In 1968 Margaret K. Omar (Nydell) spent four months in a small Egyptian village called Sheikh Mubarak. Located in Middle Egypt near Al-Minya, residents of Sheik Mubarak speak in a dialect closer to Sa'eedi, not the dialect spoken in Cairo. Omar spent time there conducting interviews, examinations, and taping sessions with children and families to study primary language acquisition in non-Western languages.

Based on her fieldwork, Omar describes the physical and social environment in which the native language was learned, the development of early communication and speech, and when and how children learn the phonology, vocabulary, morphology, and syntactical patterns of Egyptian Arabic. Omar makes comparisons with aspects of language acquisition of other languages, primarily English, and explores implications for the theory of language acquisition.

Originally published in 1973, this book is the most thorough and complete analysis of the stages in which children learn Arabic as a first language. The Arabic in this book is presented in transcription, making the information accessible to all linguists interested in language acquisition.

The scholar-editors and eight accomplished colleagues together offer views of phonological research on American Spanish.

For decades, students learning the Arabic language have begun with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and then transitioned to learning spoken Arabic. While the MSA-first approach neither reflects the sociolinguistic reality of the language nor gives students the communicative skills required to fully function in Arabic, the field continues to debate the widespread adoption of this approach. Little research or evidence has been presented about the effectiveness of integrating dialect in the curriculum. With the recent publication of textbooks that integrate dialect in the Arabic curriculum, however, a more systematic analysis of such integration is clearly becoming necessary.

In this seminal volume, Mahmoud Al-Batal gathers key scholars who have implemented integration to present data and research on the method’s success. The studies address curricular models, students' outcomes, and attitudes of students and teachers using integration in their curricula. This volume is an essential resource for all teachers of Arabic language and those working in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL).

This introduction to major topics in the field of Arabic sociolinguistics examines key issues in diglossia, code-switching, gendered discourse, language variation and change, and language policies. It introduces and evaluates various theoretical approaches and models, and it illustrates the usefulness and limitations of these approaches to Arabic with empirical data. Reem Bassiouney explores how current sociolinguistic theories can be applied to Arabic and, conversely, what the study of Arabic can contribute to our understanding of the function of language in society.

Graduate students of Arabic language and linguistics as well as students of sociolinguistics with no knowledge of Arabic will find this volume to be an indispensable resource.

A comprehensive introduction to Iraqi Arabic for beginners (with Iraqi-English and English-Iraqi glossaries) this is the language spoken by Muslim Baghdad residents, transcribed and not in Arabic script. It does not assume prior knowledge of Arabic. A Basic Course in Iraqi Arabic with MP3 Audio Files contains ten chapters of phonology to explain the sounds, and thirty more covering grammar and vocabulary. The phonology chapters all contain extensive drills. The grammar chapters start with a dialogue or brief narrative, then explain new vocabulary and points of grammar, and conclude with drills. The book is usefully enhanced with a bound-in CD with audio MP3 files to accompany the text and drills.

A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic is a textbook in spoken Moroccan Arabic that is written for beginners who are unfamiliar with the Arabic language, alphabet, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Written in Latinate transcription it is carefully designed to present these elements in a progressive, user-friendly, step-by-step manner.

Following the initial pronunciation introductions and practice, there are 130 lessons consisting of a text where a small number of phrases and sentences illustrate grammatical points. These sections also contain exercises in new grammar and vocabulary. Each lesson is structured in a way that guides the learner naturally and comfortably into an understanding of the structure of Moroccan Arabic. From there, the course progresses into ninety-seven short, conversational dialogs that place the student in a variety of social situations.

First introduced to Arabic language students in the 1960s, A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic still has no equal for clarity and ease of use. An audio CD of MP3 files that further aid and enhance the lessons is now bound into this volume.

Despite the significant presence of Cuban immigrants in the United States, current research on Cuban Spanish linguistics remains underexplored. This volume addresses this lacuna in Cuban Spanish research by providing a state-of-the-art collection of articles from a range of theoretical perspectives and linguistic areas, including phonological and phonetic variation, morphosyntactic approaches, sociolinguistic perspectives, and heritage language acquisition. Given increasing interest in Cuban Spanish among graduate students and faculty, this volume is a timely and highly relevant contribution to Hispanic linguistics and Cuban Spanish dialectology in particular.

