Yuri Shevchuk’s Ukrainian-English Collocation Dictionary in the Slavic Review

The authoritative Slavic Review has just published a glowing review of Yuri Shevchuk’s Ukrainian-English Collocation Dictionary, Hippocrene Books, Inc., New York, NY, 2021, by Michael M. Naydan, professor of the Pennsylvania State University and a leading expert in Ukrainian literary and translation studies. “The publication of this Ukrainian-English Collocation Dictionary comprises a monumental event in Ukrainian lexicology,” writes the reviewer. “It is described as six dictionaries in one: translation, collocation, learner’s, thesaurus, phraseological, and encyclopedic. It hits the mark on each of those categories with copiously detailed entries, which exhibit the compiler’s in-depth knowledge of both Ukrainian and English. Yuri Shevchuk navigates back and forth seamlessly between the two languages and presents consistently suitable versions of Ukrainian words and phrases in English. […] The sheer abundance and quality of information in Shevchuk’s entries should make his dictionary a primary source that translators and learners should go to in seeking translations of Ukrainian words and expressions. Shevchuk’s collocation dictionary, the first of its kind for any Slavic language, should also serve as a useful template for future compilers of similarly constructed dictionaries for the Slavic world. Shevchuk’s UECD in sum is a remarkable contribution to Ukrainian lexicology that will have a meaningful impact for decades to come,” concludes Michael Naydan.

This latest review of Shevchuk’s dictionary chimes with other peer assessments. Ian Press, Emeritus Professor of the School of Modern Languages, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK, and co-other (with Stefan M. Pugh) of the popular Ukrainian. A Comprehensive Grammar, Routledge, 1999, notes, “… I am at a loss for words about this dictionary, which is worth ten stars [out of five available on amazon.com]. Perhaps users of dictionaries often skip any introductory remarks. … Well, the introduction, in both English and Ukrainian, is an absolute must-read here. But do then go on to looking words up … and so far I’ve never failed to find what I wanted, not to mention learning so much I didn’t expect to learn.”

Rory Finnin, Associate Professor of Ukrainian Studies, University of Cambridge, UK, wrote on his Facebook page, “… Shevchuk has not only produced an infinitely helpful resource for anyone interested in Ukrainian but given us one of the most breathtaking scholarly achievements in Slavonic Studies in many years. It is a monument to the Ukrainian language and a watershed in its development on the global stage…”