Oxford Starter Russian Dictionary

By Oxford University Press

Book Overview

About the Oxford Starter Dictionaries:

Oxford's new Starter range of dictionaries breaks fresh ground in language-learning providing essential information in a completely unique way. Specially designed for beginners, these essential volumes are not merely scaled-down versions of larger dictionaries. Every effort has been made to approach foreign languages from the point of view of the beginning student who may be unfamiliar with the conventions of the more traditional bilingual dictionary, which presupposes a basic knowledge of the foreign language. Each dictionary contains approximately 20,000 words covering everyday vocabulary and core survival phrases. From irregular verb forms to common idiomatic usage, the Oxford Starter Dictionaries provide generous coverage of those aspects of the foreign language which are less easy to decode for English speakers. These innovative teaching tools are unparalleled as accessible and user-friendly introductions to foreign languages.

Each Starter dictionary provides:

* Maximum Guidance

The English-foreign language side provides the user going into the foreign language with maximum guidance offering detailed coverage of essential grammar, clear signposts to the correct translation for a particular context and a wide selection of example material. The foreign language-English side is designed to capitalize on what English speakers know about their own language. Irregular verbs, adjectives, and plurals are all featured in the wordlist.

* Correct Grammar and Usage

Points of basic grammar are reinforced using the sign and colloquial usage is marked for both English and the foreign language. More complex grammatical issues are dealt with in short notes at appropriate points in the text or in the more detailed boxed grammar notes.

* No Abbreviations

The only abbreviations the user will find are those which are entirely self-explanatory as headwords in the wordlist. Parts of speech, gender labels, regional markers, and grammatical terms are all given in full with a glossary providing explanations and examples of different parts of speech in use.

* The Best Translation

The language used in examples is carefully chosen to guide the learner to the correct translation. The wordlist and the clear, lively examples are drawn from English and the foreign language as it is currently used.

* Accessibility and Clarity

Each dictionary page is refreshingly uncluttered. The move from one language to another is explicitly indicated using = signs.

* Thematic Boxes

Thematic boxes are provided containing the vocabulary relevant to areas such as days of the month, games and sports, and talking about time.

* Symbols

Colloquial usage is clearly indicated by means of symbols which are explained at regular intervals at the bottom of the page.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198600321
• ISBN13: 9780198600329
• Release Date: August 1970
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Perfect for the student

This is more than a dictionary. This book contains all of the answers to the common grammatical questions concerning usage, declension, aspect and conjugation for each Russian entry. The English section contains full pages for broader topics, like colours, names and how to express possesion. I highly recommend this dictionary for the first or second year student.

Accessible dictionary for beginnging students of Russian

This dictionary has helped me get through the first few semester of Elementary Russian. It's not the usual scaled-down version of a larger dictionary because the editors kept in mind to include useful phrases that any beginning student of Russian would need to look up, and when you look up a word, it just doesn't give a list of ten possible translations, but it makes sure that you pick the one closest to your intended meaning.

The most practical and useable dictionary in print!

This is an outstanding resource with a unique format for improved user friendliness as compared to conventional dictionaries. The word content is free from esoteric and technical entries, but still relatively comprehensive. It is an essential reference for the beginner. The more advanced readers will also find it a convenient ready-reference tool as well, allowing the large bookshelf type dictionary to be reserved for occasional use. Although the dictionary is larger than pocket size, the ease of use and selected word content also makes this a very good selection for use as a travel dictionary.Word entries have a larger font size and are blue, while the dictionary text is black and a smaller font, and spacing between entries is generous. These features make it much easier and faster to find a particular entry. For the beginner, even the basic usage of a dictionary is not necessarily a trivial task when it comes to the Russian language! This dictionary can be used with confidence, because another unique feature is a set of exercises to ensure the reader is using the dictionary effectively and correctly.The only shortcoming of this dictionary is the absence of phonetic interpretations of Russian words. A brief pronunciation guide is included with the description of the Cyrillic alphabet, and the stressed syllable for each word is also indicated. Entire pronunciations for each word entry would be a valuable addition, however, because of the complex rules governing the pronunciation of Russian words.Overall, this is an excellent resource!