Customer Reviews

An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic: An Elementary Grammar of the Language

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

.... [This] book presents very
little in the way of Arabic text with Arabic vowels. In all the tables
you get unvocalized Arabic accompanied by transliteration which tells
you the vowels and pronunciation. This may annoy those who would like
to have experience with the actual text of the Koran which is written
with Arabic letters and Arabic vowels.

I would like to respond to
the review of the sincere Muslim below who found the technical
terminology to be a bit confusing. As one who is experienced with
classical languages and introductory grammars in general, the language
is no more than is necessary to truly understand the structure of the
language. If a prospective student of Arabic is not intimidated by the
prospect of learning what might be the most difficult language of the
world, then he should not let himself be dissuaded by Thackston's
terminology. Arabic is a very difficult language. Part of that
difficulty is that it is difficult to describe. Thackston is not
writing this book for those who want enough Arabic to survive on the
streets of Bahrain. He is writing it for those who want to learn the
subtle nuances of meaning in the Arabic so that they can better
understand an enigmatic text in which they are quite likely looking
for the secret of all being. If you truly want to understand Arabic
well enough to open the fine nuances of the Qur'an, then you will have
to be able to understand the finer points of grammar. In fact,
Thackston gives only a rough overview of the grammar of the Koran,
focussing mainly on familiarizing a new student with the basic
building blocks of the language, and relative to other grammars that I
have seen, his technical terminology is quite light. He does want to
equip the new student of Qur'anic Arabic with the understanding that
he will need in order to continue advanced studies later. Any less
from Thackston would be doing the student a disservice.

I am an American muslim who is using this book to help me understand Qur'aanic Arabic in its purest form. I recommend only those who are willing to apply themselves and those with a good background in languages to buy this. The reason being is that the author uses many linguistic terms, which may intimidate or confuse the reader. The only negative thing about this book is that it contains no answers to the exercises. Otherwise, it has many bonuses, especially for the muslim reader. He/she will be able to read the Arabic from 'ahadiith with ease. It is a two-fold bonus. The learner not only learns how to read Arabic without vocalization, but is understanding what he/she is reading also. To top it off, that reader whether they be muslim or not, will enjoy reading Qur'aan Kariim ( kariim meaning Holy) in Arabic and understanding the true meaning without incorrect translation. Hats off to the author who compiled this book because I am very picky when it comes to a person who is not a native speaker of that language attempting to write about that language.

An excellent introduction to classical (Koranic) Arabic. It consists of an introduction to the sounds and script, and is followed by 40 lessons.

The format is very similar to the textbooks of Lambdin and Huehnergard: each lesson introduces several grammatical points, and these are followed by vocabulary, readings, and exercises. Arabic script is used throughout, but the vocabulary and grammatical explanations are transliterated into Roman letters, as well.

2 points to mention ... I found the section on the Arabic script to be short of practice material. I'd recommend "Alif Baa", published by Georgetown University Press, as an excellent introduction to Arabic sounds and script. Be sure to get the 4 tapes that accompany the workbook. This will allow you to concentrate on the grammar; otherwise, the lessons can be a tedious exercise in decoding until the script becomes more familiar. Second point: I'd get the "Key to the Exercises"; it contains the answers to both the English-to-Arabic, and Arabic-to-English exercises given in the main text.

All in all, a very user-friendly introduction to a fascinating language and culture.

This book is PERFECT if you already know a Semitic language such as Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Samaritan, Akkadian... YOU ALREADY KNOW 80% OF KORANIC GRAMMAR, and about 30% of the roots. You need to focus on the new material. Most Arabic textbooks ease students into Arabic grammar by distributing basic forms across several chapters--i.e. 2nd person pronominal suffixes in week 5, 3rd person in week 7. This can be very tedious if you already know a semitic language. In contrast, Thackston is organized like a reference grammar: all enclitic pronouns in a single chapter, all reflexive verbs at once... But unlike a reference grammar, every chapter also includes readings and exercises that focus on core vocabulary and grammar. Also, in contrast to reference grammars, Thackston contains no dissertations on hapax legomena or syntactical exotica. :-) Very highly recommended.

Note: My expertise is in romance languages (French/Spanish).

This book provides a concise grammar/translation approach to learning arabic. Learners who desire to learn arabic as it may be spoken on the streets of various nations may want to look elsewhere. However, because of the historical circumstances according to which arabic has become such a vastly used language, starting with classical/Koranic arabic is probably the best place to begin the trek. This book is clear, concise, and well organized in a manner that speakes to the cognitive structures that are challenged in the mind of the english speaker. Though by the end of the book, no more than (by my count) 500 words are in the learner's vocabulary, the grammatical groundwork is invaluable, making later study immensely easier (no "relearning" will be needed).

Perfect for the person wanting to "take the long road" to learning arabic. Not perfect for someone who wants to find a bathroom.

Wheeler Thackston is known for the precision of his grammatical explanations in his introductory textbooks (he has written ones for Persian and Syriac as well). This book is no exception to the rule. The grammatical explanations in here follow the highest standards of Classical Arabic. Therefore, if you plan to study Arabic by using this book, the information you will get is outstanding, but you must expect a great many details.

