„Latviešu valoda zobārstniecības studentiem” – pirmā latviešu valodas kā svešvalodas mācību grāmata zobārstniecības studentiem

Abstract

Latvian as a foreign language is being learned both inside and outside Latvia. It is done in higher education institutions as well as various group language classes and individual lessons. The goals of learners range from professional and research-driven needs to personal interests. A significant part of Latvian language learners in Latvia are international students who study in higher education institutions in Latvia. Those are not exclusively exchange students. There is a considerable number of international students who study full-time academic programs in universities of Latvia. The first adult-oriented textbook of Latvian as a foreign language came out in 1960s. Since then, quite a lot of various learning materials have been created with 11 intermediary languages. However, the contents of almost all textbooks are targeted to people who have either a general or philological interest in Latvian, because in the higher education institutions outside Latvia, Latvian is often learned for research purposes as a part of philology studies. The authors of the present paper – Inga Kaija and Inga Laizāne – teach Latvian to international students who study dentistry at Riga Stradiņš University in Latvia. These students have a specific goal when learning Latvian, namely, they have to be able to communicate to their patients in Latvian, which is using the language in a professional environment. The pre-existing textbooks are not suitable for reaching this goal in a relatively short time. Thus, a new textbook had to be created to support the learners’ needs. The textbook “Latvian for dentistry students” has been created to support acquisition of the basics of Latvian with the purpose of enabling a conversation between a dentist and a patient. The needs of the language learners have been acknowledged by employing the communicative approach but also including explanations on grammatical topics. A grammar overview is included in the end of the book. It could be useful for any adult learner of Latvian as a foreign language as well as teachers. Its target user is the practically, rather than academically inclined learner. This kind of grammar overview has not been included in any textbooks of Latvian before.