Comments on: My first impressions after learning the Arabic alphabet http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/ Fluent Every Year Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:33:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Randy (@Yearlyglot) http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-2115 Randy (@Yearlyglot) Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:17:00 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-2115 Hooray! What's my prize? :) Hooray! What’s my prize? :)

]]> By: Kangarooz http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-2114 Kangarooz Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:59:00 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-2114 Yes, the word Taxi is pronounced the same in Arabic..you win. I am a native Arabic speaker Yes, the word Taxi is pronounced the same in Arabic..you win.
I am a native Arabic speaker

]]> By: Lisa http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-1438 Lisa Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:34:27 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-1438 I attended Arabic class for a year, had class twice a week. On the days I didn't have class, I practiced learning and writing vocabulary as well as conjugating verbs for hours. Our teacher insisted on our learning the alphabet, and if you start off slow (a couple of letters each time), you don't get as confused. It also helps if you are a visual learner as opposed to an auditory one. I would think about the words and conjure them up with my "inner eye," then write them.<br><br>What good does it do to only learn an alphabet? Randy is right, you never know when you might actually travel to a country that speaks that language and need to read street signs (the Russian alphabet helped me in Greece, and years later I actually did end up travelling to Morocco.).<br><br>Indeed it is hard to read words without vowels when you are a beginner, but when your command of the language gets better, it gets easier, and the context will tell you which is the correct word (after all, an English speaker knows that apt. is an apartment, No. means number, n/a is not applicable or not available, etc. etc.).<br><br>What I found particularly frustrating at the time was the lack of good learning material here in Germany. A friend of mine had actually programmed his own vocabulary trainer for Arabic due to lack of software. Perhaps the situation has improved since then, that was a while back. I attended Arabic class for a year, had class twice a week. On the days I didn't have class, I practiced learning and writing vocabulary as well as conjugating verbs for hours. Our teacher insisted on our learning the alphabet, and if you start off slow (a couple of letters each time), you don't get as confused. It also helps if you are a visual learner as opposed to an auditory one. I would think about the words and conjure them up with my “inner eye,” then write them.

What good does it do to only learn an alphabet? Randy is right, you never know when you might actually travel to a country that speaks that language and need to read street signs (the Russian alphabet helped me in Greece, and years later I actually did end up travelling to Morocco.).

Indeed it is hard to read words without vowels when you are a beginner, but when your command of the language gets better, it gets easier, and the context will tell you which is the correct word (after all, an English speaker knows that apt. is an apartment, No. means number, n/a is not applicable or not available, etc. etc.).

What I found particularly frustrating at the time was the lack of good learning material here in Germany. A friend of mine had actually programmed his own vocabulary trainer for Arabic due to lack of software. Perhaps the situation has improved since then, that was a while back.

]]> By: Jan http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-1277 Jan Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:29:32 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-1277 Actually, there _are_ separate print and cursive for the Arabic alphabet. The normal script used in Arabic is called Naskh and it was introduced about a thousand years ago, replacing the Kufi script, which was blockier than the current Naskh. Cursive, everyday writing Arabic is much smoother; while siin and shiin in Naskh has two curves, while in Ruq'ah (most cursive Arabic) they are written without the curves. Thereby, it is much faster to write.<br><br>Another thing: the only thing I hate about Naskh (or really printed or computer Arabic) is that it looks so ugly, blocky and uneven - whereas handwritten Naskh (like in the Qur'an) is quite beautiful. Actually, there _are_ separate print and cursive for the Arabic alphabet. The normal script used in Arabic is called Naskh and it was introduced about a thousand years ago, replacing the Kufi script, which was blockier than the current Naskh. Cursive, everyday writing Arabic is much smoother; while siin and shiin in Naskh has two curves, while in Ruq'ah (most cursive Arabic) they are written without the curves. Thereby, it is much faster to write.

Another thing: the only thing I hate about Naskh (or really printed or computer Arabic) is that it looks so ugly, blocky and uneven – whereas handwritten Naskh (like in the Qur'an) is quite beautiful.

]]> By: Randy (@Yearlyglot) http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-1151 Randy (@Yearlyglot) Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:10:15 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-1151 Let's try to keep the comments constructive. Let's try to keep the comments constructive.

]]> By: Guest http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-1146 Guest Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:59:07 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-1146 if you love arabic so much why are you spouting so many lies about it? if you love arabic so much why are you spouting so many lies about it?

]]> By: Bay Area Shawty707 http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-1143 Bay Area Shawty707 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:52:21 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-1143 there are vowls in arabic<br> here are two youtube videos that proves arabic has vowls :D :<br><br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uCDeRSy-Zg&playnext_from=TL&videos=Ojt7iuBHkVU" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uCDeRSy-Zg&play...</a><br> <br>and this one:<br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0hoR-t7zg&feature=channel" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0hoR-t7zg&feat...</a> there are vowls in arabic
here are two youtube videos that proves arabic has vowls :D :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uCDeRSy-Zg&play…

and this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0hoR-t7zg&feat…

]]> By: World of Islam » Blog Archive » A is for Allah by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-902 World of Islam » Blog Archive » A is for Allah by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:55:50 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-902 [...] My first impressions after learning the Arabic alphabet … [...] [...] My first impressions after learning the Arabic alphabet … [...]

]]> By: Randy (@Yearlyglot) http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-990 Randy (@Yearlyglot) Sun, 30 May 2010 10:16:32 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-990 Learning to read a language without spending time learning that language isn't useless. Sure, the ability to read isn't going to make anyone capable of communication, but it can at least give the ability to read a street sign, or the name on a building. And every language has loanwords and cognates. I'm willing to bet "taxi" is pronounced the same in Arabic. :) Learning to read a language without spending time learning that language isn't useless. Sure, the ability to read isn't going to make anyone capable of communication, but it can at least give the ability to read a street sign, or the name on a building. And every language has loanwords and cognates. I'm willing to bet “taxi” is pronounced the same in Arabic. :)

]]> By: Randy (@Yearlyglot) http://www.yearlyglot.com/2010/03/my-first-impressions-after-learning-the-arabic-alphabet/#comment-789 Randy (@Yearlyglot) Sun, 30 May 2010 05:16:32 +0000 http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/?p=972#comment-789 Learning to read a language without spending time learning that language isn't useless. Sure, the ability to read isn't going to make anyone capable of communication, but it can at least give the ability to read a street sign, or the name on a building. And every language has loanwords and cognates. I'm willing to bet "taxi" is pronounced the same in Arabic. :) Learning to read a language without spending time learning that language isn't useless. Sure, the ability to read isn't going to make anyone capable of communication, but it can at least give the ability to read a street sign, or the name on a building. And every language has loanwords and cognates. I'm willing to bet “taxi” is pronounced the same in Arabic. :)

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