Dari is the most used language in Afghanistan; all official documents are written in it. This textbook, designed to cover one year of instruction, offers beginning learners a communicative approach to the Dari language that develops the four language skills—speaking, listening, reading, and writing—through culturally relevant activities. The book is accompanied by extensive authentic materials, including audio and videos recorded in Afghanistan (available on the Press website), to help learners perform tasks and functions in both colloquial and standard forms. Grammar and vocabulary in each thematic lesson are chosen carefully to help learners perform these tasks and functions at an elementary level and beyond.

Dari: An Elementary Textbook prepares learners to perform at level 1+ or 2 on the ILR scale and at the novice high/intermediate low level on the ACTFL scale. Special notes are included for people with experience in Persian to help them learn Dari more efficiently. It is the fifth elementary level textbook published in partnership with the Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR), following Pashto, Tajiki, Uzbek, and Uyghur.

Dari: An Intermediate Textbook, designed to cover one year of instruction, offers beginning learners a communicative approach to learning Dari in a cultural context

Suitable for students and professionals alike, Dari: An Intermediate Textbook offers a thematically-organized approach to learning the Dari language with task-oriented, communicative activities that develop the four primary language skills—speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Incorporating the latest innovations in foreign language teaching and pedagogy, this textbook enhances learners’ ability to communicate successfully with Dari speakers and more fully engage with a rich and vibrant culture. Dari: An Intermediate Textbook prepares learners to perform at level 2 or 2+ on the ILR scale and at the Intermediate High to Advanced Low levels on the ACTFL scale.

Features include:
-Videos filmed in the different regions of Afghanistan and audio by native speakers (available to stream for free on the Press website)
-Abundant cultural notes on Afghan society, customs, and nonverbal aspects of communication, such as body language and gestures
-A functional approach to grammar with explanations presented in both written and spoken contexts to facilitate practice in both modalities
-Additional notes for people with experience in Persian to help them learn Dari more efficiently
-Chapter themes that facilitate understanding of Afghan daily life and culture

Originally offered in two separate volumes, A Dictionary of Iraqi Arabic, a staple of Georgetown University Press's world-renowned Arabic language program, now handily provides both the English to Arabic and Arabic to English texts in one volume. Designed for an English speaker learning Arabic, this is a key reference for anyone learning the colloquial speech of Iraq as spoken by educated people in Baghdad. Using romanized transliteration and transcription rather than the Arabic alphabet, it is further enhanced in most cases by having sentences to illustrate how individual word entries are used in context, reinforcing the user's acquisition of colloquial Iraqi.

This classic volume presents the core vocabulary of everyday life in Morocco—from the kitchen to the mosque, from the hardware store to the natural world of plants and animals. It contains myriad examples of usage, including formulaic phrases and idiomatic expressions. Understandable throughout the nation, it is based primarily on the standard dialect of Moroccans from the cities of Fez, Rabat, and Casablanca. All Arabic citations are in an English transcription, making it invaluable to English-speaking non-Arabists, travelers, and tourists—as well as being an important resource tool for students and scholars in the Arabic language-learning field.

A Dictionary of Syrian Arabic provides Syrian terms for the language spoken in everyday life by Muslims primarily in Damascus, but understandable throughout Syria as well as in the broader linguistic areas of present-day Lebanon, Jordan, and among the Palestinians and the Arabic-speaking population of Israel. Entries include examples, idioms, and common phrases to illustrate usage. The Arabic terms are presented in transcription. It is useful for students of Arabic, scholars wishing to train in the Syrian dialect, and visitors and travelers to Syria and other nations where the dialect is spoken. A thorough introduction outlines the sociolinguistic situation in Syria and covers phonology, morphology, syntax, grammar, and vocabulary. Alongside the other Arabic language-learning and reference works published by Georgetown University Press, this dictionary is yet another invaluable volume on spoken Arabic, belonging at the side of travelers and scholars, and on the shelves of research and reference libraries.

This Arabic language-learning classic is now enhanced with a bound-in CD of MP3 files. Designed to provide beginners in Arabic with maximum linguistic and cultural exposure in a short period (about 100 hours of contact time), this book consists of sixteen lessons with dialogs and exercises dealing with day-to-day scenarios: greeting people, getting a taxi, making phone calls, asking directions, discussing the weather, and effectively communicating with police and duty officers. The lessons help the reader to navigate situations at gas stations, marketplaces, restaurants, and in their own households.

