Unlike many Teach Yourself books, which can be more attuned to
the prospective tourist who wants to get familiar with the language
and be able to travel using it rather than a student of the language,
this book covers Modern Standard Arabic in a traditional "grammar"
sense - it starts with nouns, then adjectives, some verbs, various
clauses, etc. and really gets you feeling how to express things in
Arabic, even without the vocabulary - it is more or less a grammar
reference, with sample dialogs and readings on Arab culture serving
as backup to the points in each unit that Smart wants to impart.
A great starting point, not at all too weighty, and a good reference
for the beginner or intermediate student. One plus: he omits the noun
endings (genitive, etc.) which are mainly unvoiced but indeed
the realm of the proper, highly-educated Arabic speaker in reading
and writing. Although this may leave out a large part of Arabic
grammar, Smart is pragmatic in that leaving this out early on will
get the student familiar with the basics of grammar, and then move
onto that next if he chooses (depending on what level he wants
to study or use the language.) Other texts either introduce
the endings and "heavy" grammar early, alienating the student,
or go all out and focus on a colloquial dialect, which means you
can't read a newspaper or listen to the media without confusion,
although you can order your falafel effortlessly in the souq.
The usual dilemma for the Arabic student, but Smart helps you
start without much pain. A must for the elementary/intermediate
student.

Download File Size:88.58 MB

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