Macedonian: A Course for Beginning and Intermediate Students

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book ....but, a giant deficit.....
Review: Christina's Kramer, well respected both as a linguist as well as by the Macedonian community, has written a great book, complete in terms of Macedonian grammar, everyday speech and as a cultural learning tool.

The cultural selections included in the chapters are a delight, ranging from folk tales to decriptions of both modern and traditional weddings. Professor Kramer has spent a lot of time in the Macedonian community both in Macedonia and in the diaspora and its shows in her treatment of topics. The author also has an evident sense of humour which breaks the tedium of the exercizes.

Another great asset of the book is the rechnik/dictionary included at the back of the book along with other very useful appendices.

However, the giant deficit is the long term lack of the "CD-ROM" which is over a year overdue. Without the CD ROM , casette tapes, and suggested answers to the numerous exercises, the student runs the risk of reinforcing misperceived and wrong grammar and constructions, has nothing to learn pronunciation and practice speaking, and the process of learning is slowed. The lack of supporting materials render the book very difficult to use for self study.

These deficits will be overcome when the CD ROM and searchable dictionary become available, one presumes. Until then, it would be best to use this book with a tutor or native speaker. It is great that the book exists and represents a large improvement over the "Zboruvajte li Makedonski" text, workbook and tape series.

A minor point or two: It would be nice, for the sake fo students carrying this text, if it had been in two parts and in a smaller sized format. The large format still does not allow for doing the exercises in the text, and adds a bit of weight to the old backpack. However, the binding seems sturdy enough and the paper of good quality, so the student need not worry about the text disintegrating halfway through the course.

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners
Review: I used this book when I wanted to acquire a rudimentary knowledge of Macedonian. I found it very useful and well organized. I would recommend it to anyone else who needs to learn the language.

Rating:
Summary: Finally
Review: I'm sorry but already for weeks I am looking on the web for courses in learning Macedonian language. Already for years I vist evry year Ohrid but the stay is too short and I am looking for courses or studybooks which can help me all year to learn the language. So I am interested in the book or cd-rom or both if available. Hope to hear soon of you

Thanks in advance
Hans

Rating:
Summary: Great for Self Study
Review: If you want to learn Macedonian or just brush up on your skills, this is the only serious book out there. The explanations are clear and precise making it easy to follow. There are a number of exercises and most importantly there are answers in the back so you can check and see if you are correct. This book is for beginners but it is still a good reference for more advanced speakers. Easily the best book available.

Rating:
Summary: Not only is the book great...
Review: Not only is the text great for learning Macedonian, but Prof. Kramer is also my professor! And having her teach from this book is a great experience! I have NO KNOWLEDGE of Macedonian whatsoever (I am Chinese), and only took the course to fill a graduation requirement for my programme. However, after having her share her zest, love and knowledge for the language and its culture, I do have to say that Macedonian is now one of my favourtie courses!

The text has exercises that focus on many linguistic aspects of the language. It is certainly written with the English speaker in mind. It helps the English speaker learn Macedonian by drawing parallels and examples from the English language and how those concepts in English translate into Macedonian.

As a linguist, she is able to provide knowledge into Macedonian grammer rather than saying "this and this happens in Macedonian because it does!" Because she is able to provide linguistic analysis that is accessible to a person with little or no linguistic background, you feel that the knowledge you gain from this text is very well grounded.

The CD is a must, especially if you do not have exposure to the language, in order to understand the tone, stress and intonation of the language.

My favourite thing about learning Macedonian? Being able to overhear Macedonian conversations on the bus and actually understand it and to be able to say /dobar den/ and see the looks on Macedonian people's faces!

Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal for learning the language, but cultural issues?
Review: This book served me well on a recent trip to Macedonia, so much that Macedonians frequently told me, "You speak our language well." Nearly every recently arrived American I met has this book, which is becoming *the* textbook for English speakers who want to learn Makedonski. One Macedonian who works as a translator praised the book, commenting that it helps to have been written by an American (or a Canadian) who can understand Makedonski from the English speaker's point of view. A *mild* criticism is that the book barely prepared me for the ethnic diversity I encountered, even in Skopje. The book almost all but ignores the fact that many Macedonians are *not* ethnically or culturally Macedonian! And occasionally someone would object when we used a word of Serbian origin, such as "fala" for "thanks."

Rating:
Summary: Excellent teacher!
Review: This book was definately well written and will fulfill its purpose if properly used by anyone! I am so thrilled that I have found a book that teaches Macedonian. I could never find one until now and I am thrilled that it is so well done and usable!

Rating:
Summary: A Priceless Teaching Tool!
Review: This text is an excellent one for anyone wishing to study the Macedonian language, which is a South Slavic language that is distinguished from other South Slavic languages by numerous grammatical features. The standard language was codified between approximately 1945 and 1950.

Having studied Macedonian for several years, having thoroughly surveyed the resources available for learning Macedonian, and having taught Macedonian for two years - one with, and one without Professor Kramer's textbook, I can say with complete confidence that this textbook is by far the most comprehensive one for anyone wishing to learn Macedonian (with or without a teacher!). The CD is excellent, too!

Rating:
Summary: At last a book on how to learn Macedonian
Review: To all my fellow readers and language lovers. This book is an excellent starting point on learning the language of Macedonia. Being a new democracy, this country has struggled for its identity. I have been to Macedonia on 3 occassions and now I can learn the language that my beloved father spoke. He is gone now and I am trying to learn it. This book has helped me tremendously in learing the grammer and colloquial expressions of the language. I also speak Greek and there are many words of greek and turkish origin in the language. The teacher, Mrs. Kramer is an excellent instuctor and she details the lessons excellently. I am about half way done in the course and I am learning so much. My Macedonian friends are impressed with my progress and compliment the book that is helping me. I am waiting for the CD rom course to compliment the book. Good luck on learning macedonian and you will have made an excellent choice in selecting this very excellent book.