Customer Reviews

Modern Written Arabic: A Comprehensive Grammar (Comprehensive Grammars)

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This volume is perhaps the most important contemporary Arabic descriptive grammar in English. It is based on texts from the 1990s with a preference for texts other than high literature. In its 800 pages, it covers most of modern Arabic grammar and syntax.

As a reference grammar, it will not be necessary (perhaps not even useful) to the student until he is at least at intermediate level. The grammatical terminology is highly technical - there is a useful glossary of terms in the back - and has rather idiosyncratic variations from terms that have become standard over the last century and a half (e.g. the 'accusative' case becomes the 'dependant' case). This is annoying: more seriously in my opinion, no attempt at all is made to provide native Arabic terms. Grammar is illustrated by a wealth of examples, presented in unpointed Arabic script, in a formal transliteration (i.e. with i'rab transliterated) and in translation (sometimes two where the idiom differs vastly between English and Arabic). This is excellent, and mitigates my strongest criticism of the book - it is littered with typos, especially in the Arabic script. Fortunately with the transliteration, one has a check. It is disappointing that Routledge who, after all, are charging a vast sum equivalent to a Harissowitz or Brill book for the hard-back edition haven't tried to emulate the editorial standards of the serious academic presses.

However, despite complaints, this is a work that will amply repay study. I would still recommend the student to use a good teaching grammar - I like Haywood and Nahmad - before and as a guide to 'recommended' usage, especially as Haywood and Nahmad has reference to Arabic terminology (Wright could serve as a terminological reference for the more advanced Classical Arabic student, and indeed goes far beyond H&N in covering terminology). Finally, thanks to Routledge for bringing this book out at a price that a student can (just about) afford.

Karin Ryding's A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic, which I thought might be comparable, is a fairly normal reference grammar of MSA. I personally prefer Ron Buckley's grammar,Modern Literary Arabic, to Ryding. It compliments Modern Written Arabic, and would be better as a first reference.

this is meant for upper-intermediate and advanced learners.Descriptive grammar with full transliteration of the sentences.exhaustive details.hundreds of example sentences.I suggest to buy this book together with 'a reference grammar of modern standard arabic' by karin ryding to get the maximum.

This is a very comprehensive reference grammar of the written Arabic language. I applaud the authors' industry and erudition. At the same time, I have to say that it is not very reader-friendly. The language is consistently technical, and the index does not make it easy to find the information required. I understand that the book is aimed at advanced students, but the same information is provided, much more accessibly, in Karin C. Ryding's "A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic," and Ron Buckley's "Modern Literary Arabic - A Reference Grammar." Thoroughness does not necessarily preclude readibility.

While learning arabic you find sentences which you have a hard time to fully understand. You find each word in Hans Wehr or al-Mawrid, but the words context is new for you and your grammar books don't help you much in grasping the meaning of the sentence. That's when you pick up this helpful tool which often have alot of examples that makes the grammar more clearer and understandable for you, thus the true meaning of that tricky sentence is now fully translatable, meaningwise and grammatically.

Ofcourse, it have some flaws, spelling errors, etc., but it is a very helpful tool, like no other source or reference tool.

A very thorough and comprehensive grammar of MODERN Arabic. An elaborated table of contents is lacking. The index is almost useless. Authors have decided on certain linguistic terminology but failed to include references to common terminology in the index. If you look up the index for "Construct State" or "Status Constructus" you find nothing since the linguistic term used is "Annexation". This term is excellent (actually much more precise than "Construct State") but how is the reader supposed to locate it unless he reads the book cover to cover?

MANY typos in Arabic script. Even in verb paradigms.

Nevertheless, if you are searching for syntactical phenomena in MWA and you don't have a copy of Cantarino, or if you are looking for information about current trends in MWA , better have a copy of this book on your shelf.