Slovene Language-Learning Materials for English Speakers:
An Annotated List

Compiled by Marc L. Greenberg, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Kansas. E-mail: mlg (at) ku.edu

The following is a selected list of sources for learning Slovene and about Slovene. The emphasis is on recent publications - anything printed before 1990 is likely to be unobtainable except from larger university libraries.

Websites

Slovene for Travellers

On-line course of Slovene by Metka Čuk

Textbooks

Albretti, Andrea. Colloquial Slovene: A Complete Language Course. London: Routledge, 1995. (ISBN 0-4150-8948-4)

Albretti, Andrea. Teach Yourself Slovene : A Complete Course for Beginner (Teach Yourself) NTC Publishing Group, 1998. (ISBN 0-8442-0031-X)

Andolšek, Ema et al. Slovenščina-Slovene: A Self-Study Course. Ljubljana: RTV, 1984. [Comes with 12 cassettes.]

Andolšek, Ema, L. Jevšenak and T. Korošec. Povejmo slovensko. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, 1988.

Gobetz, Milena and Breda Lončar. Slovenian Language Manual, vols. 1-2. Willoughby Hills, Slovenian Research Center, 1976, 1977. (No ISBN) [Aimed primarily at English speakers of Slovene ancestry.]

Hladnik, Miran and Toussaint Hočevar. Slovenščina za popotnike/Slovene for Travellers. Kranj: Samozaložba, 1994. [A traveler's phrase-book. Copies may be obtained directly from the author at miran.hladnik@uni-lj.si] There is also an on-line verson and CD-ROM available (ordering information available from the author or on the web-site).

Jug-Kranjec, Hermina. Slovenščina za tujce. Ljubljana: Seminar slovenskega jezika... Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani, 1990. (ISBN 86-7207-008-9) [Course of Slovene intended for use at the annual Summer Seminar at the University of Ljubljana. Could be used for self study. Text is in Slovene with English, German and Italian glossary in appendix. Tapes available].

Križaj-Ortar, Martina. Učimo se slovenščino. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, 1993. (ISBN 86- 341-0894-5) [Similar in concept to Jug-Kranjec, but designed for learners with less of a background in Slavic languages. Includes two cassette tapes, a separate handbook of grammatical tables and glosary.]

Toporišic, Jože. Zakaj ne po slovensko/Slovene by Synthetic Method. Ljubljana: Filozofska fakulteta, 1992. (ISBN 86-7207-030-5) [A traditional method with grammar explanations in English. The new edition, 1992, comes with 4 cassettes; older editions have a set of four 45 rpm records. This course is designed for self-study. The language is somewhat stylized; the recordings are by leading Slovene stage personalities.]

Dictionaries

Slovar slovenskega knjižnega jezika, vols. 1--5. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenija, 1980--1991. (ISBN 86-341-0653-5) [Definitive dictionary of Standard Slovene, in Slovene.]

Bezlaj, France. Etimološki slovar slovenskega jezika. vol. 1 (A--J), vol. 2 (K--O), vol. 3 (P--S). Ljubljana: Institut za slovenski jezik/ Mladinska knjiga, 1977, 1982. (No ISBN) [Etymological Dictionary of Slovene; the late Prof. Bezlaj's students, Drs. Marko Snoj and Metka Furlan, are completing the project.]

Grad, Anton, Henry Leeming. Slovensko-angleški slovar/ Slovene-English Dictionary. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, 1994.

Grad, Anton, Ružena škerlj, Nada Vitorovič. Veliki angleško-slovenski slovar / English-Slovene Dictionary. Ljubljana : Državna založba Slovenije, 1994.

Javoršek, Marija. Angleško-slovenski slovar. Celovec: Drava/ Ljubljana: Svet knjige, 1993. [English-Slovene Dictionary.]

Javoršek, Marija. Slovensko-angleški slovar. Celovec: Drava and Ljubljana: Svet knjige, 1993. [Slovene-English Dictionary.]

