Arabic (Eastern), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 074355048X | ISBN-13: 978-0743550482 | Edition: 16 Lessons

Eastern Arabic is the dialect spoken in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. Eastern Arabic is also very well understood in the eastern and southeastern parts of the Arab world -- Arabia, the Gulf Region, and Iraq. Pimsleur's Eastern Arabic is based on the dialect of Damascus, Syria.

Arabic (Eastern), Conversational

• Sixteen 30-minute lessons of spoken Eastern Arabic language instruction. These sixteen lessons are the same as the first sixteen lesson of Pimsleur's 30-Unit Comprehensive Program.
• Each lesson includes an introductory conversation, and new vocabulary and structures and includes practice for vocabulary introduced in previous lessons.
• Essential grammar and vocabulary. Topics include: greetings, numbers, meals, shopping, telling time, scheduling activities, and asking and giving directions.
• No mindless repetition! Converse with native speakers in natural (and useful!) conversations.
• Easy, fast, fun and effective language acquisition.
• Completely Audio - anytime, anywhere. No computer necessary! Unlike expensive software programs which tie learners to a computer, Pimsleur courses are available in CD or mp3 format to meet your needs.
• Receive an instant credit of $150 to trade up from the Conversational to the full Level 1 Comprehensive CD course.

Pimsleur® equals success. Just one 30-minute lesson a day gets you speaking and understanding like no other program.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pimsleur programs provide plenty of positive reinforcement that will keep learners on track, and we found that Pimsleur gave us more proficiency and confidence in speaking the new language than any of the other language programs we reviewed." -- AudioFile Magazine

"EXTREMELY ACCESSIBLE...each section within the lessons is short enough to hold our attention, and there is enough repetition to teach even those who consider themselves slow learners...Pimsleur [programs] are extremely thorough and easy to use -- quite lively!" -- Boston Herald

"Learn French while commuting, German while jogging, Spanish (or Russian, Italian, and Japanese) while cooking all with NO WRITTEN MATERIALS!" -- New York Daily News

"Designed for the ear and not the eye...the lessons provide PERFECT 30-minute bites of work." -- St Louis Post-Dispatch

"Learn to habla español or parlez français before your next trip aboard. The interactive LESSONS CHALLENGE STUDENTS to use new words in conversation instead of memorize them." -- American Way (American Airlines inflight magazine)

"I tried other language programs with little success...This is the best by far!" -- Pamela A. Mitchell, Pilot, International Society of Women Airline Pilots

About the Author

Dr. Paul Pimsleur devoted his life to language teaching and testing and was one of the world’s leading experts in applied linguistics. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed The Pimsleur Method based on two key principles:  the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called “Graduated Interval Recall.”  This Method has been applied to the many levels and languages of the Pimsleur Programs.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Pimsleur; 16 Lessons edition (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074355048X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743550482
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Arabic > Instruction
  • #89 in Books > Books on CD > Nonfiction

More About the Author

Dr. Paul Pimsleur (b. 1926, d. 1976) devoted his life to language teaching and testing and was one of the world's leading experts in applied linguistics. He was fluent in French, good in German, and had a working knowledge of Italian, Russian, Modern Greek, and Mandarin Chinese. After obtaining his Ph.D. in French and a Masters in Psychology from Columbia University, he taught French Phonetics and Linguistics at UCLA. He later became Professor of Romance Languages and Language Education, and Director of The Listening Center (a state-wide language lab) at Ohio State University; Professor of Education and Romance Languages at the State University of New York at Albany; and a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Heidelberg. He did research on the psychology of language learning and in 1969 was Section Head of Psychology of Second Language Learning at the International Congress of Applied Linguistics.

Dr. Pimsleur was a member of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and a founding member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

His many books and articles revolutionized theories of language learning and teaching. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method (The Pimsleur Method) that is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called "Graduated Interval Recall." This Method has been applied to the many levels and languages of the "Pimsleur Programs."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising easy to learn, March 18, 2007

By 

Robert Bernstein (Sterling, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arabic (Eastern), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

I was hesitant about learning Arabic, given how difficult others had made the effort out to be. This set of discs made it very easy. The repetition used (called the "Pimsleur Method") worked really well for me. I found myself repeating phrases from the CD's in my head long after listening to them. This is a great way to pick up a new language.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overly Repetitive, January 18, 2008

By 

Truth-Purveyor "Samuel" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arabic (Eastern), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

I got this program to compliment the other books and software for learning arabic that I have collected over the past few months.

This program does indeed teach the basics but it is almost too basic. I am currently working through the 5th lesson. The later lessons introduce concepts that were introduced in the first lesson but it becomes tediously repetitive. I can't remember the number of times I was prompted to say "I am American" as this is one of the phrases learned in earlier lessons. Half way through the entire program, I have only learned a handful (<20) of phrases. As the lessons come on audio CDs, I think it would have been a more effective program if it cut down on the repetition in lieu of adding more vocabulary/phrases. One only then needs to replay the CD if they felt they were not yet ready to progress to the next lesson.

Although these audio CDs may be effective for people with ZERO arabic knowledge, it would be too basic and repetetive for anyone with past exposure. The program teaches the Syrian dialect arabic and the language is not outdated. The speakers in the program are native speakers and the speech is pristinely clear.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic for Beginners!, June 14, 2008

By 

S. Watkins "swatkins01" (Fairbanks, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arabic (Eastern), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

Perfect for beginners wanting to learn Arabic. The lessons proceed at a reasonable pace, and the pronunciation is clear and easy to understand. Each lesson is 30 minutes and you do only one lesson a day. Don't exceed this recommendation and try to squeeze in an extra lesson or two a day. The reason for one lesson a day is to allow the learning to sink in before moving on. However, you should budget an hour a day for the lesson, because if you are like me, you will want to repeat the same lesson again that day. The CDs teach the "academic" form of Arabic, rather than any regional dialect. As explained, this is roughly akin to learning British English. It might sound a bit unusual in the U.S. or Australia, but it would not hinder communication. Again, this product is ideal for beginners, but anyone with some exposure to Arabic might find the pace a bit slow.