I have organized my self-directed learning plan such that it prioritizes vocabulary for real-life experiences and conversations. I have centered vocabulary that allows me to talk about myself, my life, my interests, my opinions, and my aspirations. Moreover, I will use strategies that favor my own learning style, such as notecards, listening to music and reading lyrics, and lots of practice speaking with my language partner.
So far I have learned about basic introductions and talking about the weather and family. I have also worked towards memorizing the case system, numbers, and the 100 most common verbs. I have also learned that practice with my language partner is instrumental to my success as a language learner.
I have not identified any textbooks, but there are many online resources for learning Ukrainian that have been extremely helpful. https://www.ukrainianlessons.com/ is an extremely useful resource which gives access to practical vocabulary sets. I have used this resource to build notecards for the most frequently used verbs and my vocabulary units this far. https://www.ukrainiancourse.com/ is also a helpful resource that provides a variety of lessons on Ukrainian grammar. I used this website to review the case system. They also provide dialogues and audios which will be extremely helpful for building a vocabulary of phrases and bolstering listening comprehension.
I became motivated to learn Ukrainian last semester in a history class I took called Anthropology of the GULAG, which was taught by a visiting professor from Ukraine, Dr. Kis. Her class taught me that studying Soviet history encompasses far more than a Russian perspective and learning other languages is imperative to study in this field. Moreover, her class sparked my interest in the role of Ukraine in Soviet history, specifically the role of Ukrainian women (and their resistance) within the labor camp system. Moreover, when I was studying Russian in Kyrgyzstan, I was often criticized for only knowing Russian and English, as most Kyrgyz people can speak at least three languages. This experience really motivated me to start learning a third language. Learning Ukrainian will provide me with more research opportunities in the field of Soviet history and allow me to center perspectives in academia which have historically been cast aside.
So far I have learned about basic introductions and talking about the weather and family. I have also worked towards memorizing the case system, numbers, and the 100 most common verbs. I have also learned that practice with my language partner is instrumental to my success as a language learner.
I have not identified any textbooks, but there are many online resources for learning Ukrainian that have been extremely helpful. https://www.ukrainianlessons.com/ is an extremely useful resource which gives access to practical vocabulary sets. I have used this resource to build notecards for the most frequently used verbs and my vocabulary units this far. https://www.ukrainiancourse.com/ is also a helpful resource that provides a variety of lessons on Ukrainian grammar. I used this website to review the case system. They also provide dialogues and audios which will be extremely helpful for building a vocabulary of phrases and bolstering listening comprehension.
I became motivated to learn Ukrainian last semester in a history class I took called Anthropology of the GULAG, which was taught by a visiting professor from Ukraine, Dr. Kis. Her class taught me that studying Soviet history encompasses far more than a Russian perspective and learning other languages is imperative to study in this field. Moreover, her class sparked my interest in the role of Ukraine in Soviet history, specifically the role of Ukrainian women (and their resistance) within the labor camp system. Moreover, when I was studying Russian in Kyrgyzstan, I was often criticized for only knowing Russian and English, as most Kyrgyz people can speak at least three languages. This experience really motivated me to start learning a third language. Learning Ukrainian will provide me with more research opportunities in the field of Soviet history and allow me to center perspectives in academia which have historically been cast aside.
Ukrainian Lessons: Inspiring Resources for Learning Ukrainian Language
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Comments
I'm not surprised to hear about the criticism from the Kyrgyz people. When I was in Portugal, every Central Asian I met had an incredible repertoire of languages under their belt.
I also had no idea about feminine resistance to the gulag system. I googled it and it's just incredible to see even in the most brutal conditions, the desire of these women to maintain their dignity and culture.