Arabic

Learn Arabic - Arabic PDQ (CD)
Arabic for English speakers. Arabic PDQ is a fun, holiday-style course aimed at beginners wanting to learn Arabic. Using proven teaching methods and with a strong focus on essential vocabulary, you will quickly be able to handle a wide variety of everyday situations.

• Learn to speak, read and write Arabic to an elementary level.
• Learn 500 essential Arabic words and phrases.
• Perfect your accent by listening to native Arabic speakers.
• Focus on the vocabulary that you need.

Contents:

• 1 x 64 page illustrated colour course book
• 4 x 60 minute support CDs

Arabic, the language of over 100 million Arabs, has existed without major change since the Seventh Century A.D. and the continuous literary output during this period is one of the greatest achievements of civilised man.
During the Seventh Century A.D., the language we now call Arabic was a dialect spoken mainly by the nomadic Bedouin pastoralists in the North Arabian Desert. Filled with the zeal of their new faith, the Bedouins began to conquer the neighbouring lands, taking their language with them. Everything that you need to learn Arabic, in one box!
This compact book is great fun, totally engaging and an incredibly effective way to learn to read, write and speak Arabic. Native speakers take you to Egypt where you will learn all the essential/practical spoken Arabic that you need to get by.
You will learn...

• Meeting people for the first time.
• Asking a question, ordering food and drink.
• Starting a conversation, getting to know someone.
• Talking about friends and family.
• Finding your way around and asking directions.
• Talking about your home and where you live.
• Hiring a car and sightseeing.

• Course book provides clear guidance and simple explanations.
• Practical written exercises link with audio.
• Bilingual recordings let you study with the book while listening to the lessons.
• Regular tests boost your confidence and help track your progress.

Speak the language like a native
All recordings are bilingual, so you can practice what you have learnt by simply listening to the lessons. The book is there to act as your guide giving helpful back up and extra practice. This makes the PDQ ideal for busy people. You can learn in the car, on the train. Learn wherever and whenever you choose.

Between A.D. 622 and 1500 Arabic was spoken as Far East as Indonesia and as Far West as Portugal having already supplanted almost all of the previous languages of Iraq, Syria, Egypt and North Africa. By AD 750, the Islamic Empire included countries such as present day Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, The Yemen Republics, Oman, The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
By AD 1500 Arabic, together with Islam, had penetrated areas as diverse as Portugal, Spain, Northern India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Persia, Turkey, The Balkans, Zanzibar, the East African Coast and Madagascar.
Today over 150 million people speak Arabic and it is one of the world's major languages. It is the official language of 18 countries and is the language of the sacred book of Islam, The Qur'an, and as such is known to millions of Muslims throughout the world.
In 1974, Arabic was made the sixth official language of the United Nations.
The Arabic Language Together with Hebrew, Arabic is the most vigorous of the living Semitic languages and is certainly the most widespread. The Arabic alphabet is believed to have evolved from that of an ancient people known as the Nabateans but how, when and where it exactly originated is open to controversy.
By the early Mohammedan period, two scripts were in use; the Naskhi - the ordinary cursive form used in books and correspondence and the Kufic, an angular script used mainly for decorative purposes. Like the other Semitic languages, Arabic is written from right to left. Arabic, whether hand written, typed or printed, is cursive, that is to say, most letters are joined to each other by means of ligatures.
There are a few sounds in Arabic which are totally unfamiliar to the European ear yet correct pronunciation is vital. See how you get on with the sound of H: the sound itself comes from deep down in the throat. Sigh very deeply and keep your mouth wide open. Constrict your throat in the region of the Adam's Apple and tense your tongue tucking its tip behind the bottom teeth - that's all there is to it!
The medium of everyday conversation is Colloquial Arabic, which is a general name to give the many dialects spoken throughout the Arab world. There are certain differences however between Colloquial Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic.
The latter is used in newspapers, books and broadcasting and is the universal written language of the whole Arab world. It is the language used between educated speakers from different countries who would probably have some difficulty in understanding one another were they to speak entirely in their own pure dialect.
Modern Standard Arabic (or Modern Literary Arabic as it is sometimes known) is a development of Classical Arabic and they stand in somewhat the same relation to one another as Shakespearean or Biblical English does to Modern English.
The Linguaphone courses teach Modern Standard Arabic.
Finally
If you decide to join the millions of Arabic speakers you will be able to communicate with an amazing 20 per cent of the world's population.