Formal Spoken Arabic (FSA) is a kind of lingua franca that is more natural than speaking Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the literary form of the language. FSA uses the shared features of the various urban colloquial dialects, defaulting to Levantive (terms common to Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan) where the spoken dialects diverge. Each lesson includes cultural notes on American-Arab interactions, notes on learner strategies for managing Arabic conversations with a limited amount of language, and grammar explanations in clear, non-technical language. Although the main dialogue for each lesson is presented in Arabic script, transcriptions are used to accelerate spoken performance. The FAST Course includes grammatical explanations, English-Arabic and Arabic-English glossaries, appendices listing common idioms, courtesy expressions and other useful terms, instructor's notes, and drills aided and accompanied by the CD.

Originally created for diplomats, this is an expanded and enhanced edition of a work originally developed by the U.S. State Department as a six-week intensive, or "FAST" (Familiarization and Short-Term) course, and is easily adaptable for students in Middle East area studies. Travelers heading for posts in the Arab world who quickly need to gain a basic ability to converse in day-to-day situations will find Formal Spoken Arabic FAST Course an invaluable companion.

The Georgetown Dictionary of Iraqi Arabic is a modernized, up-to-date dialectal Arabic language resource that promotes successful daily communication with native Arabic speakers. Students, teachers, and scholars of Arabic will welcome this dramatically overhauled edition of one of the only Arabic dialect dictionaries of its kind—establishing a new standard in Arabic reference.

This comprehensive reference focuses on conversation, emphasizing the colloquial speech of educated residents of Baghdad. The dictionary assumes familiarity with the Arabic alphabet, the standard organization of Arabic dictionaries along the triconsonantal root system, and the formation of Arabic verb forms.

• Approximately 17,500 Iraqi Arabic entries
• Approximately 10,750 English-to-Iraqi entries
• An increase of more than 30 percent in terms that reflect current vocabulary and usage
• Provides conventional Arabic script for main entries, and organized by root, as standard for Arabic dictionaries
• Employs International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for all terms to demonstrate correct pronunciation
• Offers extensive example sentences to illustrate how the Iraqi words are used
• Indicates relevant parts of speech for each Iraqi entry and subentry

The Georgetown Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic is a modernized language resource for learning and studying Moroccan Arabic that updates the pioneering Arabic dialect dictionary published by Georgetown University Press over fifty years ago. Students, teachers, and scholars of Arabic will welcome this upgraded resource, which includes key Moroccan words, to grow their vocabulary and learn more about Moroccan Arabic language and culture. Created using the latest computational linguistics approaches and tools, this etymological dictionary represents a new generation of Arabic language reference materials designed to help English speakers gain proficiency in colloquial Arabic dialects. Scholars and linguists are certain to find this complex and challenging dialect informative and useful in discussions of Arabic dialectology.

• Features over 13,000 Moroccan Arabic–English entries and 8,000 English–Arabic entries

• Provides entries in Arabic script and organized by root, as is standard in Arabic dictionaries

• Employs International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for all terms to demonstrate correct pronunciation and allow comparison across dialects

• Includes borrowed words commonly used in Moroccan Arabic, such as those from French, Spanish, and Amazigh

• Contains extensive example sentences and an appendix showing the roots of words with prefixes, both to help learners

An Introduction to Moroccan Arabic and Culture and the accompanying multimedia DVD are designed to enable students to communicate effectively using Moroccan Arabic. Since Moroccan Arabic is rarely written or used in formal communication, the strength of the book lies in training learners in speaking and listening skills that can be used in everyday situations.

Upon completing this course, students should be able to:
• greet people
• introduce themselves
• ask and reply to simple questions
• use days and numbers in context
• order food
• shop
• make appointments and reservations
• give directions
• talk about future plans
• use common idiomatic expressions

Each chapter includes:
• cultural introductions to social, religious, or cultural aspects of Moroccan society
• listening comprehension exercises
• vocabulary exercises
• dialogues and texts
• conversation practice
• grammar instruction on how native speakers structure their speech
• interactive and video materials to support cultural understanding, listening, speaking, and grammar explanations

The book uses Romanized transcription alongside Arabic script for the first three chapters and thereafter only the Arabic script. It also includes a glossary and answer key. It requires approximately 120 contact hours, plus 180-240 additional hours of preparation outside class. A novice student should reach the intermediate-mid level of proficiency by the end of this course.

