'Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part One), 2nd Edition

‘Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part One), second edition, offers a groundbreaking introduction to Arabic as it is written and spoken by native speakers. It combines a grounding in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) with an innovative integration of the spoken Levantine variety used in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine.

The course efficiently prepares students for the practical realities of learning and “living” Arabic today. The book contains 29 theme-based units covering all the core topics expected in a first-year Arabic course, such as countries, clothes, colors, family and professions. The book is to be used in conjunction with the companion website () offering a wealth of additional instructor and student resources.

This volume is the first in an exciting three-part series of Arabic textbooks which together provide a complete three-year undergraduate language program.

The book is an essential resource for students beginning to learn Arabic. While primarily designed for classroom use, it is also highly suitable for independent study. The materials are designed to bring students from the novice low level to the intermediate low level on the ACTFL scale, and from A1 to A2/B1 on the CEFR scale.

Arabic is a multiglossic language, and to teach it effectively a spoken variety and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) must both be included. Munther Younes’s pioneering Integrated Approach shows that it is possible to learn Arabic the way native speakers use it, listening and speaking in spoken Arabic and reading and writing in Modern Standard Arabic. I’ve been teaching with the ‘Arabiyyat al-Naas series for many years and I’m delighted with the improvements that the author team has made to this new edition of Book I. Congratulations!

Victoria Aguilar, Profesora Titular de Lengua Árabe de la Universidad de Murcia

Younes, Weatherspoon and Foster are to be commended for a method that enables learners to develop real-world proficiency in everyday, spoken Arabic, as well as the formal register. From the very start, Arabiyyat Al-Naas, Part One balances audio, visual and written texts to introduce stimulating and essential aspects of the language and its cultures. The textbook and its companion website offer a wealth of input through varied activities and materials, along with clear grammatical explanations. Arabiyyat Al-Naas is a well-conceived and exciting learning resource that empowers learners to reach the intermediate-low level.

Nader K. Uthman, Language Director & Arabic Language Coordinator, New York University

Arabiyyat al-Naas is the best textbook for a meaningful, engaging, encouraging introduction to Arabic. By focusing on language relevant to students’ needs and lives right from Lesson 1, and integrating every aspect of orthography, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar into that framework of immediately useful language, learners are truly and meaningfully communicating with each other from the very beginning. Most of all, learners are communicating as Arabs themselves do: in Modern Standard Arabic on paper, and orally in the colloquial.

Arabic instructor and Ph.D. student in second language acquisition

Munther Younes is a Reis Senior Lecturer of Arabic Language and Linguistics and Director of the Arabic Program in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University, USA.

Makda G. Weatherspoon is a Senior Lecturer of Arabic in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University, USA.

Maha Saliba Foster is a teaching Professor of Arabic at the Center for World Languages and Cultures and the Languages and Literatures and Cultures at the University of Denver, USA.

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