Russian Blog
This is a blog by JustRussian about learning Russian. You will find useful tips for learning Russian, Russian courses available in London, information about Russian culture and links to websites with information for students of Russian.
Russian textbooks
By Vlada 20 June 07
Are you about to take Russian lessons and do not know which course book to choose? Your Russian teacher will of course help you, but if you are on your own, here is what you need to know.
The two most popular Russian course books in the UK are, ironically, complete opposites of each other. They are Colloquial Russian by Svetlana le Fleming and Susan Kay (Routledge Publishing, first published in 1993, price £15) and Ruslan – Russian by John Langran and Natalya Veshnyeva. (Ruslan Publishing, first published in 1996, price £11.80).
Being a Russian tutor, I use them every day. They are both usable, practical and reasonably priced. Here is what I can tell you about them.
Colloquial Russian, by Svetlana le Fleming and Susan Kay
This course book comes in two parts: Colloquial Russian 1 is for beginners, Colloquial Russian 2, published much later, is for advanced students.
I have huge respect for the authors of this textbook. Colloquial Russian is reassuringly consistent and professional in its presentation of material. On the whole, it’s a very good textbook, for people who are used to learning languages through grammar and understand the importance of structured studying. It will give you a good solid knowledge of Russian. I really like using it, but… (why is there always a BUT?!)
In Colloquial Russian 1 the texts are so boring and obsolete that it takes a very dedicated student not to fall asleep struggling through them. And it takes a very patient teacher to explain all the Soviet-time references that are no longer relevant in Russian life. The audio tapes are not great: the main texts are not recorded at all, and with the parts that are recorded, the quality of sound leaves much to be desired. In addition to that, Colloquial Russian 1 is meant to be a course for complete beginners, but half way through it becomes – in my opinion – too difficult for most learners. So the average beginner, in my experience, tends to lose the will to live in Lesson 10. On a positive note, if you are an experienced language learner, you’ll appreciate the good aspects of this book.
Colloquial Russian 2 is a recently published course by the same authors for advanced students. It has the same advantages as the first part – great for revision of grammar and structures of Russian. The texts are modern and the presentation of material is consistent and comprehensive as usual but… it has the same old problems. The audio tapes aren’t of high quality and some chapters are based on boring or bizarre texts. There are quite a few misprints and the general impression is that the authors were in a hurry to put it together. Also, each unit is preceded by a text in English, the purpose of which is not clear.
Ruslan Russian, by John Langran and Natalya Veshnyeva.
It is probably the most popular textbook for adult learners in the UK, and has a whole complex of materials: three levels, main books, workbooks, CDs and CD ROMs. Its methodology is the complete opposite to Colloquial Russian. Ruslans 1 and 2 are based on lively, easy to follow dialogues, supplemented by a very good quality recording, CD Rom, and a workbook for additional exercises.
Much though I like its author John Langran, and though I use the books every day and can quote from them by heart, there is a drawback… This course has a serious shortage of grammar and vocabulary explanations which frustrates both students and teachers, plus over-simplification of grammar. All that said, it is redeemed by the story of Ludmilla and her numerous admirers, which provides an endless source of jokes and giggles in the classroom.
Ruslan 3 (for advanced learners) is a new addition to the Ruslan family. It follows a different format but has the same characters, but they somehow lose their charm at this stage. It is a good source of reading material for students who enjoyed studying with the first two Ruslans. It dwells on Russian curiosities, the descriptions of which you’ll never find in any other textbook. But if you haven’t read the first two Ruslans, it will be a bit lost on you.
Through Russia with love, by Natalya Veshnieva
A relatively new course produced by Natalya Veshnieva, John Langran’s co-author in the Ruslan series. It looks like an attempt to create a better, improved and expanded version of Ruslan, with a whole new set of characters travelling through Russia. When it first came out, potential students were put off by its price: a lot of exercises are based on listening and the book has several CDs that should be bought to do this course properly. I’ve recently bought a version published in Russia, with just 1 CD and therefore much cheaper but I am not sure it is available in London in that format. Basically, it’s just like Ruslan, but with lots of additional material: crosswords, puzzles, games, all sorts of creative and communicative tasks. A bit too scattergun, in my opinion. It looks and feels messy and does exactly what Ruslan does.