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Overview
Old Church Slavonic, the language of the religious texts translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius for the use of the Slavonic-speaking people of Central Europe in the early Middle Ages, later to become the literary language of medieval Russia and other East European countries, is a basic component of Modern Standard Russian. This is an elementary grammar of the language for readers of English. No previous knowledge of a Slavonic language or of philology or linguistics is assumed, and the essential points are explained with the minimum of technical terms. After a brief historical introduction, the sound system and its representation by the alphabets are described. The declensions and conjugations are then set out clearly with examples. The syntax is treated more fully than in other grammars of the language, and should be of particular help to the student, as it includes many examples which can be used as reading material or as the basis for exercises. A selection of reading passages is included, together with a full glossary.