Arabic books
10 of the best books for learning Arabic
Motivation and hard work alone are not enough to learn a language. The proper kinds of language resources -- well written, accurate, effective, level-appropriate -- are also imperative. We have scoured available Arabic resources and listed only the best of the best here. Any of these books is guaranteed to serve you well on your quest to become proficient in Arabic.Bilingual Arabic-English Dictionaries | Learn Arabic vocabulary
TEACH YOURSELF ARABIC
1 Mastering Arabic, book with 2 CDs, by Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar, 370 p. (2004)
Among the many books available
for Arabic self study, none seem to match the solid approach served
up by Wightwick and Gaafar in Mastering
Arabic. The book is written for the true beginner looking
to acquire a level of Arabic that enables one to communicate basic
everyday needs.
The book first teaches users the Arabic alphabet -- a must for any
serious student, since transliteration is a crutch that will not
be available in authentic situations (though the authors include
transliteration through the first few chapters). Each chapter provides
grammar lessons, introduces vocabulary and phrases useful in common
situations, and offers numerous contextualized practice activities.
What makes the book particularly useful for self-study is that answers
are provided in the back of the book.
Mastering
Arabic comes with 2 excellent CDs that foster learners'
aural comprehension skills and teach proper pronunciation. The book
also points out the differences between formal written language
and spoken language. This text and the accompanying CDs enable learners
to gain a basic proficiency in Arabic.
2 Living Language Ultimate Arabic: Beginner-Intermediate, book + 8 audio CDs, 535 p. (2006)
This comprehensive text and audio course is designed
to teach the beginning learner of Arabic how to read, write, speak,
and understand basic Arabic. The book is organized into 35 clear,
well-developed lessons. The lessons each begin with an engaging
dialogue, which can be heard on the CDs and can be read in the text.
The conversation is followed by a clear and thorough explanation
of grammar and its usage as demonstrated in the dialogue. Practice
exercises with answers round out each lesson, so the learner can
check comprehension of the lesson's material before moving ahead.
Instruction is evenly paced and keeps the learner progressing toward
proficiency. A useful feature of this particular program is that
it teaches Modern Standard Arabic as well as gives the learner access
to the four most common Arabic dialects, namely Egyptian, Iraqi,
Lebanese, and Saudi. This allows the learner to acquire not only
enough language to be understood, but also to understand native
speakers when they respond.
This book/CD package is ideal as a stand-alone self-study course or as a supplement to a formal Arabic language class. With listening, reading, speaking, and writing practice and an introduction to Arabic culture, it is comprehensive. And it closely follows proven methodologies for language learning. This series is highly recommended for anyone who wants to gain a functional knowledge of Arabic beyond tourist basics. It has everything a learner needs to be road to proficiency in Arabic.
LEARN THE ARABIC ALPHABET
3 Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds / Alif Baa Answer Key, by Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, Abbas Al-Tonsi, 2nd ed., 168 p. & 2 DVDs (2004).
This first volume in the Al-Kitaab
program provides learners with an introduction to the alphabet and
sounds of Arabic. With this book, students will learn to read and
write Arabic letters and -- with the help of the 2 DVDs that are
included with the text -- also to pronounce them. The DVDs are included
only with this fully updated 2nd edition.
The material is presented in 10 different units with exercises to
practice writing letters in various words, giving learners the opportunity
to practice the letters in initial, medial, and final positions
as well as to acquire a beginning vocabulary of about 150 words.
The DVD provides video illustrations of someone pronouncing the
letters, which helps learners find the proper mouth and tongue position
for correct pronunciation. Each sound is spoken by a variety of
people to highlight the pronunciation range that can exist among
native speakers of Arabic. In addition, there are video clips of
the letters being written and a cultural video for each lesson.
Exercises help users learn to distinguish between the sounds.
The program introduces users to Modern Standard Arabic and also
some colloquial spoken Egyptian Arabic. This introduction to the
sound and writing system of Arabic will give users a solid foundation
for further study of the language and culture.
For independent learners, there is also a very reasonably priced
answer
key available.
4 The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It, by Nicholas Awde, Putros Samano, 95 p. (2000).
This volume provides a more basic introduction
to the Arabic alphabet than that found in the Alif
Baa book. After describing the alphabet, the authors present
the letters in each of their variations and clearly describe what
sounds each symbol represents. Vowels and ligatures are also included.
The material is presented simply, concisely, without technical jargon
and in a well-organized manner. This book is not only very accessible
to the true beginner in Arabic; it is also very reasonably priced.
LEARN ARABIC GRAMMAR
5 A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic, by Karen C. Ryding, 734 p. (2005).
This handbook provides learners with a thorough
introduction to the Arabic language, its alphabet and sounds, and
its structure. The 39 chapters introduce topics in a logical sequence
and each explains grammar clearly and concisely. Grammar descriptions
are detailed, provide excellent examples, and use technical terminology
only as needed. Transcriptions are also given throughout to aid
comprehension. Several of the later chapters cover the formation
of verbs in Arabic, the understanding of which is essential to gaining
proficiency in Arabic.