Designed to be used simultaneously with Jusuur 1: Beginning Communicative Arabic, the Jusuur 1 Arabic Alphabet Workbook teaches students the letters, short vowels, and diacritics found in Arabic. As students learn new letters in the alphabet workbook, they strengthen their literacy skills through the reading and writing exercises in Jusuur 1.

A distinguishing feature of the Jusuur 1 Arabic Alphabet Workbook is that it introduces letters approximately in the order of letter frequency rather than in the traditional alphabetical order. This method, tested extensively in the classroom, enables students to begin to read and write meaningful phrases they are learning in Jusuur 1: Beginning Communicative Arabic as early as possible. Each letter section includes an introduction to the letter and its shapes and sound; space for writing practice; and activities to practice reading and dictation.

Features of the alphabet workbook include:
-Authentic examples of language drawn from poetry, billboards, signs, and other sources to help students learn to identify letters
-Samples of real Arabic handwriting, and guidance on recognizing and writing letters that look different when printed versus handwritten

Resources available on JusuurTextbook.com:
-Audio files for dictation and listening exercises
-Extensive instructor’s resources, including pedagogical notes, answers to activities, and recommendations for lesson and unit planning

By the end of the Jusuur 1 Arabic Alphabet Workbook, students will have learned all of the letters and sounds of the Arabic alphabet. Used in conjunction with Jusuur 1: Beginning Communicative Arabic, this workbook will give students a firm foundation in Arabic literacy to continue their studies.

Modern Iraqi Arabic with MP3 Files is an introductory textbook—suitable for classroom or self-study—for those with no previous knowledge of Arabic or those who know Arabic but want to learn the Iraqi dialect. A detailed discussion of the consonants, vowels, and other characteristics of Iraqi phonetics—including pronunciation exercises on the CD—serves the needs of travelers, businesspeople, diplomats, archaeologists, and scholars who want to learn to speak the language quickly and efficiently.

Using the dialect of middle-class Baghdad, twenty lessons are arranged in a story-like format and are based on everyday travel situations. From arriving at the airport to getting to the hotel, students will learn proper greetings and introductions; how to ask for directions, take a taxi, and tell time; and prepare for daily activities like visiting the bank, museum, post office, and restaurants. The book contains basic dialogue, grammar, vocabulary, drills, and an extensive glossary. A section of idiomatic phrases, accompanied by their cultural, religious, or proverbial explanations, offers insight into current Iraqi culture.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:
• Arabic script has been added so the reader has a choice of following the Arabic writing or the transcription in the Roman alphabet.
• Four entirely new lessons cover medical care, media (radio, television, and journalism), telephone conversations, and cultural and folkloric tales.
• All audio materials from the first edition—plus new audio materials for the new lessons—are included as MP3 files on a CD bound into the book.

Originally published in 1979, this classic reference work presents definitions of grammatical and linguistic terms for spoken Egyptian Arabic in dictionary form from "active participles" through "writing system." Entries feature definitions and examples of all the grammatical features including phonology, morphology, and syntax. Aimed at the intermediate to advanced student of Egyptian Arabic, this volume presupposes a basic knowledge of Egyptian Arabic. Arabic lexical items are presented in romanized transliteration and are therefore accessible to those who are not familiar with Arabic script.

This important reissue, enhanced with an audio CD to supplement the first chapter of the text (sounds), is another addition to Georgetown's world-renowned Arabic language-learning materials and is considered to be one of the most outstanding descriptions of any Arabic dialect written for the English-speaking world. It is comprehensive in its coverage—ranging from phonology (how sounds are organized and used) to morphology (sound, syllable, and word structure), with an analysis that is insightful and original. It contains hints on how to master nuances in dialectical pronunciation, as well as the differences of meaning in their various forms.

Based on the dialect of Damascus, the language covered here is part of what has variously been called "Syrian Arabic," "Eastern Arabic," and "Levantine Arabic," encompassing the dialects of Beirut, Amman, and Jerusalem—as well as Damascus—with references made to regional variants. In a world drawn ever closer to events in the Middle East, this comprehensive grammar reference is yet another extraordinary addition to the growing library of Arabic language-learning materials published by Georgetown University Press.

