Thread: Need advice

Hi all. I am here at SPSU and have a bit of a problem.
The background:
I have studied Russian for 2 years in the USA, i.e. 4 classes. At my university, pronunciation is not taught until the 3rd year, so you can imagine how bad I speak the language. Over the summer I was not able to study do to working 2 jobs to pay for the trip and two math classes.
The problem:
I tested into the equivalent of the start of the second year in the US (third semester here in Russia, or about 6 months of study). I bought the grammer book and I have learned all of it, just forgot it over the last 4 months. The reading class is very hard for me, and I knew very little of the words. The pronunciation teacher even asked me if this was to hard and if I wanted to drop back a level.
So I dropped back a level and now I am in the most boring easy level. "Where is Anton?" He is there.
My girlfriend wants to help me study really hard for a month, which is now long it will take to get to where I should be. What are your opinions, should I stay in the easy level (to help with pronunciation), buy the books and do the work with my girl and get caught up, and in the spring, rejoin my group. Or should I just rejoin the group and suffer through the next 2 months?
Note: I asked the advisor and she just said try this easier group. That is why I am bugging you all with this question.
Thanks in advance!

Does your girlfriend speak Russian? If she does I dont suggest you drop back a level - she could really help you catch up

Learning pronunciation in the 3rd! *I die*

Take the harder class, assuming the instructor understands that it's hard for you at the level you're at and won't fail you. You may only understand 25% of the material -- and that's assuming you don't push ahead on your own or with the gf -- but it's 25% of new material that you're going to get as opposed to Антон -- голубой.

Waiting until the 3rd semester for pronounciation?? No speaking, only reading?? Strange curriculum...

...but yes, have your girlfriend help you catch up. And at SP your pronounciation should rapidly improve, with daily living. I'd recommend staying in the harder level.

If the easier level is boring, then it's counter-productive to your learning... doesn't help, it hurts... my opinion as a professor.

Side-note: Were your U.S. professors native Russian speakers, i.e. Russian was their mother-tongue? Another opinion of mine... that foreign language professors, here in U.S. universities, should be native speakers in the language they teach.

I am interested to know which textbooks were used.

I think she (Jamie?) meant that they didn't learn how to pronounce words properly bedore 3rd semeter: IE no phonetics until then. They had to naturally go over the alphabet etc., but it is likely to sound like Sean Connery in "the hunt for the red october". "horrorshow"!

OK thanks for the advice. Today I have phonetics/"strange exceptions" if this is not hard, and the conversation class is not hard Friday, I am going back to the other level. I want to finish this week and make sure I am confortable.
The book we used at the University of Kentucky is Nachalo 1 and 2. What I meant earlier is that we did not go deep into phonetics. Basically this is how the letter sounds and then we moved on. The book is very good, in fact, it is really the only good Russian book I have seen that helps you make rapid progress. The problem is that is WEAK on phonetics. For example, there are no exercises where you do basic word pronunciation sh-sha sho-shoo etc..
There are multiple problems with my Russian background. I had Americans for the first and second semesters. Both are very good. For the third semester I had a native, and for the forth it was a split class native/American. I am a math major, so as you can imagine, with 3 or 4 other classes, Russian can not be the top priority. Which is why I knew I needed an immersion environment (not to mention the fact I wanted to be back with my girl). My girl speaks English fluently, so she only wants to speak it. I am learning from her, but she constantly goes back to English. It is driving me crazy. She says she forgets, but I have to tell her 17 or 20 times per day (OK end rant).
I am convinced that by the end of this year, while my Russian will have improved, I will be VERY far from being fluent in everyday communication, hell I won't even be able to read a newspaper.
Maybe a second year here would help.
Thanks and Poka,
Jamie (I am a man).

Originally Posted by Jamie25

OK thanks for the advice. ...

Thanks and Poka,
Jamie (I am a man).

Jamie,

Can you get a Russian tutor? If you have the financial resources, get a tutor...

Honestly... trying to practice and learn another language with someone you love is not easy... it's possible! (no one jump on my back)... but it's not easy!

OR... another option for you, language interchange. This is common in Russia and Europe. Basically... you and your language partner speak in English for an hour, and then you switch to Russian for an hour. This helps both ofyou learn your target languages.

This method costs nothing... and this method helped me very much in learning Spanish. And, you will create friendships quickly.

I'm multi-lingual... and my Russian friends tell me my accent sounds Estonian ... but for me, the most important thing is to understand, and to be understood!... as you would try to understand the English spoken by an Indian, Russian, Spaniard, German, etc.

My advice, and goal, as a language and law professor is clear understanding.

As you study, and devote time, these lingual friendships/ exchanges will rapidly improve your pronounciation.

