It looks like people agree that there are stages to this process and that some approaches arre more effective than others.
I think I will use the resources I have to get a basic core word set of 100 words with some ideas of how to string together basic phrases. This will will allow me to make a complete fool of myself while trying to move to the second stage.
Conversations with natives. I am pretty sure I can find native speakers nearby - and they may want to improve their English. So a win-win is definitely possible. If not, there are online resources to meet these folks.
Finally, it is trying to get the language rules understood within the current understanding of the language I am speaking.
Wednesday 5 March 2014
Current Resources
As with most things I start, I have gone and accumulated a load of things to use for this venture.
I have picked up Colloquial Arabic of the Gulf States which seems very light on the audio portions of the course. But I normally like this publisher and used it extensively when learning Czech.
The Pimsleur books are pretty impressive. I have the Teach Yourself Gulf Arabic. Structure lessons like the Old Canadian French Text but much more approachable and reasonable in their layout.
I also picked up Assimil - L'Arabe Sans Peine. A French language text for learning Arabic, It has the best explanations of text to and grammar so far. And I am amazed how much French I am able to read. I still have no ability to read it though.
I also have Earworms and Rapid Arabic from iTunes on the iPod and iPad. Easy purchase and lots of basic phrases but I am uncertain if they are the correct Arabic for the Gulf. They are easy to use and can be pulled up anywhere.
Rosetta Stone and such are still available. I am holding off on those until I try these out first.
Finally, there are the absolutely free web resources like local papers published online, podcasts and Television and Radio shows. I am picking these up on a regular basis.
I have picked up Colloquial Arabic of the Gulf States which seems very light on the audio portions of the course. But I normally like this publisher and used it extensively when learning Czech.
The Pimsleur books are pretty impressive. I have the Teach Yourself Gulf Arabic. Structure lessons like the Old Canadian French Text but much more approachable and reasonable in their layout.
I also picked up Assimil - L'Arabe Sans Peine. A French language text for learning Arabic, It has the best explanations of text to and grammar so far. And I am amazed how much French I am able to read. I still have no ability to read it though.
I also have Earworms and Rapid Arabic from iTunes on the iPod and iPad. Easy purchase and lots of basic phrases but I am uncertain if they are the correct Arabic for the Gulf. They are easy to use and can be pulled up anywhere.
Rosetta Stone and such are still available. I am holding off on those until I try these out first.
Finally, there are the absolutely free web resources like local papers published online, podcasts and Television and Radio shows. I am picking these up on a regular basis.
Things have changed
When I have tried to learn languages before, the resources available were sparse and pretty obscure.
Long literate discussions on the details of the language using torturous linguistic terms and impenetrable verbiage.
The new language learning is scientifically designed to be approachable and effective - - with pictures.
It gets installed on your iPhone or iPod and guides you through the basics and that is only the stuff for sale.
Getting your hands on anything related to the language you were learning before was really difficult before the internet and especially the current media based internet.
You could maybe chat to someone on Usenet or find a native speaker in your town. But that was about it.
Last night I looked up three Newspapers that are available from the country I am visiting. with English and Gulf Arabic versions.
The best media resource I have found so far is streaming television shows. You can watch The Cube from Dubai Television on the internet. Lots of "what is your name", what do you do", and other salutations from a variety of professional and non-professional speakers during the show. It really kicks up your ability to hear and try to understand the language from a variety of speakers.
Long literate discussions on the details of the language using torturous linguistic terms and impenetrable verbiage.
The new language learning is scientifically designed to be approachable and effective - - with pictures.
It gets installed on your iPhone or iPod and guides you through the basics and that is only the stuff for sale.
Getting your hands on anything related to the language you were learning before was really difficult before the internet and especially the current media based internet.
You could maybe chat to someone on Usenet or find a native speaker in your town. But that was about it.
Last night I looked up three Newspapers that are available from the country I am visiting. with English and Gulf Arabic versions.
The best media resource I have found so far is streaming television shows. You can watch The Cube from Dubai Television on the internet. Lots of "what is your name", what do you do", and other salutations from a variety of professional and non-professional speakers during the show. It really kicks up your ability to hear and try to understand the language from a variety of speakers.
Why I should not do this
So, after dabbling with several languages with varying levels of success. I have taken the plunge and decided to take on the big one.
It is rather off-putting to look at the all of the websites that tell English Speakers to not touch Arabic as a language.
"English speakers will never become fluent"
"Arabic Grammar is too difficult for non-native speakers"
"Written Arabic is on-par with Japanese for difficulty"
The language is daunting. Massive in geographic spread with more variants than any other global language. The one common thread that ties it together MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) is not really spoken outside of government and academia.
Also, unlike my experience with Czech, there is no Pivo encouragement. Learning to speak Arabic will not result in someone handing you the correct beer at some point.
But for some reason this one has grabbed me. It is taking on the biggest hill and even if I don't reach the top, I am sure I will learn something.
It is rather off-putting to look at the all of the websites that tell English Speakers to not touch Arabic as a language.
"English speakers will never become fluent"
"Arabic Grammar is too difficult for non-native speakers"
"Written Arabic is on-par with Japanese for difficulty"
The language is daunting. Massive in geographic spread with more variants than any other global language. The one common thread that ties it together MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) is not really spoken outside of government and academia.
Also, unlike my experience with Czech, there is no Pivo encouragement. Learning to speak Arabic will not result in someone handing you the correct beer at some point.
But for some reason this one has grabbed me. It is taking on the biggest hill and even if I don't reach the top, I am sure I will learn something.
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