Introduction by
Akmaral Mukanova
Advanced Kazakh consists of two parts. Units 1-3 discuss topics such as kinship, livestock and cultural metaphors. Units 4 and 5 offer a challenging opportunity to learn from naturally occurring unscripted interviews.
This course has been constructed with thorough consideration of recent research to ensure effective foreign language learning. The material is also based on the results of a needs assessment survey conducted by the author among advanced learners of the Kazakh language in Kazakhstan and the USA. Kazakh language learners who have participated in the survey come from various language and cultural backgrounds, including North American, Chinese, Australian, and Japanese. The survey revealed that these participants had several learning wants and needs.
First, they wanted to acquire a knowledge of the cultural systems inherent in Kazakh. To this end, cultural and linguistic anthropological material that highlights such cultural metaphors as livestock, kinship, songs, values and beliefs has been integrated into the dialogs.
Second, there was a need for learning conversational structures and speech patterns that significantly differ from the standard literary grammar, which most textbooks tend to overlook. To meet this need, dialogs have been designed to contain grammatical structures that are typical of conversational Kazakh.
Third, there was a desire to explore authentic short stories, folk tales, and idiomatic phrases. The Idiomatic Phrases section is designed to aid in gaining a better understanding of literary works, daily conversations, and the media.
Finally, the need for unscripted dialogs that give learners an exposure to natural conversations was expressed. Authentic video interviews in units 4 and 5 capture conversational speech patterns and dialectical varieties to assist you in expanding your active knowledge of Kazakh language and culture.
Advanced Kazakh provides language instruction for use in and outside the classroom, as class supplement, or as a self-instructional tool. Advanced Kazakh includes 30 lessons. Each lesson consists of a dialogue and/or text, footnotes with vocabulary, grammar and cultural notes, and several types of exercises.
After trying to get as much as possible from the oral and visual sources, learners listen to the text while following its written form. This mode allows learners to listen to the whole text, as well as to sentences and words individually, if desired. At the word level learners have links to footnotes about grammar and culture, all explained in English, and presented in ascending complexity from unit 1 to 5. For most lessons, learners have access to the English translation of words and sentences, although the lesson texts are in Kazakh only.
When learners are confident about their general comprehension of the lesson text they go through several exercises which offer immediate correction, and can be repeated as many times as desired:
'Flashcards' help learners review and expand vocabulary;
'Multi' and 'Fill-in-the-Blank' expand learners' grammar and vocabulary;
'Dictation' tests learners' listening and writing skills;
Listening Comprehension tests listening skills;
'Pronunciation' allows learners to compare their own pronunciation to that of a Kazakh native speaker. In contrast to the traditional classroom setting, where the learner has the native pronunciation available only few hours a week, this interactive multimedia language tool offers the learners native pronunciation at any time and as much as desired.
Advanced Kazakh includes a video of Almaty and original Kazakh music.
