Customer Reviews

Beginning Slovak (Book & 8 Audiocassettes)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had been searching for a comprehensive yet simplified text book for the Slovak language for several years with out an luck what so ever. The language books I had gotten a hold of previously were not thorough enough for my tastes. Of course I was put off by the price for this book and cassettes but I decided to buy it because I had read that the Department of Defense recommended it for their employees stationed in Slovakia. For myself, who is serious about learning Slovak, I never regretted spending this money and think it is a good investment for anyone with real interest.

PROS:
- thorough
- lots of exercises for practice
- humourous and useful dialogues
- succint but clear explanations of grammatical points.

CONS:
- expensive (the book is fairly cheap at around $[....], but getting the complete course with 8 tapes and the book can cost anywhere between $[...] and $[...]. Avoid buying from Audio-Forum unless there's no other choice since Audio-Forum charges $[...]. Some bookshops on [...] sell the entire course for less than $[...])
- a little dry if you're unable to learn on your own with a lot of drilling
- there's no answer key, so you'll need a native speaker to correct your answers to the exercises.
- a little dated, and a few errors in use (e.g. using "dajaky" to express the idea of "any kind of (sg)" comes off as a little rural or even rude. The book makes no mention of this connotation.)

Some people may notice that the structure and approach of the course is similar to that used in the author's textbook "First-Year Polish". If you like the approach used in that textbook of Polish, you'll likely enjoy learning Slovak with "Beginning Slovak"

I also agree with the other reviewer who typed that this is the nearest equivalent to a putative Slovak course by FSI. If you're not a fan of FSI's methods (i.e. drills), then working through "Beginning Slovak" will be tough sledding unless you have a lot of encouragement or help from native speakers or teachers of Slovak. Courses such as "Colloquial Slovak" or "Slovak for You" may be more suitable as a first step even though completing "Beginning Slovak" will take you much further than those two courses combined.

If you're really determined to learn Slovak largely on your own and believe that practice is the only way to improve your linguistic abilities, I recommend "Beginning Slovak" highly.

I moved to Slovakia in Sep 2005 to teach English (not just a 6-month back-packer, but a 42-yr-old former teacher, with a medium-term commitment to living and working in Slovakia). I wanted a comprehensive course, not just a 'tourist' or 'Get By In....' course. This is very comprehensive. The typescript is a little idiosyncratic and you really need a native-speaker (there are a few typos and inconsistencies) to bring it 'alive'. My 'teacher' is actually a university Chemistry student who speaks good English (not one of the over-priced language school staff who may 'force' a 'method' on you): we use the book as a basis and it gives a good, clear structure. The exercises at the end of each chapter are very systematic and rigorous. The photos/pictures are way too old and bizarre, but it was printed ca. 1990. I was looking for a Slovak course along the lines of the Audio Forum FSI old-fashioned type, but FSI haven't published a Slovak course in their own inimitable style. There is no alternative to this course for serious students of Slovak (but you'll need to get a native speaker to build on the content).

I learned some Slovak before I spent a summer teaching there. This book and tape set were worth every penny. After only a few lessons I was able to get around in Slovak, ask for what I needed in shops, and speak idiomatically. The secret is in the great dialogues, which teach you things you really do say, like "Unfortunately, I can't go with you" or "It's not my fault." They are funny, practical, and entirely memorable, unlike the cookie-cutter dialogues I have seen with other tape sets.