Living Arabic: A Comprehensive Introductory Course (Arabic and English Edition)
A comprehensive introductory course for foreign learners, LIVING ARABIC presents a unique combination of colloquial Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in a single program. Using the colloquial for everyday conversation and MSA for reading, writing, and formal speech in a way that reflects native use, the book capitalizes on the shared vocabulary and grammatical structures of the two varieties. The colloquial variety introduced is Levantine, the Arabic spoken in Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, and Jordan, and one of the major Arabic dialect groups understood throughout the Arab world.Using maps, illustrations and photographs, humorous stories and dialogues, and other culturally rich materials, the book carefully and systematically helps learners build the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, while introducing them to Arab culture and the history and geography of the modern Arab world.The first part of the book introduces the Arabic writing and number systems together with a basic working vocabulary. The remaining lessons consist of listening and reading passages and dialogues, accompanied by a variety of activities and exercises aimed at maximizing the acquisition and retention of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Vocabulary-building activities include word matching, crossword puzzles, Jeopardy-type games, and songs.The book comes as part of a package along with a CD and a DVD. The CD includes recordings of the listening selections and reading passages, while the DVD contains video footage of the dialogues acted out by native speakers on location in Jordan.Although the book and accompanying materials are primarily designed for classroom use, they are easily adaptable for independent study.