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Berlitz Arabic | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| arturs Triglot Senior Member Latvia Joined 5299 days ago 278 posts - 408 votes  Speaks: Latvian*, Russian, English | Message 1 of 2 02 July 2010 at 2:12pm | IP Logged |
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Today browsing around my local book stores I found a Berlitz Arabic Basic material. http://www.amazon.com/Arabic-Berlitz-Basic/dp/9812686606/ref =pd_sim_b_1
I'm a beginner in Arabic, and thought I could ask, if this material is good for a starter to get an overview about the language, etc??? Has anybody tried this product? And how about the Berlitz Arabic phrasebooks + CDs?? Somehow I learn a language faster, along with other materials using also the phrasebook for travelers. Thought, I could get one of those too. Mainly I'm interested in the quality of the recordings, because I know some materials where the Arabic speaker talks so quietly that you barely understand what he's saying. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| stelingo Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5860 days ago 722 posts - 1076 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Czech, Polish, Greek, Mandarin | Message 2 of 2 03 July 2010 at 1:23am | IP Logged |
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Berlitz Arabic Basic is actually a translation of 'Arabisch: Der Standardkurs für Selbstlerner' by Langenscheidt.
http://www.amazon.de/Arabisch-Standardkurs-Selbstlerner-Kath rin-Fietz/dp/3468803567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=12781 11389&sr=1-1 In the German version there are 15 units. The Berlitz one, if I remember rightly, (I had a quick look at it once in a bookstore) has the first 7-8 units. Presumably the rest will be published at a later date as an intermediate volume. The book looks nice, with attractive illustrations. Each unit starts with a reading passage, then there is a dialogue. The speakers are clear and pleasant to listen to. There are actually 4 recordings of each dialogue, one at a fairly normal speed in MSA, the next slowed down again in MSA, then in Syrian and Egyptian dialects. It's interesting to hear how they differ and there are some vocab and grammar notes on the dialects but a full transcipt is only provided of the MSA version, which limits the usefulness of having the dialects. The grammar is explained reasonably well. However there are only a few, very short exercises, certainly not enough to practise and consolidate the material in each chapter. There are 3 'tests' and a few extra exercises in a separate booklet. I think in the Berlitz version these have been put into the one volume, but I'm not sure. Translations of all the dialogues are provided, so you could translate them back into Arabic for further practice. One thing to note is that there are 3 CDs in the Langenscheidt covering all 15 units, whereas there are 3 CDs covering 7-8 units in the Berlitz. Maybe they have padded it out with English, I don't know. Overall I enjoyed using the course, but for the moment I have abandoned Arabic to concentrate on Mandarin. I also always wonder how useful it is learning how to book hotel rooms and ask for directions etc in MSA, but that's another issue. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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