Modern Slovakistics ― Coordinates and Vectors. Collection of Reports of the International Scientific Conference Dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Teaching of the Slovak Language at the University of St. Kliment Ohridski in Sofia, 28.04.2021 / ed. by V. Panaiotov et al. Sofia: University Publishing House of St. Kliment Ohridsky, 2022. 480 p. (Book Review)

Abstract

In 2022, a collection of articles “Modern Slovakistics ― Coordinates and Vectors” was published, based on the materials of an international scientific conference that took place on 04/28/2021 in Sofia and was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the beginning of teaching of Slovak language at the University of St. Kliment Ohridsky. The authors of the articles ― scholars and teachers from Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Germany ― consider a whole range of problems related to teaching students in specialties related to the Slovak language, culture, literature, translation skills. The book uses two languages ― Bulgarian and Slovak. The articles are grouped into four sections corresponding to the four main areas in Slovakian studies. The section “The Slovak language in the European context” examines the problems of history and current state of the language, its comparative and culturological aspects. The thematic spectrum of the section “Slovak literature in the European context” ranges from comparative studies and the links of literature with fine arts to trends in modern prose. The articles in the section “Slovak language and translation as a linguistic and cultural phenomenon” are devoted to the traditions of Slovak-Bulgarian literary translations, issues of adequacy and difficulties in translation work. The section “Teaching the Slovak language as a foreign language” contains articles on the peculiarities of the methodology of teaching the Slovak language at Slavic departments, on the problems of grammar of the Slovak language in theoretical and practical terms. A significant number of articles, the quality of research, and the breadth of the authors’ professional interests testify to the importance of the interchange of cultural and spiritual values in the Slavic world.