Al-Kitab Fi Ta'allum Al-'Arabiyah, Al-Juz' Al-Thani = A Textbook for Arabic, Part 2

by Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, Abbas Al-Tonsi

Book Overview

This second edition includes one DVD bound into the book that feature contextualized vocabulary, cultural background and illustrations, and new listening comprehension materials with each lesson.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0878403507
• ISBN13: 9780878403509
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Length: 422 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.5" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

This book had writing that was not in the description - need to return the book.

I'm editing my review from 1 star to 3 stars because it occurred to me that the seller may not realize Arabic is written from left to right, and the back of the book (which would look like the front of the book if you're not familiar with the language) does not have writing in it. But, the front of the book (which would look like the back of the book if you're not familiar) is full of writing in all the exercises. I will give the seller the benefit of the doubt that they may not have understood or might have missed this if they thought the back of the book was actually the front of the book. Unfortunately, I still need to return the textbook because the first several chapters all have writing in the exercises and notes throughout the text, so I can't use it. It is inconvenient because I need to purchase another textbook and it will be 1-2 weeks into the class before I get it. Please check the whole book in the future.

A rich, thoughtful text

Having used this textbook, I must say I am somewhat baffled by the vitriol employed by some reviewers, a few of whom have gone so far as to hurl personal insults against the authors. While there is always room for criticism, I find the harsh invective is to be completely unmerited. First, some basic information for the unfamiliar: -- The book consists of 10 chapters. Each chapter is built around a main text, which is an authentic piece of writing (usually nonfiction, though Chapter 7 does introduce us to the classic "Alf Layla wa Layla," aka "A Thousand and One Nights"). -- To prepare us to read the text, each chapter begins with a list of vocabulary that will appear in the reading, followed by a number of vocabulary exercises. The DVDs also have the reader use each vocabulary word in a sample sentence -- very helpful. -- Grammar topics are presented after the reading, and are based on actual grammatical forms and structures encountered in the text. -- This is followed by additional reading and listening exercises, also taken from authentic Arabic sources. -- Ending each chapter is a section on 'aamiyyah (colloquial), which, like Part I of Al-Kitaab, focuses on the Egyptian colloquial. (In my course we skipped this section, so my review cannot reflect any judgment on it.) I admire the thought that went into organizing the content of each chapter. The vocabulary list at the beginning of each chapter first presents those words that share a common root with a previously learned word. This not only helps remind us of the meaning of the "old" word, but it also helps us to internalize derivation patterns and trains us to be "root-conscious" as we are learning new words. This is hugely important in Arabic. The vocabulary exercises are well conceived, and the authors do a great job of "recycling" the vocabulary from previous chapters in the new vocabulary exercises. Also, I noticed that the sentences in the vocabulary exercises grow increasingly long and complicated over the course of the book, to appropriately match the student's progress. The readings are challenging, but no more so than they should be. We are not expected to understand every last word in the reading, but rather to use our skills of inference based on contextual clues to fill in the gaps in our knowledge. Being able to glean the main ideas or arguments from a reading despite not knowing every word is a crucial skill when learning any language. One commonly heard complaint about the Al-Kitaab series is that the grammar explanations are not thorough enough. While I can understand this critique, upon reflection I don't agree with it. In part, this is what separates the functional approach of the Al-Kitaab series from the grammar-translation approach of older textbooks, where grammar topics were presented up front, in encyclopedic fashion, and lessons were built around them. I believe that the authors have generally made wise (though admittedly difficult) decisions on how to pre

excellent text book

The Alif Baa and Al Kitaab text books are wonderful for learning Arabic. They are best in the context of a formal course, but could be used for individual study as well.

Top of the line

With the assistance of an Arabic teacher, this is definitely the best book around. It's very helpful; the pace of learning increases gradually so it remains easy to keep up throughout the series. It's never overloaded with information and grammatically it's spot on. Recognized as one of the top (usually THE top) Arabic language series.

Great readings but not for self-study

The second part of the Al Kitaab series puts an emphasis on the development of reading skills and concentrates on more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, the type that students are likely to encounter in authentic texts (mainly for academic purposes). As a whole, this book is a lot more "academic" than the first part and this is probably why there seems to be such a wide gap between the two books. Al Kitaab One is about "learning Arabic and having fun doing it" and Al Kitaab Two seems to leave out the "having fun" part. Those hoping that Al Kitaab Two will address topics in everyday life communication which were not found in Part One will be disappointed. Part Two teaches you the vocabulary you need to read about the first newspapers in the Arab world but it won't teach you how to say "Could you pass me the bread please". I believe that one reason for this is the setting for which the Al Kitaab series was initially developed: the Middlebury Summer Immersion Arabic program. Now, in an immersion program this would be the perfect book. It gives you the necessary materials for work in class and skipps over some aspects of everyday communication assuming that you will be exposed to them anyway outside the classroom. Unfortunately, if you are a student in normal academic setting or someone struggling to learn Arabic on their own, this book needs a lot of supplementary materials and, most of all, a very good teacher/consultant to make up for the defficiencies.You should also be aware that the audio and video tapes that go with the book make it twice as useful. Good luck finding them :)

Innovative Text

The Al-Kitaab books use a truly outstanding and innovative approach to the teaching of the Arabic Language. The grammatical explanations are clear and concise, texts used are varied in content and address relevant cultural and social issues in the Arab world, and the vocabulary used in the lessons is widely useful. I recommend this series very enthusiastically.