Learning strategy - Arabic

[paz]

Hey folks!

I would like to start learning some Standard Arabic. Any advice? What kind of beginner method should I use?

I would also appreciate any kind of advice regarding the best way to learn this amazing language.

Shukran!

[fiolmattias]

Hi!

Arabic is an amazing language to learn, it is so full of nuances and character!
I used the Standard Arabic book by Schulz.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Standard-Arabi ... 0521774659

It is very grammar oriented, and even if there is a book 2 (which I also have), only book one is necessary to be able to reach B2 in grammar.
I have complemented the book by reading a lot and using lingq. I am just short of 40 000 entries (a lot less roots...) there and I can read just about any newspaper without looking up any words, as long as it is not special subjects (like medicine and so on).

No matter what book you chose to learn the grammar you need to practice wordlists on the side. Arabic is so nuanced that you will have to learn at least a handful of synonyms for just about every word, so read a lot

Good luck!

[thomas_dc]

Hi!

Arabic is an amazing language to learn, it is so full of nuances and character!
I used the Standard Arabic book by Schulz.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Standard-Arabi ... 0521774659

It is very grammar oriented, and even if there is a book 2 (which I also have), only book one is necessary to be able to reach B2 in grammar.
I have complemented the book by reading a lot and using lingq. I am just short of 40 000 entries (a lot less roots...) there and I can read just about any newspaper without looking up any words, as long as it is not special subjects (like medicine and so on).

No matter what book you chose to learn the grammar you need to practice wordlists on the side. Arabic is so nuanced that you will have to learn at least a handful of synonyms for just about every word, so read a lot

Good luck!

Well done with the 40.000 entries on lingq. Curiously, I'm studying pretty much the same way as you, and I'm currently at about 34000 entries. I can't say that I can understand any newspaper, though. Actually I feel that my comprehension is pretty low, and I still see about 25-40% unknown words (or let's say "yellow words" since you know about the lingq-lingo), in an average Agatha Christie novel. When did you find that you had a breakthrough with Arabic, and what do you do about audio?

[LadyGrey1986]

http://www.mezzoguild.com/how-to-start-learning-arabic/

[Daristani]

The "old" HTLAL forum had a number of threads on whether one should learn Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect first. In my view, either approach makes sense, depending on a person's situation, interests, etc., but the topic seems to spark a great deal of debate. I once ran across what struck me as a balanced and informative commentary on this issue in an old newsletter put out by DLI and posted it in the old forum; here's the URL for those interested: http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15493

[Ogrim]

Daristani's detailed post over on old HTLAL is certainly worth a read, as is the blogpost in the link provided by LadyGrey. As for the question MSA vs. a dialect, my answer is pretty simple. If your main goal is to visit an Arab country and communicate and speak with natives, go for a dialect. If you (like me) have as your main goal to read news and literature in Arabic, and to understand what is said on news channels like Al Jazeera, then learn MSA first.

As for resources, it really depends on what your learning style is, so I won't recommend specifically any course, just say that I use a course by German publisher Langenscheidt which I like, because it is very analytical in its approach. You need to know German though to get anything from it. I also have an old Linguaphone course which I find quite good, but it is from the 1980s , and I have no idea how good the current Linguaphone courses are.

One thing I find very important is to learn the Arabic script asap. It is of course fine and justified to use Latin alphabet transliterations in the beginning, but if you rely too much on them you will never learn to read Arabic efficiently. So my advice is to spend a lot of time in the beginning on the script, to make sure you feel comfortable reading it without looking at transliterations every time you come across a new word.

[stelingo]

Ogrim, what is the name of the Langenscheidt course you use? I also use the Linguaphone course. My version was printed in 2004, but it is the 1988 version.

[Ogrim]

Ogrim, what is the name of the Langenscheidt course you use? I also use the Linguaphone course. My version was printed in 2004, but it is the 1988 version.

