Lughatuna Al-Fusha Reviews

While most courses in Egyptian Arabic teach the essentials of syntax, morphology, and vocabulary, this first in a series of three books takes the student a step beyond and focuses on colorful expressions used by native speakers. The learner will advance from knowing how to form a good sentence to being able to express his or her thoughts about the ups and downs of daily life using culturally appropriate phrases. This first volume, Adjectives and Descriptions, focuses on the many expressions used to describe people, their characteristics, their behaviors, and their attitudes. Each entry is given fully voweled followed by its feminine form and plural, and definitions (including connotation) and explanations are given in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. Organized as a reference work, the book can also be used as a textbook, as it contains a large number of exercises. Volume 2, forthcoming, will focus on proverbs and Volume 3, forthcoming, on idiomatic expressions.

This sequel to the well-known kullu tamam!, on Egyptian Arabic, by the same authors, focuses on the modern written language used in real life by providing short texts taken from Egyptian newspapers, official statements, and the internet, and introduces personal and business letters, some of them in handwritten form (ruq‘a). For those who have studied kullu tamam!, the first lessons give contrastive word lists and exercises to make the link with Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. Extensive pattern drills, translation exercises in both directions, and writing exercises aid understanding and encourage active use of the language. The key to the exercises, the Arabic –English / English –Arabic glossary, and the audio CD containing the texts allow for classroom use as well as for self-study.