This new edition, updated and with additional exercises, equips those who work, travel, and study in Arab countries with an educated form of spoken Arabic that functions flexibly in the face of various regional colloquial variants in the Arab world.
Because the Arabic language has a number of very different spoken vernaculars, being able to speak and be understood in all Arab countries has become a challenge for English speakers. Ryding and Mehall have designed a course that teaches a standardized variant of spoken Arabic that is close to, but more natural than, the literary Modern Standard Arabic.
With a non-grammar-based approach, this book fosters communicative competence in Arabic on all levels and develops speaking proficiency without abandoning Arabic script. It has proven to be clear, effective, and relevant to the needs of Americans living and working in the Arab East. Task-based lessons feature basic dialogues between Americans and Arabs, explanations of new structures, vocabulary expansion, and exercises; and provide gradual access to the sounds and script of Arabic by emphasizing listening and reading comprehension first, then slowly adding oral exercises and activities until the student has achieved basic proficiency.
Not intended for self-instruction for beginners, Formal Spoken Arabic Basic Course with MP3 Files assumes some previous knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic script and phonology, and previous or simultaneous instruction in orthography. This new edition includes a CD of MP3 audio exercises that are keyed to the text and drill students on listening and speaking.
Lessons cover topics including:
Heads of State
Cities and Countries
Official Titles
Geography
Systems of Government
Lost Luggage
Getting Acquainted
Establishing Common Ground
Seeking and Giving Information
Personal Needs and Family
Handling Problems
Eating Out
Bargaining and Buying
Related Sites:
http://press.georgetown.edu/georgetown/instructors_manuals
Karin C. Ryding is professor emerita in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University.
David J. Mehall is a research associate at the Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL), University of Maryland.
Contents of the MP3 Files
Arabic Research at Georgetown University
Preface
Preface to the first edition
Acknowledgements to the second edition
Introduction
Teachers Notes
Students Notes
LESSON ONE: HEADS OF STATE
LESSON TWO: CITIES AND COUNTRIES
LESSON THREE: OFFICIAL TITLES
LESSON FOUR: GEOGRAPHY
LESSON FIVE: SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT
LESSON SIX: REVIEW
LESSON SEVEN: GEOGRAPHY II
LESSON EIGHT: LOST LUGGAGE
LESSON NINE: GETTING ACQUAINTED
LESSON TEN: ESTABLISHING COMMON GROUND
LESSON ELEVEN: SEEKING AND GIVING INFORMATION
LESSON TWELVE: PERSONAL NEEDS AND FAMILY
LESSON THIRTEEN: REVIEW
LESSON FOURTEEN: HANDLING A PROBLEM
LESSON FIFTEEN: EATING OUT
LESSON SIXTEEN: BARGAINING AND BUYING
Arabic-English Glossary
English-Arabic Glossary
Appendix 1: Names of the Months and Months of the Islamic Calendar
Appendix 2: Summary Verb List by Form and Verbal Noun
"This book fills a significant gap in teaching spoken Arabic as a foreign language."—Language, reviewing a previous edition or volume
"A well-designed Arabic text that will enrich Arabic instruction in the United States. It represents a bold attempt at addressing a pedagogical problem arising from the diglossic situation in the Arab world."—Al-Arabiyya Journal, reviewing a previous edition or volume
"Goes a long way toward bridging the gap between Arabic Colloquial Dialects at the one end of the spectrum and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) at the other end, and with the addition of a number of key Levantine Colloquial vocabulary items, it allows learners who have a certain expertise in MSA to make use of that expertise appropriately and effectively as they pursue their daily lives in the Middle East."—Gerald E. Lampe, deputy director of the National Foreign Language Center and president of the American Association of Teachers of Arabic
"This revised edition is sound in approach and cultural content; it enables academicians and professionals alike to acquire a spoken vernacular that transcends the boundaries of diverse Arabic dialects while carefully overcoming localisms—thanks to the authors classroom-tested and adaptable materials and masterful approach that seamlessly weaves commonalities among spoken dialects into one learnable language variety."—Mohssen Esseesy, assistant professor and coordinator, Arabic Program, George Washington University
"Karin Rydings Formal Spoken Arabic is a milestone in the teaching of spoken Arabic, the only book of its kind. This textbook presents the Arabic used for a wide range of situations—an intermediate variety between spoken colloquial Arabic and the written language. It addresses the critical need for communicating across dialects and can be used anywhere in the Arabic-speaking world."—Margaret Nydell, director of graduate studies in Arabic, Georgetown University
