The Arabic Alphabet: How To Read and Write It [Paperback]

Nicholas Awde (Author), Putros Samano (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0863560350 | ISBN-13: 978-0863560354 | Publication Date: May 2, 2003 | Edition: Bilingual

Ever greater numbers of people are learning Arabic and/or coming into some kind of contact with the Arab world. Anyone who wishes to learn the language faces a hitherto formidable initial challenge: the alphabet.

This book proceeds, step by step, through all the letters of the Arabic alphabet, showing the sounds they stand for and how they are combined into words. Nothing essential is left out, and no unnecessary complications added. Readers will make rapid progress and will be surprised at the relative ease with which they master the first steps towards command of this increasingly important world language.

The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read and Write It belongs on the desk of every student of the language; in the luggage of every visitor to the Middle East; in the briefcase of business people with Arab clients; and in the back pocket of every employee of British or American companies working in Arab countries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Demonstrates the letters in easy-to-follow, stroke-by-stroke diagrams. An excellent value."--Library Journal

About the Author

Nicholas Awde was born in London in 1961 and spent much of his childhood in Africa. He studied Arabic at London University.

Putros Samano was born in Iraq in 1953. Since 1974 he has lived in Britain, where he studied Arabic and Arabic-English translation and now works as a translator and interpreter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Saqi Books; Bilingual edition (May 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863560350
• ISBN-13: 978-0863560354
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,863,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

144 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good place to start, but don't stop here., October 19, 2001

By 

M. Karapcik "Mike" (Temple Terrace, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It (Paperback)

Very good if you just want to spell out Arabic signs, know a "little something" about Arabic (for those with an amateur interest in philology or linguistics), or you just think the script looks cool. Also very good as a companion to "Teach Yourself Arabic Script". I've had to put my study of Arabic on hold (unfortunately, but I'm going back to college for linguistics classes). I used both, and think this one should come first. It has some information on ligatures (I think it was one page) and bare minimal information on handwriting (two pages) and grammar (scattered about). However, it fulfils its goal in very little time and space with some good side information. You learn the alphabet, and most importantly, vowels and other markers (the no-vowel and double-consonant markers). Some other books don't bother with these markers since they are not used in normal print or handwriting. I found that I was able to remember pronunciations of vocabulary much more easily if I could add the vowels. There is also a respectable amount of vocabulary. It is mostly geared towards reading the Koran or newspaper. However, since there is almost no grammar, and therefore no grammatical exercises, one must resort to rote memorization (which I found rather difficult) if one wishes to retain any vocabulary.
So, definitely start with this book. However, don't stop here if you want to know more than the basic script. "Teach Yourself Arabic Script" has more information on handwriting forms (some are a bit different), ligatures (common in handwriting), and enough basic grammar to make sense of signs and newspaper headlines.

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb on several accounts, October 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It (Paperback)

First, the Arabic text is large and the print quality good, making it easy to distinguish double dots from dashes, loops from blips and so forth. Also, all the Arabic is vowelled, which should be obvious for a beginners' book but is frequently omitted. The authors show you the direction the pen should trace in forming the letters and do it on a horizontal line. The pronunciation tips are extremely helpful, particularly for several of the letters without an English equivalent. I found that the first chapter, a brief introduction to the structure of Arabic, did indeed help "reduce the sense of strangeness" about the language. The style of the writing and overall presentation of the book have the knack of making it all seem easy. Clearly, this book was written by experienced and masterful teachers.

My only complaint is that there is no accompanying tape, which means the only practice the book gives you is to copy out the few sample words provided for each letter and the short Koran verse at the end. A tape and workbook would make this complete.

81 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide to the Arabic alphabet, January 16, 2004

By 

T. C Gerlach "pootiboo" (Altoona, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It (Paperback)

I bought this book so that I could learn the Arabic alphabet, and eventually learn a little Arabic. I thought learning the Arabic alphabet would be very difficult since it nearly looks like the random scribbles of my four year old daughter. I was amazed at how quickly this book allowed me to transform those scribbles into their corresponding letters and sounds. I read the entire book in one night, and now have a basic understanding of the Arabic alphabet. With a little more practice, I'll be ready to start learning words and grammar.