At first glance, Arabic looks an impossible
language to learn. The tutor and her husband, who have spent many years in Arab
countries, will help you unravel the mysteries and start you off towards
speaking and understanding simple conversations in Arabic. This course for
beginners will be conducted orally and with transliterated texts, but will
offer an option for those who wish to learn the first steps of reading and
writing.
Arabic, the language of Islam and the official
language of 26 states, spoken by over 400 million people, remains a mystery to
many - the apparently strange script, writing from right to left, and some
sounds that a European voice finds hard to reproduce!
This course aims to remove that cloak of mystery,
and to start beginners on the journey of discovery of this interesting and
beautiful language. The focus will be on basic conversational skills, enabling
participants to handle greetings (very important to Arabs) and a few basic
situations: shopping, ordering a meal or coffee, getting help, etc.
Written materials for the course will be in
transcription, although there will be opportunities to look at Arabic script
and learn how letters are formed.