It is called Arabisch mit System. I already wrote about it in my log, so what follows is basically copied from there:

This is what I like about the Langenscheidt course:

*Each lesson (15 in total) is built the same way: A short introductory text followed by a somewhat longer dialogue. Then there is a vocabulary list, a grammar section, some socio-cultural explanations and a set of written exercises. You get a lot of new vocabulary and grammer in each lesson.
*There is no transcription of the intro text or the dialogue. Transcriptions are only used in the vocabulary lists and grammar explanations and only in the first 6 lessons, thereafter only Arabic script is used.
*They do not use short vowel sings in the texts or dialogues except when necessary to avoid any misunderstanding. You do have the vowel signs in the vocabulary lists. I like this, because it forces you from the beginning to read Arabic the way it is written in modern books and newspapers.
*The recordings are very good. All the dialogues are recorded four times by native speakers, twice in Modern Standard Arabic (slow and natural speed), once in Egyptian Arabic and once in Syrian (Levantine Arabic). I will concentrate on the MSA recordings to begin with, but it is really nice to be able to compare MSA with two main dialects. The slow recordings are not painfully slow, and are useful for shadowing and for concentrating on the various consonant sounds you do not find in any "European" language.
*There is a "Vorlektion" (pre-lesson) to learn Arabic script, and it explains everything nicely.
*Finally, there is a small additional booklet (Begleitheft) with listening exercises which are recorded on separate CDs.

Langenscheidt's methodology is probably not to everyone's taste, but it suits me very well. You have to be structured and disciplined to get the best out of the course, and the amount of new vocabulary and grammar in each lesson can feel a bit overwhelming, but personally I prefer this approach to that of e.g. Assimil.

[Thunter]

Ogrim, what is the name of the Langenscheidt course you use? I also use the Linguaphone course. My version was printed in 2004, but it is the 1988 version.

It is called Arabisch mit System. I already wrote about it in my log, so what follows is basically copied from there:

This is what I like about the Langenscheidt course:

*Each lesson (15 in total) is built the same way: A short introductory text followed by a somewhat longer dialogue. Then there is a vocabulary list, a grammar section, some socio-cultural explanations and a set of written exercises. You get a lot of new vocabulary and grammer in each lesson.
*There is no transcription of the intro text or the dialogue. Transcriptions are only used in the vocabulary lists and grammar explanations and only in the first 6 lessons, thereafter only Arabic script is used.
*They do not use short vowel sings in the texts or dialogues except when necessary to avoid any misunderstanding. You do have the vowel signs in the vocabulary lists. I like this, because it forces you from the beginning to read Arabic the way it is written in modern books and newspapers.
*The recordings are very good. All the dialogues are recorded four times by native speakers, twice in Modern Standard Arabic (slow and natural speed), once in Egyptian Arabic and once in Syrian (Levantine Arabic). I will concentrate on the MSA recordings to begin with, but it is really nice to be able to compare MSA with two main dialects. The slow recordings are not painfully slow, and are useful for shadowing and for concentrating on the various consonant sounds you do not find in any "European" language.
*There is a "Vorlektion" (pre-lesson) to learn Arabic script, and it explains everything nicely.
*Finally, there is a small additional booklet (Begleitheft) with listening exercises which are recorded on separate CDs.

Langenscheidt's methodology is probably not to everyone's taste, but it suits me very well. You have to be structured and disciplined to get the best out of the course, and the amount of new vocabulary and grammar in each lesson can feel a bit overwhelming, but personally I prefer this approach to that of e.g. Assimil.

I worked through both Langenscheidt Arabisch mit System and Assimil a few times. Personally I prefer Assimil for the grammar is better explained and you get more complex stuctures. In Langenscheidt there are practically no exercises and the solutions are not written with vowels which makes it difficult to know whether your solutions are right or wrong. However I do like that only the shortest pausal form is used. It helps you a lot in the beginning for you can leave all the cases out.

[stelingo]

Ah yes, I thought it might be that one. I quite like it but prefer Linguaphone.