For some of the languages that I learned / am learning, we started with words then simple sentances. The actual alphabets and pronounciation came later on (which confused things for me a little) but learning the alphabets earlier on would have been a little boring.

Before I spent time with an instructor who approached a language simply by teaching me words. That's all we ever did. Studied words. Not how to use them or put them in sentances. It didn't work out.