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57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the place to start when learning Russian, November 12, 2002
Ok, so you want to learn Russian. Perhaps you're thinking of visiting the country, or maybe you just want to decipher that odd-looking Cyrillic alphabet. In either case, start with "Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian Script"! By spending a few hours with this book, you'll be MUCH better prepared to follow up with the many Russian phrasebooks for tourists. I've tried the reverse -- bought the phrasebooks and tried to memorize the sayings, but this way is much better. If you can learn to "decode" the Russian alphabet first, you'll find that you already know many, many Russian words, just by the way they sound. Dr. West combines a very logical approach to the Russian alphabet with fun exercises. You will find yourself reading Russian words by page 3. I was a professional linguist for many years and have studied Czech, French and German, so believe me when I say that this is really a nice little book for getting started in Russian. Will you be able to speak Russian when you finish this book? Of course not! But you'll have the right tools to decode that darn alphabet and for continuing on in learning Russian phrases. Do yourself a favor and don't skip this important first step.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Planning to learn Russian? Get this book FIRST!, June 4, 2003
Before you start to learn Russian, I highly recommend that you get this book FIRST!!! I'm presently teaching myself Russian, and it is best to start by learning to decipher, first, the Cyrillic alphabet before learning Russian grammar. And it's quite useful! Recently I was in the Russian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, waiting for the bus that would take me to Kingsborough Community College to attend my swim class. As that bus usually takes a while to come, I used that time to try to mentally translate the Russian names of the stores in the area! A bit challenging, yes. But I had fun doing it! Like most people, the Cyrillic alphabet always seemed to me so imposing and frightening. But it really isn't once you've learned it. Now, whenever I come across words in Cyrillic in my routine travels, the first thing I often do is try to mentally interpret it. My desire to learn Russian came after viewing and listening to the Russian-language version of "The Amphibian Man" (1961) on DVD. Which I proudly, and happily, own! Chapters 6 and 7 of 'TY Beginner's Russian Script' teach you how to write in cursive Russian. I'm presently in Chapter 6. Writing in cursive Russian can be a little tricky at times . But I intend to keep right on practicing until I get the cursives down pat. I also own 'Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian' and 'Living Language Russian', which I would later use to learn how to speak in Russian, and learn the pronunciation of Russian words.
But this is an excellent aid in learning the Russian alphabet. Out of all my 'Teach Yourself' texts in French, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese, 'Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian Script' is the smallest and most compact! I love this book!
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47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not What I Was Expecting But Helpful Nonetheless, August 30, 2005
This review is from: Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian Script (Paperback)
I was hoping for a book that would teach me penmanship. I have all sorts of resources telling me what Cyrillic looks like, both in print and cursive. I have no idea how I'm supposed to get there. Do I start from the left and move my pen to the right? Do I start at the right and move my pen to the left? Somehow I had the idea that this book would tell me. It doesn't.
*On the other hand*, I found that it was more handy than either websites, software, or another book I had purchased, in that it provided some room to practice my letters, and I liked that it repeats things and teaches small words and words that sound like English words right away, because now I actually have a bit of a Russian vocabulary. I can honestly say that this book, more than my other tools, was helpful in getting the letters in my head and making them stick there.
I will be buying another book in this series, "Teach Yourself Russian Grammar", in part due to my satisfaction with this book.
Now. If anyone knows how I can learn how to actually write these letters correctly, feel free to look up my profile and e-mail me.
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