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The first thing to be said is that this is not a self-contained "course" but a textbook designed to be used in a classroom situation. It can still be useful if you are teaching yourself, but you may well find it inadequate on its own. For example, several important topics (such as 'to have' and the use of greetings) are treated with phrases like 'the teacher explains the construction' -- which is not much use if you do not have a teacher to explain it. And you will need another book in order to learn the writing system - John Mace's 'TY Beginners' Arabic Script' is excellent. (On a minor note, the text has obviously been translated from German [or written by a German speaker]. While the sense is always clear, the frequent clumsiness does mean that the book lacks the polish that might be expected.) Now the good points. The Arabic is vocalized. And the book is packed with grammatical paradigms and information (with almost 40 pages of verb tables at the back!). It is the place to turn to if you want to know what so-called "communication-orientated" courses don't tell you. Each lesson has a vocabulary list that's long enough to satisfy the most masochistic learner, as well as a substantial stock of exercises covering morphology, sentence construction, and translation. They provide plenty of practice material to reinforce vocabulary and grammar. There is a key to the answers at the end of the book. The lessons also contain passages (prose and dialogue) of reading material that are extremely useful for getting to grips with the language, and, as many of the texts cover cultural topics, they are informative and fun too. In conclusion, 'Standard Arabic' is ideal as a reference tool and source of practice and explanation that you won't find in more forgiving books. Combine it with audio material, a guide to Arabic script, and a course book specifically designed for the self-learner, and you have the ideal package. On its own, however, it may well drive you insane.
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