Customer Reviews

Iraqi Phrasebook : The Complete Language Guide for Contemporary Iraq

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a useful phrasebook for the novice heading to Iraq for the first time. No Arabic script; a shame, but that seems to be the case with almost all such handbooks tailored to one dialect of Arabic. The almost pocket-sized booklet starts off with a description of the phonetic system and moves quickly to a few very basic elements of grammar, basic words, numbers, telling time, and common situations from greetings to arrival at the airport, checking in at a hotel, getting around town, food and drink, personal care, sight-seeing, visiting mosques, medical care, security situation, and timely police station and checkpoint dialogue. Nothing special in terms of military lingo, but handy sections on "searching a house" and handling "demonstrations". Prepared in 2004, but not with the occupation and post-occupation too much in mind, no mention of roadside bombs or beheadings, prisoners, or prisoner handling; almost as if Iraq were a normal country. Ends with a 1,000 word basic dictionary. At this price you can't go wrong by keeping a copy handy.

That means Basic Issue Item for any of you wondering. If you're going over to Iraq this is a fantastic book to pick up. There is a ton of useful information in it. From ordering food to asking for a better room at your hotel you'll find plenty to get you by. And thankfully the locals in Iraq are very forgiving when you butcher the Arabic language. They understand that Arabic is a very hard language and they're just impressed that you're even trying. And possibly one of the best things is the size of this book. It's small enough to fit in any brief case and most pockets (in my case, my cargo pocket on my ACUs). Remember that each region has it's own form of Arabic (something I didn't know until arriving here) so if you're studying the "mother" Arabic dialect you might have some trouble because not everyone knows the "mother" dialect (as has happened to me already). So make sure your Arabic is region specific.

The book is small and well written overall. It has a section at the front for phoenetic writing but it needs an audible example, like maybe on a website or soemthing. I found it difficult to follow directions for the phoenetic writing used in the text like, "s (underlined) - emphatic "s", similar to the "s" in "sum", with the central part of the tongue depressed and the back part raised.". If anyone knows if this has been produced, please post a link to it.

Good book - very helpful as it is hard to find specific translations! Covers many situations.

Bought for son now serving in Baghdad. He said this was just what he needed. Great service, as always from Amazon.

Small book that packs a great punch. I highly recommend this book to assist you in your travels. Easy to use, basic grammar explanations, good selection of words, easy transliteration method. The only drawback is no script. If you're looking for another book to assist you with learning Iraqi Arabic, I would highly recommend Modern Iraqi Arabic by the same author...complete with script.

Good, cargo pocket sized, my Iraqi translator checked it out and says its accurate and good. I find it easy to read and flip through. Informative.

Overall, a concise and indispensable text for beginners learning Iraqi Arabic.

You will NOT need to learn the complex Arabic script to use this book; it is intuitively and consistently transliterated into English letters and familiar symbols. However, pronunciation is EXTREMELY important. A supplemental resource, such as The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It is highly recommended for familiarization with the sounds of Arabic.

Once you understand how Arabic is pronounced, which will only take a few days to learn (but years to master), this book should be your next investment -- IF you want your spoken Arabic to have a uniquely Iraqi character. On a few occasions, I was actually mistaken as a native because of my localized pronunciation and terminology (despite being white skinned, blue eyed and wearing a military uniform).

Once you get your hands on this phrasebook, you will need a strategy to effectively study it. Let's face it -- your chances of going to Iraq at the present time as an unescorted westerner and returning with your head still attached are questionable at best. This renders many of the rote phrases contained in this book (for hotels, airports, taxis, etc.), completely moot. Your best bet is to browse through and mark for study only the most useful items. Particularly important is the 1,000 word mini dictionary, which is astutely assembled and represents much of the core of the spoken Iraqi dialect. After several months of studying with this resource an hour or two a day, you should be able to express yourself surprisingly well in a variety of common situations. You can expect to, with some effort, arrive at basic two-way communication much of the time. The idioms and expressions at the beginning of chapter four are simply fantastic! Learn as many as possible and use them often. Your Iraqi listeners will be impressed.

This book condenses 95% of the grammar you will actually need into one short chapter. It completely dispenses with obscure grammatical minutia. Dr. Yasin explains everything in plain English, providing plenty of examples of how Arabic is ACTUALLY SPOKEN.

For those in the military, this resource is conveniently cargo pocket sized, and holds up well under abuse. Years later, my copy is still intact and frequently referenced.

I am deeply indebted to Dr. Yasin for developing this work as a solid foundation for many meaningful encounters and relationships with the Iraqi people.