In addition to the wealth of information provided in the chapters,
the appendix includes a guide to using an Arabic dictionary, a list
of references, and a useful index. This comprehensive yet accessible
grammar reference would be useful as a supplement to an Arabic course
and is also an excellent tool for independent study.
6 Modern Written Arabic: A Comprehensive Grammar, by Adrian Gully, Mike G. Carter, Elsaid Badawi, 80 p. (1999).
This comprehensive guide is an excellent grammar
resource for intermediate to advanced learners of Arabic and nicely
complements Ryding's A
Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic. Gully, Carter,
and Badawi's work is nearly exhaustive in its coverage of the structures
of modern Arabic. They provide numerous examples, all taken from
authentic texts published since 1990, including a plethora of non-literary
texts, thus ensuring good coverage of contemporary usage. While
there are several typographical errors in the Arabic examples, the
transliterations and translations of examples prove useful to learners.
LEARN ARABIC VOCABULARY
7 Your First 100 Words in Arabic: Beginner's Quick & Easy Guide to Demystifying Non-Roman Scripts, by Jane Wightwick, 704 p. (2003).
Wightwick's book accomplishes what it sets out
to do -- namely, to teach the beginning learner of Arabic a basic
vocabulary of 100 useful words and to teach the Arabic script in
a simple, easy-to-grasp manner. Words taught derive from such everyday
categories as clothes, body parts, around the house, animals, and
others.
Drawings, flashcards, games, exercises and the meaningful repetition
and recycling of words all reinforce learning. The flashcards include
words both in Arabic script and in transliteration. The book is
a useful learning tool for true beginners or those with only a rudimentary
knowledge of the Arabic language.
8 Using Arabic: A Guide to Contemporary Usage, by Mahdi Alosh, 356 p. (2005).
Using
Arabic is designed for intermediate- to advanced-level students
wishing to refine and expand their knowledge of Modern Standard
Arabic. The book briefly touches upon issues of dialect before discussing
other types of variations among speakers related to age, gender,
status, and origin (Chapter 1). The bulk of the book is devoted
to distinctive vocabulary- and grammar-oriented features of contemporary
Arabic.
Chapter 2 covers a wide range of vocabulary issues. The author first
outlines how words in Arabic are constructed, both linguistically
and conceptually, and points out important differences between English
and Arabic. Then he goes on to indicate how certain words are used,
covering problem areas such as homophones and verbs that change
meaning, addressing such special groups as loan words, antonyms,
synonyms, personal names, geographical terms, and many others. Chapter
3, which constitutes about 40% of the book, provides a thorough
review of Arabic grammar.
The breadth of material in the book is noteworthy, as it explains
many aspects of normal usage and also includes any exceptions. Serious
students of Arabic will be able to add much to their repertoire
of linguistic skills with the help of this volume.
GOOD BILINGUAL ARABIC-ENGLISH DICTIONARIES
9 Arabic Practical Dictionary. Arabic-English / English-Arabic, by Nicholas Awde, K. Smith, 400 p. (2004).
This English-Arabic / Arabic-English dictionary is a handy reference for beginning to advanced students of Arabic. It contains 18,000 entries, arranged alphabetically rather than by root, making it more accessible to the English-speaker. While some dictionaries overlook words in modern usage, the entries in the Awde/Smith dictionary reflect contemporary themes. The Arabic script is clear and transliterations of Arabic words are included. Though not as complete as the comprehensive dictionaries like Wehr, Al Mawrid, or Oxford (each of which has its own advantages and drawbacks), it is much easier to use, contains all the information one needs to use and understand basic Arabic, and costs far less.
10 Arabic-English Dictionary. The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, by Hans Wehr, 1301 p. (1993).
The Hans
Wehr Arabic-English dictionary is one of the most popular
Arabic dictionaries around. It is most useful for the intermediate
to advanced user or for the beginner who wants to learn to understand
standard Arabic and not necessarily produce it, as it contains only
Arabic-to-English entries. Though the book does include some dialect-specific
words and some classical Arabic, as a dictionary of the written
language, it mainly contains the vocabulary of Modern Standard Arabic.
The entries are organized by root rather than alphabetically --
an organization more difficult for English speakers to become accustomed
to but far more fitting for the Arabic language. Organization by
root also promotes further acquisition of Arabic, as learners can
pick up on related words more readily. The entries cover multiple
meanings of each word and contain the linguistic information learners
need to effectively deal with words. They delineate, for instance,
common phrases and idioms containing the entry word and indicate
which prepositions to use with a verb. Also indicated are such features
as genders, plurals, verbal nouns, and more.
Any serious student of Arabic will eventually want to own the Wehr
dictionary. For those intending to move beyond the basics, it is
among the most useful for English-speaking learners of Arabic.
Bilingual Arabic-English Dictionaries | Learn Arabic vocabulary
