The phrasebook [‘razgovornik’] as a communication tool for medieval Russian travelers

Abstract

This article analyzes an unusual genre in medieval Russian lexicography known as razgovorniki [‘phrasebooks’]. The study is framed within the general overall panorama of Russian and western European medieval travelogues, which provided an avenue for dialogue and interpersonal communication between travelers. In some respects, these small glossaries can be seen as embryonic forms of modern didactic lexicography, and they also provide valuable linguistic and cultural information.