Rhode Island College

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1 Rhode Island College M.Ed. In TESL Program Language Group Specific Informational Reports Produced by Graduate Students in the M.Ed. In TESL Program In the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development Language Group: Ukranian Author: Jennifer Banos Program Contact Person: Nancy Cloud

2 Language Profile: yкраїнська Jennifer Banos*Rhode Island College * TESL 539 Spring lmp.ucla.edu/profile

3 History of the Ukrainian language Dates back to 988 when the capital of Kiev was converted to Christianity. Ukrainian is an Eastern Slavic language, closely related to Russian and Belarusian. Spoken by 51 million people in Ukraine and many other countries. One quarter of all Ukrainians live outside of Ukraine. This is the second most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, divided into 3 dialects. Ukrainian is the official state language of Ukraine, while the preferred spoken language in most cities is Russian. (www. Tryukraine.com)

4 Where in the world are Ukrainians living? (

5 Ukrainian Orthography *Cyrillic alphabet is used Ukrainian alphabet (українська абетка) *A total of 33 letters and an apostrophe are used to create 38 phonemes (22 consonants, 6 hard vowels, 4 soft vowels and a soft sign) *Generally following a system of one sound corresponding to one phoneme, with exceptions. *Language structure is grammatically free with no fixed order for marking subject, object possessor, etc. follows. Neutral order follows subject~verb~object word order.

6 Навчання (schooling) Literacy rate is nearly 99.4%! Preschool education is recognized as important Nine years of secondary education is compulsory (ages 7-15) There is an emphasis on education for all citizens, supported by their constitution. (CIA World Factbook, Wikipedia) Younger school (grades 1~4) Middle school (grades 5~9) Senior school (grades 10~11) 2 years of upper secondary or vocational school

7 Common challenges of English Language learners from Ukraine Phonology Vowels: Absence of long-short vowel distinction poses great challenges Consonants: θ (think, both), ð (this, mother), ŋ (sing, finger), w (wet, window) do not exist in Cyrillic alphabet so words like thin sound like sin, youthful sounds like useful and then sounds like zen. Rhythm and stress: Most Slavic languages tend to lose secondary stresses in long words, like competition and compatibility Itonation: Irregular, tending to shoot up abruptly, or sound impolite with an abrupt fall at the end of a question. (Avery & Erlich, 1996)

8 Common challenges of English Language learners from Ukraine (continued) Written communication Writing: Great challenges in lack of letter-sound correspondence, in words such as knife, break, risen, etc. Punctuation: Many similarities between English and Slavic writing rules, though there tends to be overuse of commas to set apart subordinate clauses, such as: I don t know, which book to pick. (Avery & Erlich, 1996)

9 Grammar Common errors Word Order~ Such Slavic languages often begin with adverbial phrases of time and place Articles~ Slavic languages do not use articles, so often they are omitted or use of them is often incorrect Quantifiers~ often confusion with few (of), a few (of), little (of), a little (of), much (of), many of Gender~ Ukrainian nouns are masculine, feminine or neuter. Number~ problems with distinction between countable and uncountable numbers may sound like Yesterday on table lied my book. Have you mother? Have you the mother? I have many money. Where is book? She is on table. Where s my umbrella? He is here. I have one news I have a good advice. (Swain and Smith, 2001)

10 Communication style Ukrainians can be direct, but no rarely means no, and they will usually assume that your no" doesn t mean no as well. For example, if they say no when you offer them food, they expect to be offered it again and again, and vice versa. Many Ukrainians will dance around a subject, especially if it s a difficult or uncomfortable topic. They may try not to tell you things if they re afraid they will upset you even things you think you should know. - Ukrainian businesspeople are generally less formal than in many other countries. - Shake hands with everyone upon arriving and leaving. culturecrossing.net/ kwintessential.co

11 Meeting and Greeting - Ukrainian businesspeople are generally less formal than in many other countries. - Shake hands with everyone upon arriving and leaving. - Handshakes are quite firm. - Maintain eye contact during the greeting. - It is common to repeat your name while shaking hands. - Academic and professional titles are commonly used with the surname. - If someone does not have an academic or professional title, use the honorific "Pan" for a man and "Pani" for a woman with the surname. culturecrossing.net/ kwintessential.co

12 Social Taboos! 1.Putting your thumb in between your middle and index finger while making a fist is an obscene gesture. 2. It is a bad manner to sit on the floor, on the ground, on the stairs. 3. It is forbidden to walk and sit on the grass in many public places, especially where flowers grow. 4. It is considered bad manners to talk loudly, to talk waving hands, etc. 5. People in USSR were taught not to talk in public transport and not to act attracting others attention. A person who is loud and noticeable may be met with hostility, especially in small towns. culturecrossing.net/ kwintessential.co

13 Посилання Books Avery, P., & Ehrlick, S. (1992). Teaching American English Pronounciation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Swan, M., & Smith, B. (2001). Learner English: A teacher s guide to interference and other problems. Second Edition. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press.

14 Internet Sites Ager, S. (2008). Ukraine. Omniglot: the online encyclopedia of writing systems & languages. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from Ukraine (n.d.) Guide to language, culture, customs, doing business, and etiquette. Retrieved on February 4, 2012 from Languages of Ukraine; getting by in a bilingual society (Nov, 2010). Retrieved February 4, 2012 from: Images Map of Ukraine. (1992), Retrieved February 3, 2012, from: lmp.ucla.edu/profile Ukrainian alphabet. (2008). Retrieved February 4, 2012, from: Ukrainians:world distribution. (2001). Retrieved February 6, 2012, from:

15 Additional sites of interest: lullaby For access to what might be a soothing and familiar lullaby to students both young and old. For access to audio feedback of Ukrainian phonemes

16 M.Ed. in TESL Program Nancy Cloud, Director Educational Studies Department Rhode Island College, HBS 206 #5 600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue Providence, RI Phone (401) Fax (401) The M.Ed. in TESL Program at Rhode Island College is Nationally Recognized by TESOL and NCATE