"With ever-changing methods and approaches to teaching foreign languages -- from proficiency-oriented, to project-based, to open-architecture modules, to transformational teaching -- students always need a strong toolkit for building on their foundations, especially for languages with such intricate morphological and syntactical structures as Russian. This book combines crisp and nuanced applied linguistics with a truly communicative approach, while also featuring a rich socio-cultural component. Close attention is paid to word formation, which promotes the development of reading comprehension capability. Language material is organized and introduced as a set of working tools ready to be used and reused for different topics. All of this and much more makes this textbook a unique resource for a wide range of learners and teachers -- from undergraduates to graduate and professional students. In addition, ! Building on your Foundations in Russian can serve as a hands-on teaching tool for graduate courses on methodologies of teaching Russian and applied linguistics. It represents a helpful resource for Russian instructors beginning their teaching career, as well as for independent study." Irina Dolgova , Yale University, USA " ! Building on your Foundations in Russian is a title that reflects the volume's insightful, well-measured, and stimulating progress through the salient properties of the Russian language.

The textbook credits the learners with an ability to grasp the intricacies of grammar and offers a thorough and lucid linguistic commentary without being either overwhelming or simplistic. A selection of thematic dialogues and oral exercises allows for a diverse communicative practice, while samples of authentic texts and the authors' rich notes on culture and usage highlight the language as a historical and social entity." Anna Muza , University of California, Berkeley, USA.