9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For a Phrase Book, a Good Source, October 12, 2003
This review is from: Hebrew: Start Speaking Today! (Language 30) (Hebrew Edition) (Audio Cassette)
I give this 5 stars because, as phrase books go, and concerning their purpose, this is about as good as it gets. This book with cassettes, explains culture, idioms, is written clearly, and most importantly, lets you hear if you are speaking correctly. This is most important since, despite the rules given for vowel pronunciation, there is a variation given on the tapes that is not explained. Specifically, I refer to Tsere being pronounced as in 'bet,' but in a syllable closed with Aleph or He, Tsere is pronounced as in 'they.' This is a dialectic variation, but an important one.
As with reliance on any phrase books, the student is exposed to living variations in the language. One phrase book differs from another. One is written by an older person using traditional Modern Hebrew among the older natives of Israel, while another is written by a younger native who is speaking the more contemporary dialect that is coming into vogue. Both are used as a majority in Israel, therefore, phrasebooks written on either side of the spectrum are legit. On the other hand, if a phrase book were written in Ashkenazi dialect, a student of this book would be in some communication trouble if the study was for speaking in Israel. This book appears to be more contemporary than some others, both in grammar/vocabulary, and in pronunciation.
The purpose of a phrase book is for visiting a country for a shorter period of time. There is no doubt that by using this book, one will be understood.
A person wanting to LEARN a language, on the other hand, would not find ANY phrase book a good foundation. A phrase book with audio tapes is more helpful to hear the language spoken, but with the actual purpose of phrase books in mind (temporary communication ability that will be lost soon after), this book is fine.
Though I have no intention of visiting Israel, I use this text/tape set for vocalization practice.
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