Mastering Arabic (Palgrave Master Series (Languages)) (Palgrave Master Series (Languages))

click here for more details, find new or used items	Jane Wightwick; Mahmoud Gaafar Our price £12.99 (£15.99) New from £8.59 Used from £9.69 Pages: 416 (Paperback) ISBN: 0230013104 Pub: Palgrave Macmillan Pub date: 2007-03-02 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 34622

Reader Reviews:

Fantastic book (0/0 people found this helpful)

The best book I know of for introducing Arabic and to give the user a solid base. I went on to do a degree in Arabic after using this book. I found this book the easiest to understand and use, and I am aquainted with the whole range availabe (after having worked in one of the best language departments in London (Foyles) in its heyday). Now multimedia is around, there could be some interesting ways of teaching, such as the online schools, but this book would still be a good and practical way of learning. Activities such as actually using a pen and writing are essential and some of the multimedia based learning is not going to use that much, if at all.

Good intro, but not to the spoken tongue (1/1 people found this helpful)

I used this prior to undertaking my Arabic degree and it gave me a good introduction to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)its structure, grammar and vocabulary. However, it won't help you in the streets of an Arab city as no one speaks MSA as it is a very complicated language the more you get into it, even for Arabs. The spoken tongue is much simpler, has different sentence structure, easier pronunciation and often completely different words. They are, in effect completely different languages. As I say a very good course, but you need to spend time in an Arab country to pick up the spoken tongue.

Very clear and well laid out (11/11 people found this helpful)

I purchased this set recently having only a very little knowledge of arabic (I did a few classes about 5 months before I bought the set) and I found 'mastering arabic' very clear and easy to follow. The book progresses nicely and introduces letters and grammar bit by bit. The audio CDs really help with pronounciation and are vital. It gives exercises that help with reading, writing and speaking, which i found very helpful. It teaches Modern Standard Arabic and the book is clear that it is a starting point for beginners to gain a good basic knowledge of arabic and is not just a phrase book.

A really great approach to learning Arabic!! (18/18 people found this helpful)

I really like this book, which is the second editition and was completely updated: You learn the alphabet in little chunks so that you are not overwhelmed by the Arabic script. The layout of the book is very clear, you have lots of excercises and listening comprehensions.
With this book you even learn how to learn - the authors show you how to learn vocabulary easily and never forget it, which I find especially helpful since my schooldays are long over!
The only downside for me personally: I purchased the book without the audio cds (since I'm a bit advanced), but if you want to be able to do all the excercises you really need them, although this was not pointed out directly. Then also there is no book for the advanced pupil (yet?), but at least the authors give you advice on how to take it from there once you've worked your way through this book.
All in all a very recommendable book for those who want to learn Arabic the fun way!

Excellent course book (1/1 people found this helpful)

This is an excellent course book and is the basis of a course I have been studying for the last 6 months. However, it does require input from a teacher for additional examples and practice. I have also found that Masterin Arabic Grammer is a necessary companion, along with the CDs and a good dictionary. All in all, an excellent book but probably not for the DIY student.

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