Lonely Planet Bengali Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Bengali Phrasebook)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I bought this book as one of the several "tools" I am using to learn Bengali. The book starts with an explanation of the transliteration used and a brief explanation of grammar. It then goes into common words and phrases. The book provides both transliteration and the Bengali script for many phrases. There is an excellent glossary at the back of the book that is listed alphabetically in English. It also includes transliteration and Bengali script. This is excellent for building your Bengali vocabulary. For information on how to incorporate a phrase book into your language learning process I recommend "How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own" by Barry J. Farber.

Rating:
Summary: I used this to get around in a village w/almost no English
Review: I spent 25 days in West Bengal with this book on me at all times. After leaving Calcutta, I found very few people who could speak much English. As it was designed for, it was fast to use to find a phrase, and pretty easy to be understood when reading. I needed few words that were not included in the book. I intend to use phrasebooks every time I want to learn a language - before I leave for the country.

Rating:
Summary: it works
Review: I was hoping to learn a little Bengali so I can at least have a simple conversation with a native speaker. I haven't done that yet but now at least I can recognize and identify some meanings when I hear those native speakers. This phrasebook has the Bengali script and Roman letters. There is also a Eng-Bengali vocab list in the back of the book that I have found useful. I would recommend this book if you are trying to learn or use a little Bengali. It is simple, inexpensive, and offers some cultural insight to boot.