Using Arabic: A Guide to Contemporary Usage [Paperback]

Mahdi Alosh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521648327 | ISBN-13: 978-0521648325 | Publication Date: August 8, 2005 | Edition: Bilingual

This guide to Arabic usage for intermediate-level students wishing to extend their knowledge of the language focuses on Modern Standard Arabic. A vocabulary chapter shows which words are current and appropriate to different registers, while a grammar chapter offers an overview of Arabic grammar with modern-day examples. A chapter on varieties of Arabic describes linguistic variation in the Arab world. This volume will be an essential reference for students seeking to improve their fluency and confidence in Arabic.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This is a guide to Arabic usage for intermediate-level students and above who wish to extend their knowledge of the language. Focusing on Modern Standard Arabic, it is divided into three sections: A vocabulary chapter showing which words are current and appropriate to different registers; a grammar chapter giving an overview of Arabic grammar with modern-day examples; and a chapter on varieties of Arabic, describing linguistic variation in the Arab world. Clear and readable, it is an essential reference for students seeking to improve their fluency and confidence in Arabic.

About the Author

Mahdi Alosh is Associate Professor of Arabic in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Ohio State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; Bilingual edition (August 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521648327
• ISBN-13: 978-0521648325
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #733,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful for intermediate students, April 7, 2007

By 

Diana (virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using Arabic: A Guide to Contemporary Usage (Paperback)

This book is well written and clearly presented. There is a long section that reviews how different words are used in Arabic and provides a lot of information I haven't seen in other "textbooks". The section points out differences between English and Arabic usage which is helpful. The last section of the book focuses on grammar, which provides a useful review. I would recommend this book to someone who already is at a high- intermediate level of proficiency.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as useful as other books in this series, September 27, 2011

By 

A Silent Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using Arabic: A Guide to Contemporary Usage (Paperback)

Alosh's 'Using Arabic' ends up being a somewhat odd book. It has three major sections: a discussion of diglossia in the Arabic-speaking world, a discussion of Arabic vocabulary, and then a review of Arabic grammar. All of these sections are useful, and Alosh's discussion of Arabic diglossia is interesting, but this book ends up feeling a bit insubstantial. The section on vocabulary is frequently just lists of words (although occasionally with helpful distinctions of register), and the section on grammar is basically just a brief recapitulation of lots of the rules of fusha grammar. (If you're looking for a brief discussion of a lot of Arabic grammar, though, this section might be useful to you.)

It's not a bad book, but I had been expecting something more along the lines of Batchelor and Offord's 'Using French', in the same series. The major sections of Batchelor and Offord also cover Register, Vocabulary, and Grammar, but their coverage is in greater depth and with more attention to the specific needs of the English-speaking French student (with discussions of faux amis and differing nuances in French and English, for example, or the always tricky French subjunctive). There are points where Alosh gives that level of interesting detail, but too often he just lists a bunch of information. (It's possible that the more prescriptive nature of MSA makes this kind of book harder to do; I don't know.) But many of the times I've looked to Alosh for discussion of the nuances of a particular subject, I've been disappointed and found more complete information in Ryding's reference grammar.