Medved, Drago, et al. Kako se reče ---? Dobrodošli: vecjezicni slovarcek za tujce. Celje: Fit-Media, 1992. [A multilingual pocket dictionary for tourists.]

Snoj, Marko. Slovenski etimološki slovar. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, 1997. (ISBN 8-6111-4772-3) [This is the only one-volume etymological dictionary of Slovene. Although intended for popular use--cf. Bezlaj's dictionary--this one is very up-to-date and takes into consideration the latest developments in Slavic and Indo-European historical-linguistic research.]

Reference, handbooks and descriptive works

Derbyshire, William W. A Basic Reference Grammar of Slovene. Columbus: Slavica Publishers, 1993. (ISBN 0-89357-236-5) [Written for speakers of English who are at the elementary through the intermediate levels of acquisition of the Slovene language.]

Derbyshire, William W. A Learner’s Dictionary of Slovene with Words in their Inflected Forms. Bloomington: Slavica Publishers, 2002.

Greenberg, Marc. A Historical Phonology of the Slovene Language (= Historical Phonology of the Slavic Languages, vol. 13, ed. by Paul Wexler). Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, 2000. (ISBN 3825310973)

Greenberg, Marc. "Slovene". Facts about the World’s Languages, ed. by Carl Rubino and Jane Garry: 668—671. New York and Dublin: H.W. Wilson. A pdf version is available here.

Herrity, Peter. Slovene: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Grammars). London: Routledge, 2000. (ISBN 0-4152-3148-5)

Kmecl, Matjaž, Tine Logar and Jože Toporišic, eds. Slovenski jezik, literatura in kultura. Informativni zbornik. Ljubljana: Seminar slovenskega jezika... Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani. (No ISBN) [A collection of introductory articles by leading Slovene scholars on Slovene language, literature, culture and history. Intended for those who can already read Slovene.]

Lencek, Rado L. The Structure and History of the Slovene Language. Columbus: Slavica Publishers, 1982. (ISBN 0-89357-099-0) [Monographic treatment of the structure and history of Slovene.]

Priestly, Tom M. S. "Slovene" in Comrie, Bernard and Greville G. Corbett, eds., The Slavonic Languages, pp. 388--451 London and New York: Routledge, 1993. (ISBN 0-415-04755-2) [Brief descriptive work in English, with several references.]

Toporišic, Jože. Enciklopedija slovenskega jezika. Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, 1992. (ISBN 86-361-0756-3) [An encyclopedia-style reference on Slovene language and linguistics; aimed primarily at the domestic, Slovene audience, but useful for Slavists and general linguists who can already read Slovene.]

Toporišič, Jože. Slovenska slovnica. Maribor: Založba Obzorja, 2000. (No ISBN) [Authoritative reference grammar of Standard Slovene, entirely in Slovene.]

Toporišič, Jože and Velemir Gjurin, eds. Slovenska zvrstna besedila. Ljubljana: Seminar slovenskega jezika... Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani, 1981. (No ISBN) [A collection of Slovene texts of all kinds. Recommended for language-learners with highly developed philological skills.]

Addresses and websites of suppliers

For Gobetz, Lončar:
Slovenian Research Center of America, Inc.
29227 Eddy Road
Willoughby Hills, OH 44092, USA

For Ljubljana University (Filozofska fakulteta) publications:
Seminar slovenskega jezika, literature in kulture
Filozofska fakulteta
Univerza v Ljubljani, Askerceva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

A good general source for foreign books is Schoenhof's. Though they may not keep what you are looking for in stock, they should be able to obtain the more recent of the above titles:
Schoenhof's Foreign Books
76A Mt. Auburn St.
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Tel. 617/547-8855
Fax: 617/547-8551


Language programs

For programs at the University of Ljubljana, contact the Center for Slovene as a Second Language.