A Short Reference Grammar of Iraqi Arabic is the only volume of its kind, reflecting Iraqi Arabic as spoken by Muslims in Baghdad. With all the Arabic transcribed, it is written for beginners as well as Arabic speakers wanting to learn the dialect. It covers the phonology, morphology (word formation of nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and numerals, achieved by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots), and syntax, teaching the reader how to make the sounds, form words, and construct sentences.

Fifteen research linguists discuss the varieties of Spanish spoken in California, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Texas. They variously address language maintenance, syntactic variation, lexicography, language use and language teaching, and include studies on socioeconomic, political, and cultural aspects of language in the Spanish-speaking communities in the United States.

The editors and fourteen other research linguists discuss—in English and in Spanish—the African influence on Caribbean phonology, dominant sociolinguistic attitudes in Puerto Rico, and historico-legal aspects of bilingualism in colonial Hispanic America.

Much recent scholarship has sought to identify the linguistic and social factors that favor the expression or omission of subject pronouns in Spanish. This volume brings together leading experts on the topic of language variation in Spanish to provide a panoramic view of research trends, develop probabilistic models of grammar, and investigate the impact of language contact on pronoun expression.

The book consists of three sections. The first studies the distributional patterns and conditioning forces on subject pronoun expression in four monolingual varieties—Dominican, Colombian, Mexican, and Peninsular—and makes cross-dialectal comparisons. In the second section, experts explore Spanish in contact with English, Maya, Catalan, and Portuguese to determine the extent to which each language influences this syntactic variable. The final section examines the acquisition of variable subject pronoun expression among monolingual and bilingual children as well as adult second language learners.

"[A] superb collection of studies that substantially increases our understanding, not only of variation in subject personal pronouns, but also of variable morphosyntactic processes generally.... clearly relevant to all students and scholars who wish to understand the complexities of linguistic variation and dialect contact." -- Robert Bayley, professor of linguistics, University of California, Davis

"Students and scholars will find that this volume is an essential reference in the field of Spanish language variation. If the study of final /s/ has led Spanish sociophonetics, the study of subject pronouns stars in sociogrammar. This volume presents a 3D analysis of how subject pronouns are used and acquired in Spanish. This comprehensive volume is not only of interest to those concerned with Spanish grammar, but also to anyone interested in pro-drop languages. The vision of Carvalho, Orozco and Shin has harmonized an excellent collective volume." -- Francisco Moreno-Fernández, professor of Hispanic linguistics. University of Alcala (Spain) and Instituto Cervantes at Harvard University.

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"If you seek innovative, theoretically and empirically driven research into syntactic variation, open this book and read on. Here a variationist focus on alternating sound and silence, something and nothing, or subject pronouns and nulls generates striking insights into the nature of Spanish and those who speak and learn it." -- Richard Cameron,, University of Illinois at Chicago

This book is the first comparative study of the syntax of Arabic dialects, based on natural language data recorded in Morocco, Egypt, Syria, and Kuwait. These four dialect regions are geographically diverse and representative of four distinct dialect groups.

Kristen E. Brustad has adopted an analytical approach that is both functional and descriptive, combining insights from discourse analysis, language typology, and pragmatics—the first time such an approach has been used in the study of spoken Arabic syntax. An appendix includes sample texts from her data.

Brustad's work provides the most nuanced description available to date of spoken Arabic syntax, widens the theoretical base of Arabic linguistics, and gives both scholars and students of Arabic tools for greater cross-dialect comprehension.

Is English in Utah truly unique? If so, what makes it different? Which stereotypes about how Utahns speak are completely off base and which are accurate? To answer these questions, linguist David Eddington surveyed more than 1,700 Utahns in an effort to better understand and systematize the peculiarities of English spoken in the Beehive State. This resulting book is a sophisticated data analysis that presents results in an accessible and often humorous fashion.
 
Utah is linguistically interesting for a variety of reasons. The massive numbers of immigrants who flocked there in the first years of European settlement, its relative isolation until completion of the transcontinental railroad, and its large Latter-day Saint population signaled greater linguistic commonality than is often the case in other western states. The book argues that religious affiliation, or lack thereof, might particularly play a role in the features that make up Utah English.
 
An accessible study of dialect in Utah, this book explores how social and geographic factors influence the pronunciations and regional expressions that characterize Utah English. Reflecting years of dealing with misconceptions about dialect both in and out of the classroom, Eddington covers vocabulary, individual words, syntax, vowels, and consonants, blending a serious and sometimes humorous approach to his research.