Quick & Simple Egyptian Arabic

Book Review

Title:	Pimsleur Quick & Simple Egyptian Arabic
Publisher:	Simon and Schuster Audio, New York, NY
ISBN:	0-7435-0816-5
Reviewed By:	Frank Fogg
Review Date:	June, 2003
Rating:

Pimsleur Quick & Simple Egyptian Arabic is part of the popular Pimsleur series of language products. The course is designed as an introduction to Arabic for a beginning student. This course is for those wishing to learn to speak Arabic and there is no transcript  of the contents or any other written lessons. The course is a four audio CD  set containing eight ½ hour lessons.

Each lesson begins with a dialog at normal conversational speed. The dialog is then repeated a little slower. During the rest of the lesson, each element of the conversation is broken into component parts. The student repeats each element  along with the speaker. Then other words are substituted into the sentences  being studied. Previous vocabulary is also refreshed as the lesson progresses. Finally, the initial conversation is repeated at the end to test mastery. Verbal  prompts in English are provided throughout the program to assist the student  in mastering the material.

This program is not designed to teach  a large target vocabulary. It focuses instead on building a core proficiency  in a small portion of the language. The smaller vocabulary and level of repetition  ensures that the listener will retain the material longer. The material covers basic greetings, asking simple directions, and explaining basic needs. The audio material focuses on the Egyptian dialect of Arabic, popular since  many Arabic language movies are made in this dialect.

This course is ideal for beginning students of Arabic needing to develop a proficiency in this dialect. The all-audio  format of the lessons is ideal for those with a hectic schedule. The low price  of this introductory course makes it a good value without sacrificing quality, and the student can purchase a larger expanded set of lessons from the publisher  that builds upon these beginning lessons.

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