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Interpreting:Getting to B2 in MSA arabic | ||
 Language Learning Forum : Languages & Work |  | |
 emk Diglot Moderator United States Joined 5534 days ago 2615 posts - 8806 votes  Speaks: English*, FrenchB2 Studies: Spanish, Ancient Egyptian Personal Language Map | Message 17 of 19 09 November 2012 at 12:28am | IP Logged |
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We've discussed Assimil and CEFR levels quite a few times around here, and I think the consensus is that most Assimil beginner courses in European languages will get you to A2, or maybe B1 if you manage to get every last drop of knowledge from the course.
The advanced Assimil courses often cover lots of good B1 and B2 material, but they won't get you to B2 on their own. Most B2 exams require writing and speaking skills that you can't get from Assimil, and you would also need a larger and more varied vocabulary than you're likely to get from a single course. As for how all this applies to Arabic, I don't know. The only non-Indo-European Assimil I've ever worked with was L'Égyptien hiéroglyphique, which involves many of the same linguistic challenges as Arabic. I think it covers less ground than New French with Ease, and it requires the student to be a lot more active. If you're already near B1, I would recommend looking at the advanced Assimil course. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Jappy58 Bilingual Super Polyglot Senior Member United States Joined 4640 days ago 200 posts - 413 votes Speaks: Spanish*, Guarani*, Arabic (Levantine), Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Maghribi), Arabic (Written), French, English, Persian, Quechua, Portuguese Studies: Modern Hebrew | Message 18 of 19 09 November 2012 at 1:51am | IP Logged |
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@Asperger-glot: I do not have experience with any Assimil courses. When I was studying Arabic, I had no knowledge of French. I stook mostly with English materials for learning the language.
That being said, if you consider yourself to be at a B1 level, here are some resources I recommend taking a look at: A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic Although you shouldn't use this book to teach yourself grammar, it is excellent for refining your existing knowledge and in enhancing your understanding of concepts you have yet to learn. It is a must-have, in my opinion. Focus on Contemporary Arabic An excellent resource for advancing your listening skills. Standard Arabic: An Advanced Course A decent course, though it could be better, for advancing past the B1 stages. MSA Grammar: A Learner's GuideAfter purchasing this book and reviewing it for a novice student (this book was not published when I was studying Arabic), I believe this is a solid resource, though it serves a similar purpose as "A Reference Grammar of MSA" that I mentioned earlier. The Hans Wehr Dictionary (if you don't already have it) is crucial if you plan to seriously study the language. Once you learn how the root system works (which, contrary to popular belief, is not very complicated), this dictionary is a gem. The only downside is that due to its comprehensiveness, it can be difficult to know which definition you need. Since you may be working with Syrians for the most part, I recommend checking out A Dictionary of Syrian Arabic. It is also worth noting that all the Levantine dialects (i.e., Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Syrian) are all extremely mutually intelligible. If you only have access to a Jordanian or Lebanese course, use it! It will still help enormously with learning Syrian. There are certainly differences, but comprehension is not impeded by them. I recommend using Amazon's "LOOK INSIDE!" feature for the books that offer it, to make sure they offer what you're looking for. Hope this helps! :) 4 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Asperger-glot Diglot Newbie Denmark Joined 4548 days ago 16 posts - 22 votes Speaks: Danish*, English Studies: Dutch, Serbo-Croatian, Persian, Arabic (classical), Pashto, Polish, Bulgarian, Russian, Turkish Studies: Mandarin, Romanian, French | Message 19 of 19 09 November 2012 at 7:54am | IP Logged |
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Thanks a lot to all of you!
I have listened to the examples of Assimil L´arabe. It was ok, at least, much better than the ones from Assimil arabic with ease. The soundclip from perfectionnement arabe was really nice. I have read a lot about CEFR and Assmil here on this forum. It seems to be an endless debate. Nevertheless, what you all have just said, since I made this post, about the Assimil courses sounds reasonable. And a thousand thanks for all your book recommendations, I have put them all on my wishlist in amazon. Now I only need money to buy them. Time is not a problem for me. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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