The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It

I love this tiny book. The summer before taking an introductory Arabic language course in college I decided to make things easier for myself by getting acquainted with the alphabet in advance. So I bought this book. I went through it twice and when I finally had to absorb the Arabic alphabet in the fall, it was really easy.

It has four parts: chapter one discusses the Arabic language and such things as word roots; chapter two discusses the alphabet and the sounds in general terms; chapter three is the most important one as it goes through all the letters and their different shapes (initial, medial, final, isolated) and instructions how to write them; chapter four includes reference material (hamza, handwriting, a map of Arab countries, a passage from the Qur'an).

Chapter three is tons of fun since after each letter it gives examples of Arabic words that contain it. I used to cover the transliteration and try to read it - that is a great tool for becoming more comfortable with the alphabet.

If you are going to start Arabic, grab this book first. It is short, clear, and very helpful.

By humane, I mean that the authors' humanity and humility make this more than an intelligent book. They convey their understanding of Arabic and their appreciation of its beauty.

I am currently working my way through this book, filling up about a third of a page of college-lined notebook paper each night with Arabic. I have been doing this for two weeks and expect to make it through the entire book in about eight more weeks of this hour an evening, five day a week approach. It is a testament to the authors' approach that I can already take the romanized Arabic and turn it into 90% correct Arabic script for those letters I have already learned.

I agree with Mr. Awde that we should learn to read and write Arabic as a PRECURSOR to studying its grammar. So I am studying this book concurrently with Pimsleur's Conversational Arabic. And when I finish these two, I will progress into an actual Arabic textbook.

I enjoy and appreciate this book and so I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to learn Arabic.

This book is a must into the introduction to Arabic writing. It is clearly and intelligently written and easy to understand. As an American born Arab, I learned to speak the language along with all its nuances in tongue placement and glottal stops. I would never have believed that anyone could explain how these sounds could be recreated without the use of CDs or an actual Arab. However, these guys nailed it! If you really read this book and practice like they explain, you will definitely have a great basis for advanced study.

Pretty good introductory guide to the arabic alphabet and pronunciation, with some grammar stuff, too.

Awde and Samano's The Arabic Alphabet is a very good introduction to a complex language. I enjoyed the initial section, but became quickly discouraged with the language. This is not the fault of the authors. I think they succeeded in putting together a slim and accesible book. I hope to pick it up again soon.