Customer Reviews

Beginner's Arabic Script: An Introduction to Reading and Writing Arabic

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Learning Arabic presents several diffculties for the non-native, the first of which is the alphabet, or more accurately, script. This is because, unlike English and other European languages, there is no true printed form for the language, being a true script. The main problem with it is that the letters change their form depending on the context.

At 155 pages, this is almost a mini-course on Arabic, not just on the script, but the overall focus is on teaching you the script, and for that it serves very well. But for someone who doesn't want to have a lot of extra vocabulary or grammar piled on initially, I would recommend the Nicholas Awde and Putros Samano book, The Arabic Alphabet, instead.

I have a slight personal preference for that book over this one, as it focuses more on the script and doesn't worry about the more advanced grammatical topics, which really require a separate volume. As a result, it's shorter and to the point and is only 100 pages long. But both books are excellent and do their job very well. I just think this one would better suited someone who enjoys learning languages and already has skills or training in that area.

If that sounds like you, then this book will give you a little more basic Arabic vocabulary and grammar in the process of teaching you the script than the Awde book, and the author does a fine job of explaining all the concepts clearly and concisely. There are sections on verbs, nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and how they are formed, as well as other aspects of the grammar.

The author also discusses basic phonetics and phonology, and how the vowels and consonants of Arabic differ from English. One odd aspect of the phonetic notation is the number "9" is used for the Arabic glottal stop. I've seen this in one other Arabic beginner's book. It's not standard notation but it's okay for a beginner's book, as long as you know what it means. The author defines it, but I missed that somehow and kept seeing these 9's all over the place, and I finally figured out what it was.

As both books point out, the main problem in learning the Arabic script is the letters change their form depending on their position in the word, in other words, on whether they're at the beginning, middle, or end of the word. Then there is the infamous "Hamzah," or diacritical mark, which can appear over various letters in the word, and can float around a lot. The rules for this get very complicated, and most Arabic speakers don't even know all of them, but the basic principles aren't hard to learn. This makes it very similar in English to the apostrophe, which causes problems for English speakers also. Just these two things can make the alphabet a trying experience to learn initially for the foreign-language speaker.

Both the Awde and Samanos or this book are excellent and will help you clear that initial hurdle of learning the alphabet that must be overcome before you can really embark on a serious study of Arabic grammar and language. If you're flush I'd say buy both books, since they complement and reinforce each other, and they're not that expensive to begin with.

Despite the difficulty with the alphabet/script, Arabic has very regular verb constructions, and dictionaries in fact can refer to them by numbers I-X. The three cases Arabic posseses, the nominative, accusative, and jussive, are really no longer used in actual conservation, and you're only likely to find them in scholarly discourse or in the Koran. This makes the case system no more complex than Spanish or English or French, which is a big help there. In contrast, Russian still has six cases and German technically has four.

Overall, a fine beginner's book that is almost an essential supplement to any course in Arabic, especially if you're going the self-study route (as I am).

This is one of the excellent "Teach Yourself" series. I have tried to learn Arabic on my own using various sources and this is by far the best I have come across. Divided into 15 units, John Mace introduces the student to the alphabet in easy stages rather than the whole alphabet at once (which can be a little daunting)and adds a little grammar in each unit. This is very encouraging to the complete beginner and there are lots of exercises and tests at the end of each unit to re-inforce what you have learnt. Each unit stretches the student a little more but if you concentrate and do all the exercises it is more than manageable. However, the best thing about this book is that Mr Mace teaches you how to hand write Arabic. I spent a whole year once writing beatiful Arabic script as I saw it printed, not realising that it wasn't hand written that way. All the vocabulary used in the book is included in a useful Arabic-English and English-Arabic dictionary. I cannot recommend this book too highly.

My Arabic studies have been placed on hold while I go back to college (prepping [hopefully] for a MA in linguistics). I was using this along with "The Arabic Alphabet" (by Awde and Samano). Personally, I'm finding it easier to go through the other book first, as Awde and Samano's book is very concise, and gives stroke direction. This book is useful, but the script (printed and handwritten) is very small, and the handwriting is a bit "simplified" and "spartan". The handwriting in the book is true to form for "real" Arabic handwriting. However, being an introductory book, I think the author should have made the print larger, and given large, clear examples for the student.

Another critique is that the author rarely uses vowels. The author does this because someone going to an Arabic-speaking nation or picking up an Arabic newspaper will never see these (except on foreign names). He does not want to make the student dependant on these. However, from my experience, learning the pronunciation of the vocabulary was much easier if I could add in the vowels, and so I was able to learn words much faster.

The information seemed very good, but was quite basic. This is NOT a guide to speaking Arabic. It's goal is to familiarize the student enough to read common signs and warnings, tickets and schedules, bills and checks, and as the author puts it, "read a headline and get enough from the article to know what's going on." It's an introductory book, and as that, it serves its function well. It is also a good resource for understanding handwriting, which, as stated earlier, is a very "simplified and spartan" version of the formal script.

