Slovak by Graham Cansdale

Slovak by Graham Cansdale

Slovak: An Essential Grammar is a pioneering grammar which sets out all the main linguistic structures and features of the Slovak language, with an emphasis on current usage and authentic examples.

The grammatical system is clearly explained in accessible terms that strike a balance between the needs of language novices and those of more experienced linguists and language learners. Included within this comprehensive volume is a historical introduction briefly presenting the development of Slovak and its special relationship to Czech; a phonology section paying special attention to ‘rhythmic shortening’, a unique feature of Slovak that affects pronunciation, spelling and morphology; and chapters covering all parts of speech, sentence structure, and word formation. Throughout the book, attention is given to the key differences in the way the English and Slovak languages structure and convey information, as well as focussing on those grammar and vocabulary aspects that foreign learners, and in particular English speakers, are likely to find most challenging. The detailed index and list of contents make it easy for users to find their way around the grammar and locate the aspects that most interest them.

This unique book is aimed at class-based and independent students of Slovak at all levels, Slavicists, comparative linguists, and anyone with an interest in this fascinating, but often overlooked, Slavic language.

"Graham Cansdale’s Slovak: An Essential Grammar has long been overdue as a complement to earlier Slovak grammar contributions by James Naughton and Oscar SwanCombining pedagogical insight with the precision of a first-rate linguist, this reference grammar enables researchers, learners, and even native Slovak speakers to understand the language’s complex structure."

Karen von Kunes, Yale University, USA and the University of Toronto, Canada

"Congratulations to Graham Cansdale for producing the first Slovak reference grammar for English speakers, embedded in his own experience and accessible to the widest range of learners, from students to partners to visitors and from complete beginners to the much more advanced. We will wonder how we did without it."

Rajendra Chitnis, University of Oxford, UK

Graham Cansdale spent 32 years at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation in Brussels, Belgium as Translator and Senior Expert (Knowledge Manager) with special responsibility for Slovak before his retirement. He has spent a lifetime working with languages and has extensive experience in translation, having worked principally with Slovak, Czech, Hungarian, Greek and Turkish.