short Russian sentences with words from this story that illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 4.

Advanced Russian:Chapter 1. Stories. Story 1-1 (A or B). Pages 1-24. (Михаил Мишин «Счастливый»)

Consult again Letters and Sounds. Part 4. Write 10 short Russian sentences with words that illustrate various points of this section.

Consult Letters and Sounds. Part 5. Write 10 short Russian sentences with words that illustrate various points of this section.

Advanced Russian: Chapter 4. Stories. Story 4-1. Pages 1-12. (Андрей Геласимов «Нежный возраст»). Remember to bring to class your four questions (in writing).

Read section Suffixes in Letters and Sounds. Part 5, then take as much of this online Self-Test 1 as you have time for. If your computer doesn't play the sound correctly, use any PC in the language lab. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyze your errors, if any (click the links in the answer page). Take the test again if you feel you can do better the second time. Bring your first version to class. We will use this dictation to review everything that has been covered this semester so far. Nothing to submit for this day.

Take the rest of the online Self-Test 1. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyze your errors, if any, using the answer page with its links in every answer. Consult also Quick Links to review everything that has been covered this semester so far. In class, you will write a dictation that is similar to Self-Test 1. Nothing to submit for this day.

Advanced Russian: Chapter 4. Stories. Story 4-1. Pages 13-26. (Андрей Геласимов «Нежный возраст»). Remember to bring your four questions (in writing). (These reminders will not be repeated in the subsequent syllabus pages.)

Read Анатомия слова from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. Bring 5000 Russian Words to class.

Read Глокая куздра from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. As you read, note the case forms of nouns. Bring 5000 Russian Words to class.

Осенние каникулы

Read Два слова о суффиксах from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. In each sentence, mark the case, number, and declension class of every noun. Use the terms in grammatical terms and on pp. 310, 311, 312, and 317 of 5000 Russian Words. You should read the above pages carefully and also consult these Web pages: The four declension classes of nouns, Gender classes, Case of nouns: form and function. Bring 5000 Russian Words to every class.

Write 10 Russian sentences to show the use of various case, gender, and number forms of nouns. In each sentence, mark the case, number, and declension class of every noun. Use the terms in grammatical terms and on pp. 310, 311, 312, and 317 of 5000 Russian Words. You should read the above pages carefully and also consult these Web pages (some of them are a review from the previous class): The four declension classes of nouns, Gender classes, Case of nouns: form and function. The chart from p. 317 of the dictionary is also shown at this Web page, where you may find the format easier to use. Don't miss the variants for the Genitive plural endings, the special spelling of -ия and -ие nouns in the Dative and Prepositional cases, and the animacy rule. Bring 5000 Russian Words to every class.

Advanced Russian: Chapter 3. Stories. Story 3-2 (A, or B), Story 3-3 (A or B). (Сергей Довлатов «Предисловие», aka «Холодильник» и «Остров»)

Read Слова и словари from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. In all sentences, mark the case, number, and gender of all pronouns and adjectives. For reference, use pp. 313, 314, and 315 in the dictionary. If you want an introduction to these classes of words, read these Web pages: Adjective-noun agreement, Ordinary and Special adjectives. If you need a reminder of the effect of spelling rules (p. 309 in the dictionary) on endings, read The effect of spelling rules and The effect of stress in Nom. Sg.: adjectives in -ой, -ий, and -ый. Read also about comparisons so you know that a comparative form never ends in -и even though many sound as if they do. Bring 5000 Russian Words to every class.

Read Словaрь Пушкина from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. In all sentences, mark the tense and conjugation type of all verbs. For reference, use pp. 318 in the dictionary. You'll also find these Web pages useful: The two verb stems (including the links to irregular verbs and consonant alternation), Past tense endings, Non-past tense endings and The two conjugations. If you need a reminder of the effect of spelling rules (p. 309 in the dictionary) on verb endings, read Spelling rules for verbs.

Chapter 3. Interviews. Interview 3-8. S. Dovlatov’s interview 3-8 “Злоключения искусствоведа”. 3:42min.

Read Лазея в прошлое from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. In all sentences, mark the aspect, tense and conjugation type of all verbs. For reference on aspect, use these Web pages: Aspect: Perfective and Imperfective verbs (including the links to взять/брать and пойти/ходить), How to express past, present, and future, Prefixed and unprexifed verbs, and Aspect partners with different roots.

Read One-Way and Non-One-Way verbs of motion on the Web and write 10 short Russian sentences using various verbs of motion in various situations that illustrate the difference in their meaning: Round trip vs. one direction and other similar distinctions. You will find these Web pages useful for reference: Six sample verbs of motion, Expressing "go", Пойти vs. ходить, Prefixes, More prefixes, and More examples. Use the dictionary to verify spelling and conjugation. In class, we'll also talk about deverbal and imperative forms.

Advanced Russian: Chapter 3. Stories. Story 3-1 (A or B). Pages 1-31. («Сергей Довлатов о времени и о себе»)

By now, you should be able to spell all forms for pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and verbs without consulting any tables. (This does not include deverbal forms--participles and deverbal adverbs in the last two columns of the dictionary entries.) Take as much of this online Self-Test 2 as you have time for. If your computer doesn't play the sound correctly, use any PC in the language lab. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyze your errors, if any. Take the test again if you feel you can do better the second time. Bring your first version to class. We will use this dictation to review everything you have learned about pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and verbs in the recent weeks as well as the earlier material.

Use your corrected homework and answers to Self-Test 2 again to review. In class, you'll write a dictation similar to the one in Self-Test 2.

Advanced Russian: Chapter 2. Stories. Story 2-2 (A or B). Pages 1-25. (Михаил Веллер «Тест»)

Read about Prepositions, Particles, and Conjunctions. Write a short letter to a friend or family member using as many of these rules as you can.

Read Место вашего рождения from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Write a short essay about your family: where did you come from, what language(s) did you, your parents, and your grandparents speak before coming to the US, how did you all learn English, how English and your earlier languages co-exist in your family, and anything else that might occur to you in this respect.

Advanced Russian: Chapter 2. Stories. Story 2-2 (A or B). Pages 26-51. (Михаил Веллер «Тест»).

Use this Review Guide in Acrobat (PDF) format as you review the material of the entire semester. In class, you will write a practice exam that is similar to the final exam.

Review everything, come to class with questions. If you like, use this online Self-Test 3 to identify your weak spots. If your computer doesn't play the sound correctly, use any PC in the language lab. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyze your errors, if any.

Advanced Russian: Chapter 6. Stories. Story 6-1 (A or B), Pages 1-30. (Людмила Улицкая "Явление природы")

Каникулы -День Благодарения

Каникулы - День Благодарения

Advanced Russian: Chapter 6. Stories. Story 6-1 (A or B), Pages 31-53. (Людмила Улицкая "Явление природы")

Click the link for "summary of deverbal forms" at the top of this syllabus for a complete set of participles and deverbal adverbs, with examples. We generated other examples of these on two occasions, but never really practiced using them. Write a few sentences, preferably in the form of a coherent story, using every form at least once. E.g., Люди, курящие сигареты, тратят на них много денег. Выкурив одну сигарету, человек часто хочет закурить следующую. Курильщик, выкуривший десять сигарет, чувствует себя больным, а окурки выкуренных им сигарет засоряют природу. Пожилые люди, курившие в молодости, беспокоятся о своем здоровье... и так далее.

TBA

Advanced Russian: Chapter 6. Stories. Story 6-1 (A or B), Pages 54-77. (Людмила Улицкая "Явление природы")