A Frequency Dictionary of Russian (Routledge Frequency Dictionaries)

An extremely useful text that gives the 5000 most commonly used Russian words in the order of frequency with an example and the English translation. In addition there are 26 themed boxes that give the top words used in specific topics like for example, moods and emotions. At the end of the book the words are listed in alphabetical order with their frequency ranking enabling you to quickly find a word. Another section lists the words in their "parts-of-speech", for example, the most frequently used adverbs, and another section that gives the most commonly used multiple word expressions.

I've been studying Russian full-time for the past nine months, and as any language learner knows it can be an extremely frustrating experience. One of the first problems you run into is trying to figure out what vocabulary you need to learn. Obviously you'll start learning vocabulary from whatever program your using, but at some point you'll need some guidance in adding to your ever expanding vocabulary.Enter the world of frequency dictionaries. Nicholas Brown's frequency dictionary ( Russian Learners' Dictionary: 10,000 Russian Words in Frequency Order ) has been the go-to, Russian frequency dictionary for many years, but unfortunately I felt that it was lacking a lot. After doing some research I stumbled onto Serge Sharoff's work into word frequency in the Russian language, and I was very excited when I found out he would be publishing a dictionary soon.PROS----| Well-researched frequency list with a full explanation as to his methodology |The first few pages of the dictionary introduces the reader to the methodology behind how Sharoff developed his list. He goes into the pros and cons of his research, and from a statistical perspective I was impressed. While no methodology is perfect, the fact that Sharoff shared how he developed this list gave me more confidence in the work.| Usage examples for each word |Each word in the list has the definition, part of speech, and a contextual example in a clean, easy-to-read format. Brown's dictionary only gives examples for the first 600 words. The format of Brown's dictionary is also very cluttered, and I prefer Sharoff's version.| Frequency list breakdown by word type |After the main frequency list, there are then separate ordered lists by part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.). Brown's dictionary does not have this.| Additional frequency lists |The dictionary also includes a few extra frequency lists by category type, such as foods, sports, and so on. This is a nice little addition if you're looking to get targeted vocabulary. At the end of the dictionary there is also a frequency list of multiword expressions. I think that this is an amazing addition because multiword phrases are extremely common in both written and spoken Russian, and having a list to work from is great.CONS----| No digital version |In this day and age I'm always surprised when a publisher for whatever reason chooses not to release a book in some form of e-format. My iPad and iPhone are my main learning tools for Russian, and it would be nice if I could have this book with me wherever I go. This was actually the first real book I've bought in several years.| Categorical frequency lists littered throughout the book |In a move that I don't understand, the categorical frequency lists (sports, foods, etc.) are scattered throughout the book instead of being in their own section. Thankfully the table of contents gives you the page numbers of these separate lists, but having them spread throughout the book doesn't make much sense.I need to make the important point that this is not a general dictionary and should not be used as one. I've seen many people complain about frequency dictionaries because they can't look up words in alphabetical order. That is not the purpose of this dictionary. This is a dictionary targeted toward serious learners that are looking for a targeted approach to learning vocabulary. In this respect the dictionary is great, and I highly recommend that any serious Russian learner get this book immediately.

I am attempting to understand Russian. Bought this dictionary for that purpose.

There comes a point when you've mastered the basics of grammar, but in order to advance in the language you need to boost your vocabulary. Frequency dictionaries such as this are one approach to learning the most essential vocabulary. I would certainly agree with most points of the previous review. The method this book has used to determine what in fact are the most frequently used words is no doubt more systematic and accurate than any of its predecessors. There are many helpful aspects to this book in addition, such as also giving words by group; the lists by parts of speech at the end; and the most common multi-word expressions.The shortcomings of this book are: 1) no ebook edition. (2) As far as the dictionary itself, the one thing that has not been handled well are the verbs. It is logical when learning Russian to learn aspectual pairs together. But instead this book gives them as separate words (ex., smotret' is 158, posmotret' is 314); sometimes only one is given (zamechat' but no zametit'). Moreover, there is absolutely no information given about verbs other than their definition: no guide to conjugation or to the noun forms that the verb governs. In this respect Brown's Frequency Dictionary is better, though perhaps it is simply better to use a different book such as 750 Russian Verbs.A third potential shortcoming are the examples given for each word. While these are very real, contemporary examples, they are not simple ones, and sometimes even use words that aren't in this dictionary at all, so I wonder how useful they will be for beginning students. Perhaps more basic constructions (such as used in something like Anpilogova's Essential Russian-English Dictionary) would be better for many learners, at least for the first thousand words or so.

This is a great resource for building up a basic vocabulary.

Ouvrage tres complet. Cependant il aurait fallu une version sonore des phrases. Les phrases d'exemple sont peuretre un peu complexes pour des debutants.

This frequency dictionary is perfect for my requirement - if like me you are a beginner to the Russian language and are looking to significantly boost your vocabulary, then in my opinion this is the best resource available.As to be expected, each word is listed in order of the frequency it’s used in everyday Russian, i.e. common words at the beginning of the book and rarely used words towards the back. The author even explains how he developed and researched the list within the preface, which in itself is rather fascinating.I believe enough information is given for each word, including abbreviations to indicate if it’s a noun, verb, male, neutral or preposition etc., the English translation and a sentence with the word in use, but most importantly for me, it highlights where the stress lies within a word, which as a beginner is absolutely essential.The layout of the book is very user friendly, with clear text and well formatted pages which are incredibly easy to read. The book also features an alphabetical index in the back which has proved handy on a number of occasions, as well as sections throughout where the words are listed in categories such as “animals” or “colours” which is also useful if like me, you’re creating your own flashcards. The quality of the book seems to be to a very high standard and being published by Routledge, I am confident the words and descriptions that appear will be accurate.I chose this edition against other frequency dictionaries due in part to its lower price point, but mainly because by using the “look inside” feature on Amazon, I decided it was the best layout and format for my current needs. I know it only has 5,000 words compared to 10,000 in other versions, but as I beginner I really don’t need that depth of language just yet. This book ticked all the boxes on my wish list, and has proved to be invaluable since being delivered. I would have no hesitations in recommend this book to all those undertaking the learning of Russian.(On a side note, I would also recommend “Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It” by Gabriel Wyner. This book helps you understand the language learning process and makes learning and retaining large amounts of vocabulary, like those presented in this Russian Frequency Dictionary, a less daunting and rather fun process. By using both books, my vocabulary has increased significantly).

I would suggest this book to every Russian learner I know. So much better than Nicholas Brown's "Russian Learners' Dictionary"This book deserves a review. A 5-star review. I study Portuguese and Russian, and I learnt Portuguese intensively using the Portuguese equivalent to this book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frequency-Dictionary-Portuguese-Routledge-Dictionaries/dp/0415419972) and I wish I had had the same for Russian when I started.Frequecy dictionaries literally list the top 5000/10000/however many words in a language. This is amazing if you want to learn useful vocab...trust me, I have learnt too much useful vocab. By using quizlet.com to make vocab lists, this book can revoutionize your vocabulary learning.This book, is very different to the popular book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Russian-Learners-Dictionary-Words-Frequency/dp/0415137926/ref=pd_sim_b_15), which I ordered and immediately returned because it was so badly presented. These books are so easy to read, nicely formatted, and user-friendly. Nicholas Brown's "Russian Learners' Dictionary" is NOT. This Routledge collection of Frequency dictionaries gives examples throughout, an alphabetical list at the end, a multiword expression list, words ordered by grammatical class. Interestingly, it also gives distribution statistics for every word. I aim to learn all 5000 words by the end of term - no mean feat.

Excellent book - very useful, contemporary word list