
Thirteen Ways to Make A Plural: Preparing to Learn Arabic
Mae Ghalwash
Jacob Halpin
2020, AUC Press, 978-9-77416-952-6. $12.95 pb.
If you’re contemplating learning Arabic, this gem, written by a British diplomat, is a must. It's not a textbook but a roadmap for the Arabic learning process. Drawing on his experiences and those of teachers and fellow students, Halpin helps readers determine their goals and chart their route. Arabic’s vast vocabulary and complex grammar render it an arduous undertaking. Thirteen Ways doesn't teach either, but it identifies deceptively simple but crucial rules and pitfalls to avoid. It discusses choosing between Arabic forms, enhancing immersion experiences and study techniques for optimal learning. Halpin warns Arabic is hard but reassures readers it’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed and confused. And, amazingly, he pinpoints when those feelings will arise. Halpin is engaging and delivers with clarity. Thirteen Ways won't make Arabic easy, but it will clear a path and bring the objective into view.
You may also be interested in...
British Museum Curator Takes Readers on Journey Spanning 6,000 Years
Southeast Asia curator Alexandra Green takes readers on a journey spanning 6,000 years, highlighting objects from Neolithic stone tools to contemporary paintings.Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature Winner Gives Voice to Marginalized
“No one else will be destined to write a life story as squalid as mine, although it’s all true,” comments the elusive protagonist of Algerian author Ahmed Taibaoui’s noir novel.In the Aftermath of Rome's Collapse, These Communities Shaped the Mediterranean
Three regions of the post-Roman Mediterranean, from 400 CE to 1000 CE—the Latin West, Byzantium and the early Islamic world—are the focus of this work.