Russian [antikvár]

A holiday, a business trip, an interest in world affairs or in the riches of Russian culture and history - there are many reasons for learning Russian, a language spoken throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (formerly the USSR) by more than 285 million people (for about half of whom it is the mother tongue). The aim of this course is to equip the complete beginner with the skills needed to conununicate in practical, everyday situations and to give some background information about Russia and the nature of Russian society. The units of the course are designed to teach specific uses of language; these are related to situations that visitors to Russia may encounter. For example, you will leam how to give and seek information about people and places, how to make requests, complaints, apologies, arrangements, how to express opinions and explain what has happened and what will happen. You will meet topics such as shopping, health, accommodation and entertainment and leam how to cope with them in related settings - in a shop, with the doctor, in a hotel, at the theatre. A clear indication is given, at the beginning of each unit, of the language uses covered and of the setting of the dialogue which forms the basis of the unit. Rapid and dramatic changes have taken place in recent years in what used to be the USSR. Change is still very much the order of the day, so that, for example, the names of streets and the prices used in this book may not always tally with the current situation. Nevertheless, the language you are learning through this course is the language used in Russia today.