An idea, an option for you.

The book is very good, in fact, it is really the only good Russian book I have seen that helps you make rapid progress. The problem is that is WEAK on phonetics.

As much as I dislike your textbook Nachalo, I think that it was your teachers who were to blame for not correcting your pronounciation. I saw this time and time again in University Russian classes. I went into a class one term with third year Russian students that I could not understand. At first I thought that it was my lack of vocabulary that was the problem but I quickly realized that I knew every Russian word spoken. I just didn't recognize them due to the atrocious pronounciation.

But what really amazed me was my teacher's complete failure to correct them. I actually feared that just listening to them would hurt me learning. The teacher was native Russian, too!

As I said before I did not like Nachalo or their web site. I also did not like the Golosa series that I used before that butbut I think that their web site is worth bookmarking There are exercises that you can do with the answers and videos to watch.
Go to this and click away...er..hmm..

One of my only endorsements for Pimsleur... the first 8 tapes were my initial introduction into Russian many years ago... and helped me greatly to learn to pronounce correctly from the beginning. At least my friends like my pronounciation.

But Jamie's been reading (learning with no pronounciation or speaking) from ... well, I don't know the textbook... Nacholo. DDT knows it... I trust his word.

Again, my thought for native Russian-speakers, professors....to teach Russian in U.S. universities.

Originally Posted by DDT

The book is very good, in fact, it is really the only good Russian book I have seen that helps you make rapid progress. The problem is that is WEAK on phonetics.

As much as I dislike your textbook Nachalo, I think that it was your teachers who were to blame for not correcting your pronounciation. I saw this time and time again in University Russian classes. I went into a class one term with third year Russian students that I could not understand. At first I thought that it was my lack of vocabulary that was the problem but I quickly realized that I knew every Russian word spoken. I just didn't recognize them due to the atrocious pronounciation.

But what really amazed me was my teacher's complete failure to correct them. I actually feared that just listening to them would hurt me learning. The teacher was native Russian, too!

As I said before I did not like Nachalo or their web site. I also did not like the Golosa series that I used before that butbut I think that their web site is worth bookmarking There are exercises that you can do with the answers and videos to watch.
Go to this and click away...er..hmm..

Lol, it more difficult to correct pronunciation than one would think. I have lots of foreign friends and it goes something like this:

Them: I'm going to buy a die-a-mond.
Me: No, it's pronounced "diamond"
Them: Die-a-mond
Me: No, "diamond"
Them: Die-a-mond
Me: No, no you have to say it like this "diamond" (slow and clearly)
Them: That's what I said.
Me: No, you said "die-a-mond", you have to say "diamond"
Them: "Die-a-mond", how's that?
Me: Oh f*ck it, it's perfect....

But then again they are teachers so they should try to do more...

Originally Posted by basurero

Lol, it more difficult to correct pronunciation than one would think. I have lots of foreign friends and it goes something like this:

Them: I'm going to buy a die-a-mond.
Me: No, it's pronounced "diamond"
Them: Die-a-mond
Me: No, "diamond"
Them: Die-a-mond
Me: No, no you have to say it like this "diamond" (slow and clearly)
Them: That's what I said.
Me: No, you said "die-a-mond", you have to say "diamond"
Them: "Die-a-mond", how's that?
Me: Oh f*ck it, it's perfect....

Just yesterday I had a conversation...

In a hallway:

Him: What are zeese bords?
Me: Huh?
Him: bords, bords, what are zey?
Me: Umm, not sure... How can I help you?
Him: I'd wike to know what zeese bords.
Me: Umm, yeah, ok...
Him: Bords, bords, wike a bords son (writes the word down)
Me: Ahh, these are not birds, it's a pump, it only sounds like a bird.

My colleague had been reading "the hunt for the red october" and there were some russian words written in it, of course with english letters and no pronouncation guide... so he asks me:

He: What does "neckleturney" mean?
I: What?
He: "Neckleturney". It is some kind of bad word.
I: ???? Are you sure that's what you read?
He: Yeah, it was spelled: n-e-k-u-l-t-u-r-n-i-y. "Neckleturney"!!
I: некультурный!

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

My colleague had been reading "the hunt for the red october" and there were some russian words written in it, of course with english letters and no pronouncation guide... so he asks me:

He: What does "neckleturney" mean?
I: What?
He: "Neckleturney". It is some kind of bad word.
I: ???? Are you sure that's what you read?
He: Yeah, it was spelled: n-e-k-u-l-t-u-r-n-i-y. "Neckleturney"!!
I: некультурный!

Nickelturkey? MMMMMMM. I LOVE NICKELTURKEY!