Elias' Practical Grammar and Vocabulary of the Colloquial Arabic [antikvár]

PREFACE My object in corapiliug tin's little book lias been, as far as possible, to help those who are called upon to do work in Egypt, Sudan and other Arabic-speaking coimtries to coninience to make tlieinselves understood ( without learning to read and write) after a few weeks' easy study For tin's purpose, not only has every word of common occur-rcnce in every day life been carefully selected and translated, but no pains have been spared to help and encourage the learner to proceed, by gradual stages, in acquiring the rudiments of this language without the drudgery of prolonged and intricate study. Tiio Thirty Lessons ia this book, progressing by degrees from the liard-worked Pronoun to the Noun, .\djective, Preposition, Verb, Adverb, etc., are arranged in a new method similar to that a child naturally follows in learning his mother-tongue. Each of these Lessons is given in two opposite pages numbered and considered as one. The object of this unprecedented arrangement is to enable the learner, after memorizing the words given at the top of the lesson, to compare and correct his translation of tl>e sentences (marked with consecutive numbers for his guidance) on the left side of the page, by the Arabic equivalents given on the right side. The student is recommended to repeat aloud tlie words he is learning, in order to familiarize the ear with their sound, and the tongue with their utterance. As the Alphabet of the English language has no letters tliat exactly correspond to some Arabic letters, the author has adopted for this book the system of Transliteration used in the Practical Dictionary of the Colloquial Arabic • which he (1) Published by Ellas' Modern Press, Cairo. It is a most efficient aid in learn iDg the Arabic language, and should be used in conjunction with this book.