The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read and Write It

by Putros Samano and Nicholas Awde

Book Overview

Ever larger numbers of people are starting to learn Arabic, while even more have some contact with the Arab world. Anyone who wishes to learn the language faces a hitherto formidable initial problem- the alphabet. This book proceeds step by step through all the letters of the Arabic alphabet, showing the sounds they stand for and how they are combined into words. Nothing essential is left out, but no unnecessary complications are added. Readers will...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0818404302
• ISBN13: 9780818404306
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Lyle Stuart
• Length: 95 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.2" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent introduction to the Arabic alphabet....

This book is exactly what its name implies, a good introduction to the Arabic alphabet. It does a good job of introducing the letters as they occur in different positions, introduces some basic vocabulary and gives you a good grounding for further study. It accomplishes this goal in less than 100 pages in a very accessible, non-intimidating way. I say this is a good start because to actually read and write Arabic one would need to know more grammar and some of the nuances of the script which are not covered. However, for an introduction this is very thorough and some of the shortcomings are discussed in the spotlight reviews, so I won't repeat them here. As a Westerner who has a casual interest in learning Arabic and Arabic script, I found this book to be ideal. A good accompaniment to it is Read and Speak Arabic for Beginners which for about $12.00 gives you some basic vocabulary, a 1 hour CD to help with pronunication and a set of flashcards to review recognizing words. This book and the one I'm reviewing make an excellent, inexpensive and fun introduction to a very difficult language.

Great guide to the Arabic alphabet

I bought this book so that I could learn the Arabic alphabet, and eventually learn a little Arabic. I thought learning the Arabic alphabet would be very difficult since it nearly looks like the random scribbles of my four year old daughter. I was amazed at how quickly this book allowed me to transform those scribbles into their corresponding letters and sounds. I read the entire book in one night, and now have a basic understanding of the Arabic alphabet. With a little more practice, I'll be ready to start learning words and grammar.

Demystifies the Arabic Alphabet

Whether you are just curious about Arabic letters or are contemplating a serious study of the language Awde and Samano's user-friendly book is a great starting place. By the time you finish its ninety-five pages you will have acquired a modest reading/writing capability and will be able to recognize words and letters that follow the standard naskh script that is found in most Arabic books and newspapers. The book is self-contained and uncomplicated - great if all you want is to know the alphabet and don't want to be burdened with extraneous info. For those who intend to undertake a serious study of the Arabic language, mastering this book will enable you to bypass those awful transliteration and romanization schemes that accompany many introductory texts. The book also deals with ligatures (special combinations of letters) that other texts often omit. Inexpensive and easy to follow, you cant go wrong with this one.

Very Good place to start, but don't stop here.

Very good if you just want to spell out Arabic signs, know a "little something" about Arabic (for those with an amateur interest in philology or linguistics), or you just think the script looks cool. Also very good as a companion to "Teach Yourself Arabic Script". I've had to put my study of Arabic on hold (unfortunately, but I'm going back to college for linguistics classes). I used both, and think this one should come first. It has some information on ligatures (I think it was one page) and bare minimal information on handwriting (two pages) and grammar (scattered about). However, it fulfils its goal in very little time and space with some good side information. You learn the alphabet, and most importantly, vowels and other markers (the no-vowel and double-consonant markers). Some other books don't bother with these markers since they are not used in normal print or handwriting. I found that I was able to remember pronunciations of vocabulary much more easily if I could add the vowels. There is also a respectable amount of vocabulary. It is mostly geared towards reading the Koran or newspaper. However, since there is almost no grammar, and therefore no grammatical exercises, one must resort to rote memorization (which I found rather difficult) if one wishes to retain any vocabulary. So, definitely start with this book. However, don't stop here if you want to know more than the basic script. "Teach Yourself Arabic Script" has more information on handwriting forms (some are a bit different), ligatures (common in handwriting), and enough basic grammar to make sense of signs and newspaper headlines.

Superb on several accounts

First, the Arabic text is large and the print quality good, making it easy to distinguish double dots from dashes, loops from blips and so forth. Also, all the Arabic is vowelled, which should be obvious for a beginners' book but is frequently omitted. The authors show you the direction the pen should trace in forming the letters and do it on a horizontal line. The pronunciation tips are extremely helpful, particularly for several of the letters without an English equivalent. I found that the first chapter, a brief introduction to the structure of Arabic, did indeed help "reduce the sense of strangeness" about the language. The style of the writing and overall presentation of the book have the knack of making it all seem easy. Clearly, this book was written by experienced and masterful teachers.My only complaint is that there is no accompanying tape, which means the only practice the book gives you is to copy out the few sample words provided for each letter and the short Koran verse at the end. A tape and workbook would make this complete.