Teach Yourself Gulf Arabic Complete Course, CD package
- ISBN13: 9780071434539
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
TEACH YOURSELF BESTSELLING LANGUAGE COURSES! From Cantonese to Thai, Gaelic to Modern Persian, learning the languages of the world is attainable for any beginning student. Learners can use the Teach Yourself Language Courses at their own pace or as a supplement to formal courses. These complete courses are based on the very latest learning methods and designed to be enjoyable and user-friendly Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the … More >>
Teach Yourself Gulf Arabic Complete Course, CD package
5 Comments »
Leave a Comment
Readz Alot said :
March 28, 2010 at 5:44 pm
I was very puzzled when I opened this book. Arabic is, of course, not written in latin script, but in Arabic script. While most Teach Yourself language books start out by introducing you to the written language (sometimes offering transliterations as well, as least for the first few lessons), this book is written almost exclusive in transliteration. The Arabic alphabet IS taught, but very, very slowly, offering one or two letters per lesson. It isn’t until the end of the book that you gain the ability to read ANYTHING in Arabic!)
I will confess to being very confused as to why anyone would want to learn to speak a language without also learning to be able to read and write it.
Fortunately I also own the “beginning Arabic Script” book, so I guess I’ll start with that one. Still, I’d love to know why the authors thought it unnecessary to include reading/writing in this text. Travelers using this book will arrive in their destination unable to read even the most basic signs, let alone books or newspapers. Pretty useless, I think.
Rating: 1 / 5
Sue K. Lopez said :
March 28, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I agree with the last posting. My fiancee is Bahraini and I wanted this book to help me before going to Bahrain. It was hard to find a book with Gulf Arabic – because what they speak there is definitely not the same as what you find titled as Arabic (most of these books are Egyptian dialect). This book is concerned with teaching you the spoken language – if you want to learn to read and write you must learn Modern Standard Arabic, or MSA, which is basically a separate language. This book provides enough of the alphabet and things like street signs so that you can get by. The cultural notes included with each chapter also provide an insight into some of the customs, history, and heritage. I agree that some of the expressions may be out-of-date, but words in every language are being out-dated, or meanings are different, or slang has changed. All in all this book does a good job in teaching you everyday phrases and conversations for use in the gulf area – not Saudi…. For lessons in reading and writing you will have to purchase another course.
Rating: 5 / 5
D.R. said :
March 28, 2010 at 7:48 pm
I was pleasantly surprised to find that when the book arrived today it was a new edition of a book I purchased years ago and gave away. It was on my list to purchase as a replacement and now I have it.
This book, I think, is well written and very well organized. The chapters are categorized under headings such as:
‘Hello!’ asking/giving your name/greetings.
‘Where to?’ and ‘Where is…?’ asking where things are, asking/giving directions.
‘Numbers’ and ‘The telephone number is…’ asking/giving telephone numbers.
‘What time is it?’ telling time, when places open/close and days of week etc.
‘How much is this?’ bargaining, buying and describing things.
‘Are you hungry?’ ordering food/drinks and what you like and dislike.
‘In the House’ where you live, renting a apt/house.
‘In the Hotel’ booking a room, services, complaints.
‘Health’ talking to a doctor/secretary, taking medicine.
And you can learn how to buy a bus ticket to another city, talk to the taxi driver and GIVE HIM directions where you want to go, order food/drinks from the menu at some restaurants and chat with the waiter while giving him your order … How to rent an apartment and hire a car …….. How cool is this book???
The book is filled with vocabulary for every chapter, a dictionary given in both languages and plenty of dialog with the very helpful ‘Key Phrases’ in each unit. Helpful grammar points and ‘Notes’ given on the usage of some words/phrases in conversation. The verb is given in regular and irregular form. You really learn how to speak the Arabic language in conversation with Arab speakers from this book.
There are plenty of fun and interesting quizzes/exercises with an answer key at the end of the book. Every section has some Arabic script so you will be able to identify road signs and highway board notices and order from a simple menu. Then there are ‘Cultural Tips’ in many of the sections that explain the Arab heritage …. And much more.
In the years since I first studied ‘Teach Yourself Arabic’, it is this book that I recall to mind when in conversation with an Arab speaker even now.
I highly recommend this book. It will teach you the language and build confidence as you learn to use it.
Rating: 5 / 5
perekladach said :
March 28, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Considering the growing interest in Arabic and also the signifigance of the Gulf area in general, it is surprising that more resources for learning Gulf Arabic aren’t available. Perhaps some of this has to do with the differences in dialects around the Gulf that some of the other reviewers have remarked upon. Nevertheless, Gulf Arabic has been a neglected area of study and this book is a welcome addition to filling that vacancy.
The CD’s are, of course, indispensible; Gulf Arabic pronunciation has some quirks that will be surprising to learners who come to it from Standard Arabic. (‘q’ becomes ‘g’, and ‘k’ often turns into ‘ch’). The dialogues in the lessons progress at a leisurely but reliable pace and by the end of the work the conscientious student should have command of a somewhat simplified and ‘averaged out’ form of Gulf Arabic that speakers from any region of the Gulf will understand, and be in a good position to add to their knowledge by conversations with Gulf speakers.
All in all this is a good value for the money for anyone with an interest in this area of Arabic and certainly for anyone planning to travel and/or work in the region.
Rating: 5 / 5
D. Radev said :
March 28, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Yes, the previous post is correct. There is barely any alphabet practice and most all words are transliterated into latin alphabet. However, the dialects of Arabic are rarely written. One would almost always use MSA in writting and reading something. The dialects have no standard way of writing them, and it is not therefore taught in schools. Most anything you read will be in MSA (newspapers, news, schoolbooks, and educated writings of various sorts). The dialects, if used in writing, will be in songs, comic books, cartoons, and some informal conversations (example: email between friends). Getting back on topic, the dialects are mostly spoken and therefore it would be of little use to waste your time trying to learn how to write them. You should rather focus on learning how to write MSA. This is probably why the authors of the “Teach Yourself Gulf Arabic” do not focus very much on the written form of the Gulf dialect. Hope this helps.
Rating: 4 / 5