Classical Arabic preserves Proto-Semitic noun cases, and the conjugation patterns of its verbs are more numerous than those of other Semitic languages. It has the indicative mood, the subjunctive mood (lost in other Semitic languages) and the jussive mood (preserved only slightly in other Semitic languages). Because of the great complexity involved, Thackston does not include every detail of how these verbal moods are used. One really cannot expect an introductory grammar to do so. However, on occasion the book's exercises require some tidbit of knowledge that the student has not encountered. You can turn to the key, which is generally accurate, but for an explanation of the reason for a particular mood choice, you will have to turn to an advanced gammar, such as the excellent Arabic Grammar.

My evaluation of Thackston's book is positive, but his omission of some details which could and should have been included is what leads me to give it a 4 rather than a 5 star rating. For example, in lesson 1, he tells you how to build clauses consisting of a verb, a noun and a direct object. However, in the lesson every example has the subject as either the only noun phrase in the clause or as a part of the inflected verb when the direct object is a noun phrase. He gives no example which has both a subject and a direct object as noun phrases. Yet, in the English-to-Arabic translation exercises, he wants the student to translate "God created the earth" into Arabic. Here, both the subject and the direct object are noun phrases. Which order do they go in? He has given the student no hint. One has to search through many of the following pages before finding an example that shows the usual order: verb-subject-object. The alternative is to look in Wright's reference grammar, but this too requires persistence. For the average student, the key (An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic, Key to Exercises) is the most practical and least time-consuming way to come across the answer. Still, why could Thackston not have simply said that the normal order is verb-subject-object? This is a detail that would not have overwhelmed the student by its complexity.

Since I have already worked entirely through Thackston's Introduction to Syriac, and have seen similar gaps, I have come to the conclusion that Thackston believes in a minimalist approach to grammatical explanations. The details he gives are accurate, but there are occasional gaps that could be filled in without fear of inundating the student with excessive details.

Another example of this minimalism that I found frustrating was the presentaion of the subjunctive and jussive forms of weak verbs. Thackston sometimes gives only partial paradigms, leaving the student to fill in the rest by applying the rules that have been explained. However, the details are sometimes complex, and the possibility for error is high, so the student would be much better served if the author had presented full paradigms, even at the risk of being slightly redundant. Sometimes you can find the needed paradigms in 501 Arabic Verbs: Fully Conjugated in All Forms or even 201 Arabic Verbs, but sometimes not.

In summary, I do recommend this book (and its key if you are studying on your own). But be prepared for a steep uphill climb. Your mind will soon be swimming with a huge number of noun and verb forms. It will take a while to assimilate them all, even if your aptitude for learning languages is high. But be patient--the view from the mountaintop is worth the toil of climbing up it.

I also recommend that you supplement your learning of the Arabic language with some study of the Qur'an and of Islamic culture. A bilingual Qur'an such as The Holy Qur'an with English Translation and Commentary can be helpful (I recommend this one because the text is reasonably large and legible, unlike some other bilingual editions). A good, flowing English-only version of the Qur'an is The Qur'an; this will get you into the meaning more quickly than some of the older translations. Whichever edition you pick, reading it will help accustom your mind to Qur'anic phrasing, which pervades Thackston's introductory grammar. Also read some hadiths, books on Islam, etc. The Arabic language and Islam are inextricably intertwined; you cannot learn much of one without learning the other. It is a challenging and interesting undertaking, whether your goal is simply to understand modern Muslims or to explore a religion about which you have little prior knowledge.

This Introduction to Koranic and classical arabic is serious work. Each chapter (40 in total) introduces 2 or 3 grammatical points. The vocabulary is very appropriate to reading the Qur'an and it is quite easy to learn it. This gives the student the nice impression of progressing fast. However, the grammar aspect is much more difficult and one should have some knowldge of it before starting the book.

Be careful: the "Key to exercises" which should really be bought as well despite its ridiculously high price (no need of course to buy it if you have a teacher to correct you), has some disappointing mistakes, mostly (as far as I can tell as a student) due to vocabulary changes. Example lesson nine, ex. 1. "the two women who came" is corrected as being "the two women you saw" (al-mar'ataani allataani ra'aytahumaa) (Probably a confusion with the next sentence to translate "a man you saw".)
Each chapter has a mistake like this in the "key to exercices".

Wheeler Thackston's book has no peer. There are many good books on Arabic grammar, but I know none that explains the language as clearly, honestly, and pitilessly as this. It's rough going and tough to use, but only because Arabic itself is an awfully difficult language. Other books that try to ease readers into the language through simplifications and inexact descriptions ultimate do the readers a disservice. If you want to learn to read classical texts, get this one.

This book is well organized and the lessons build on themselves in a logical manner. It has been a great help for me to learn the language of the Qur'an. The book even teaches you how to read unvocalized writing, which I always thought intimidating.

Don't forget to also order the key to the excercises (sold separately). My only complaint is that I wasn't aware the key to the exercises wasn't included when I bought the book.

An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic: An Elementary Grammar of the Language is a technical (elementary) grammar for classical Arabic. I highly recommend that the reader already be familiar with several Semitic languages before undertaking this project. My knowledge of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac is essential for making this text navigable. This is not for the casual learner or the faint-hearted.