A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and Linguistics) [Paperback]

Richard S. Harrell (Author), Mohammed Abu-Talib (Author), William S. Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003 | ISBN-10: 0878403876 | ISBN-13: 978-0878403875

A Basic Course is a textbook in spoken Moroccan Arabic that is written for beginners--those who are unfamiliar with the Arabic language, alphabet, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Written in Latinate transcription for this reason, it is carefully designed to present these elements in a progressive, user-friendly, step-by-step manner. Following the initial pronunciation introductions and practice, there are 130 lessons consisting of a text where a small number of phrases and sentences illustrate grammatical points, which are, in turn, accompanied by notes that provide an explanation of the new grammatical material introduced in the text. These sections also contain exercises in the new grammar and vocabulary, with lists of the new words introduced in each lesson. Each lesson is structured in a way that guides the learner naturally and comfortably into an understanding of the structure of Moroccan Arabic. From there, the course progresses into ninety-seven short, conversational dialogues that place the student in a variety of social situations. A CD containing MP3 audio files that further enhance the lessons and dialogues is also available from Georgetown University Press. Visit our website for details: www.press.georgetown.edu.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Arabic --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878403876
• ISBN-13: 978-0878403875
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,334,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners, but still worth it if you're determined., October 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic (Richard Slade Harrell Arabic Series) (Paperback)

This book could be an excellent introduction to Moroccan Arabic, but it suffers from a few flaws. The main flaw is the author's method of transliteration (i.e. using English letters to represent Arabic letters). The method is rather confusing and not the one that is commonly used. If one did not already have a general knowledge of the Arabic language, its sounds and even some vocabulary, one would be at a loss to make sense of the transliteration (i.e. using an "z" to represent the Arabic equivalent of "j" and other oddities). However, once you've deciphered the rather odd transliteration, the book is rather useful. Even though written in 1965, the basics of the Moroccan dialect are well represented in the text, even though it might be called a more formal Moroccan dialect than the one generally heard. My suggestion to anyone wanting to learn any dialect of the Arabic language is to first learn to read and write the Arabic script. That way you don't have to waste your time learning different methods of transliteration. As it stands now, I don't know of a major text dealing with Moroccan Arabic for English speakers that uses Arabic script, so this book seems to be the best for now. I suggest getting it if you need it, but you might need a Moroccan to help you with the transliteration at the beginning. The book mentions that cassette tapes are also available that go along with the text, so they might help also.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars my husband's family got more fun out of it than i did!, March 19, 2001

By 

K. Sosville (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic (Richard Slade Harrell Arabic Series) (Paperback)

the format used of drills for pronunciation is boring and the subject matters of the exercises are not relevant to today's Morocco. Outdated language is used much to the hilarity of my husband's family who are educated Moroccans. Examples of sentences taught are " I gave the rifles to the judge" and "she hit the dog". It's useful for the basics and the grammer but the choice of vocabulary taught means that whilst I know how to construct a sentence, I don't have the vocab! It has inspired me to learn Moroccan and then write a book for English speakers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best I have found, January 19, 2002

By 

Renee Gagnon (Montreal, QC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic (Richard Slade Harrell Arabic Series) (Paperback)

This book is very useful. Although it uses linguistic signs for pronunciation instead of Arabic signs it is still accessible. Being a teacher, I was really able to evaluate the ods used in this book. I have found the exercices easy to follow. The level of difficulty is progressive allowing you to master what you have learned previously before learning more. Being French Canadian, I would have preferred to have a Moroccan-French book. But this is the best one I have found in North America.