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Best Approach

Printed From: FSI Language Courses
Category: Learning Languages
Forum Name: Arabic
Forum Discription: Discussion about studying Arabic using the FSI course.
URL: http://fsi-language-courses.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=490
Printed Date: 16 January 2009 at 2:37am


Topic: Best Approach
Posted By: Biscuit
Subject: Best Approach
Date Posted: 20 October 2007 at 12:11am
With the materials provided on this site, what is the best way to approach this language?



Replies:
Posted By: tehrahk
Date Posted: 21 November 2007 at 12:21pm

This is the method that I'm using.

1. Begin with the Saudi Arabic (Urban Hijazi Dialect) course.
2. Pick up a MSA dictionary/workbook and go through it simultanaeously.
3. For each word you learn in the FSI course find its equivalent in MSA and memorize both.
 
You might get confused between the two, however there are some things you can do to minimize confusion.
 
1. Study MSA and the Dialect in separate locations.
2. Use different color flash cards, markers or something color coated exclusively with each form.
3. Always remember one before the other. Relating the second one to the first one.
 
With these methods you will subconsciously separate them w/o realizing it. It works amazing for me. I haven't confused anything.
 
I've found this dialect amazingly similar to MSA. The only difference is the shortening of words. maa issmuki maa issmik 
 
I am studying MSA because I take the Arabic class at school, we are not speaking a dialect but MSA and I've heard that you may sound ridiculous speaking MSA so I'm studying this dialect via FSI.  


Posted By: rgugler
Date Posted: 09 December 2007 at 4:00pm
I would like to start self study of arabic. Could you recommend a good MSA dictionary and workbook? I've been studying Spanish for years in school, and lack even basic fluency, so hopefully I can break through my language block with Arabic.

Any other hints or tips for setting up a self study program are greatly appreciated!

Rachel


Posted By: PolyglotNZ
Date Posted: 09 December 2007 at 6:55pm
The best MSA dictionary is 'The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic' (ISBN 0-87950-003-4) edited by J. M. Cowan and published by Spoken Language Services. You can buy it from Amazon.com.

Cheers!

Leo




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"One who knows languages feels home everywhere."


Posted By: patuco
Date Posted: 15 December 2007 at 3:18pm
Hans Wehr is the best for Arabic-English. If you need an English-Arabic, you should get Al-Mawrid (also available from Amazon.com).


Posted By: rgugler
Date Posted: 16 December 2007 at 3:20pm
Thank you for the info! I'm finally finished with finals, have electricity, and dug out of the snow storm, so I have some free time now! ;)

Rachel


Posted By: rgugler
Date Posted: 18 December 2007 at 3:09am
I worked on my Arabic a little, and was feeling very lost when looking at the writing, so I've decided to work on that exclusively for now. I found a book at my bookstore that help teach the alphabet and writing, and I can find plenty of places online where I can get spoken examples, so I'm feeling a lot better about it than I did when I first started! I was just wondering if anybody had any free resources that would help me practice learning to write the new shapes. My book has some space to trace the letters, then practice copying, but not nearly enough.

Thanks!

Rachel


Posted By: Palomnik
Date Posted: 25 December 2007 at 10:41am
rgugler:  you may want to check out this website:
 
http://www.iu.edu.sa/edu/mutawasit/hroqa1_index.htm - http://www.iu.edu.sa/edu/mutawasit/hroqa1_index.htm
 
It's in Arabic, but I'm sure you'll get the gist of what they're trying to do, which is to teach you proper handwriting.  Don't be surprised that Arabic handwriting is not the same as printed Arabic (sorry to lay that on you, but unfortunately it's true).  The standard form of Arabic used for handwriting is called ruq3ah, as opposed to naskh, which is the standard form used for printing.  The differences are not tremendous, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with writing Arabic like a native is reward in itself.


Posted By: rambam
Date Posted: 18 January 2008 at 1:11am

The FSI Arabic course is missing audio for two tapes. The link below is offering a download for $45.00 for all the audio for the Saudi course.

http://www.ultimatelanguagestore.com/inc/sdetail/32214 - http://www.ultimatelanguagestore.com/inc/sdetail/32214


Posted By: sharshar
Date Posted: 08 April 2008 at 6:12am
RelaxSmile listen and listen and listen untile you can not listen any more but then you want to speak  LOLthen listen and speak ..etc take for example the French course..and listen to how many time you hear the lesson.Clap
 


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لغتي الجميلة


Posted By: Palomnik
Date Posted: 08 April 2008 at 9:32am
Biscuit:  I discovered the other day that both the Hans Wehr and Mawrid dictionaries are available for free on the Internet Archive ( http://www.archive.org - www.archive.org ), much to my surprise, since I didn't think they were in the public domain.
 
I know that Lane's Lexicon is also available for free somewhere online, but I have to find the right website.  In any case, he's too prolix for a beginner to use.


Posted By: workerbee
Date Posted: 09 April 2008 at 11:27am
I was able to search the way back archive using the terms Arabic dictionary and found the link to the Hans Wehr dictionary. I was unable to come up with the Al-Mawrid dictionary.

What terms should I search to find this? Thanks so much!


Posted By: Palomnik
Date Posted: 15 April 2008 at 1:55pm
Workerbee:
 
Here's the link:  http://www.archive.org/details/almawrid_658 - http://www.archive.org/details/almawrid_658
 
Although I must unfortunately advise you that this is apparently Mawrid's Arabic-English Dictionary (also sometimes called the Hava Dictionary), not the English-Arabic one, so it may not be what you're looking for.
 
The Mawrid/Hawa dictionary is also quite good, although if a beginner is forced to choose between which one to use, the choice has to be the Wehr dictionary.  The Mawrid has a lot of older words and expressions in it and may be useful at a later stage when you start feeling into medieval material.
 
By the way, as I mentioned earlier, Lane's Lexicon - all ten volumes of it, in its abstruse glory - is available downloadable for free at http://www.studyquran.co.uk/LLhome.htm - http://www.studyquran.co.uk/LLhome.htm
 
I have rarely ventured into Lane for an answer to a vocabulary question, and when I did I usually went away more confused than when I started.  It's not a work for the fainthearted, but it's nice to know that it's there!


Posted By: maguy2008
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 2:13am
Hey everybody,
 
If you are interested in Learning Arabic quickly and in an easy way, try what i did.. learn Arabic online on http://www.arabicollege.com - www.arabicollege.com you will be attending an online arabi course live video conversation with native Arabic teachers..its amazing i had a very fruitful experience...try it..


Posted By: daristani
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 6:17am
This site seems to have a number of downloadable resources for Arabic, including Al-Mawrid (Arabic-English, at least that's how it's labeled.)

http://www.kalamullah.com/learning-arabic.html


Posted By: maguy2008
Date Posted: 23 June 2008 at 6:09am
Also Arabicollege.com have downloadable resources in the multimedia course yo will find many video recorded sketches made by famous arabian actors presenting conversations that you may need in your daily life, in work and business maybe or just to understand main word of arabic.
 



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