Packed with examples, this book doesn't just present the Arabic alphabet, but it treats basic declarative sentences as well. Mace shows you how to write the script and provides examples of handwritten Arabic, presumably his own, with every word. One problem is he doesn't vowelize the words, which can make them somewhat hard to learn. True, unvowelized Arabic is the norm in newspapers and street signs, if not in the Koran, but beginners might want a more phonics-based approach to writing. Furthermore, Mace tends to use a kind of shorthand script when writing: the teeth of "s" and "sh" are smoothed out, the three dots over printed "sh" are represented as a circumflex, and the two dots over "t" and under "y" are represented as a short horizontal bar. Apparently, this way of writing is done by many, but such an overly cursive style would indicate that it's the way to write if you're already bored with Arabic, not if you're just starting out! Unless you're very confident, I would recommend Awde's "The Arabic Alphabet" instead. As for the Mace book, I got jammed at about page 30 and never went back.

First off, let me say that my opinion of this book as a beginner's tool is slightly tainted. I am fluent in Hebrew, which has a very similar alphabet and a lot of cognates, plus similar rules of grammar. Thus, I think I'm at an advantage when it comes to learning Arabic.

That said, I think this is a very solid, if not ambitious, beginner's book. Instead of learning the whole alphabet and then piecing it together, MacE wastes no time getting you to read and write real-world words. And throughout the rest of the book, as you learn plurals, prepositions, possesives, and many other useful rules of grammar and nuances of the Arabic language, MacE teaches you new and useful words and phrases. For example, he puts a lot of emphasis on learning to identify and read common street signs in Arabic (such as "ibil" - camels).

As in many languages, Arabic has a printed and handwritten form, and, if you use the book correctly, you'll be able to read and write both (the handwritten form looks impossibly daunting at first - don't worry!). Also very useful is the small Arabic-English and English-Arabic dictionary included in the back. It is by no means comprehensive, but there are many useful everyday-words that might make reading an Arabic newspaper a little easier.

Overall, I'd recommend this as a good start. If you plan to spend some time in the Middle East or just need to be able to speak and/or read Arabic, you'll need another more advanced book after this to teach you more about putting together whole sentences and other more advanced topics.

This book offers important features not found in The Arabic Alphabet (by Awde and Samano). It presents the alphabet both as it is printed, and as it is ordinarily written. It provides a reasonable beginning grammar. And it offers an introduction to the grammar. But if you want your handwriting to be calligraphic, then you will be frustrated by the lack of guidance on the formation of such letters. My recommendation is that the reader get both books. But, if the budget provides for only one book on Arabic, then this book is probably to be preferred.

Like most of the other reviewers, I have to say that I am enjoying this little book. It stays true to its title, and focuses on the script, both printed and written. I also have the Awde book, which gives more complete stroke direction, but it's short on actual handwriting. Mace's book is full of examples of real handwriting, which I think is great, especially for those trying to learn without a teacher.

I think it's a great idea to introduce rudiments of grammar, so that you're not just stuck on the alphabet all the time. The grammar also helps shed light on the script and pronunciation (e.g., the one-letter prepositions that are tacked onto the start of the words they govern).

My only disappointment with the book is that it's full of words like engineer, ministry, passport, permit, representative - not the kind of words typically associated with a learner's book. What about 'table', 'door', 'hand'? Still, I understand that his target audience is people who find themselves in an Arab country, and need to read road signs, newspaper headlines, maybe fill out paperwork. They're likely to be engineers, I guess, so it makes sense. But for those of us who are just curious, it makes it a little more boring.

Overall, I've found it useful and engaging.

As was pointed out by another reviewer, Frank Gibbons, the vocabulary is very much geared to a bureaucrat who may travel to an Arabic-speaking country, and need to read road signs, talk to officials, etc. If one needs only to be able to read script this is a good book; it has exercises and self-tests and the units are not too much to absorb in a half-hour, so one can absorb the material in one section without too much trouble and make quick progress.
The book also introduces some English/American words spelled phonetically in Arabic, that a traveller or foreign worker might come across.
What I would have liked that that I know more would be an index by word roots, with all the derived words under the root. While I know that some older dictionaries are organized like this, and I wouldn't want that exclusively, it seems like it would be a good mnemonic aid while building vocabulary.
What I appreciate about this book is that it is clear, well-written and explains about word forms, showing patterns that you can extrapolate from in writing/reading plurals, definite articles, etc.

i've studied a lot of chinese character books and recently picked this one up because i've decided to learn arabic script as well. this is the best beginner's arabic book i've ever seen. in the introduction mace gives you clear tips on memorization that you can apply to anything else you might ever want to learn. the book is only 168 pgs long- but the wealth of information inside is astounding. the book is easy to follow, teaches you pronounciation, and grammer in a very clear manner. i've looked through many of the beginner's arabic books- but this is the only one i decided to purchase.

I am teaching myself arabic. I have previous knowledge of the script and picked this up to increase my vocabulary and learn the linguistics of the language. This book is helpful, yet there are some significant drawbacks. The printing (of arabic) is too small. Also, it shows both type and handwritten form, which is practical, but just adds to a learners confusion. Very fast paced, my advice is to have some knowledge of arabic, or linguistics and grammer in general before approaching this book. I am only part way through, and find the vocabulary and teaching style pratical and well designed, but some previous knowledge of language is required. But hey, who said teaching yourself anything would be easy? Keep trying!