Mabrouk. Congratulations. You have chosen to study Arabic, one of the most beautiful, musical and enduring Classical languages of the world. This book is intended to be used as a primary textbook and consists of two parts: the primary textbook (Part One) and a secondary reader which contains "The Story of Sami and Warda" (Part Two). (Downloadable audio files are available for Part Two). Part One incorporates the lessons of Part Two. Together, the two parts of the textbook provide a complete course in Arabic at both the elementary and intermediate levels. However, Mabrouk can also be used to supplement any textbook already adopted by a language program or department. The book can serve as a comprehensive workbook due to its unprecedented number of exercises and practice material available for students to sharpen their skills. The book focuses on proficiency in all of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The emphasis is on both fluency and accuracy, the two most important goals for any foreign language student. In this book, lessons are presented in a diversified way to keep students interested, focused and productive. Students are exposed to a generous number of practical applications for every grammatical rule, yet the complex and multiple rules that govern the Arabic language are introduced in a very simplified and clear way that is direct and intentionally made easy. All you need to know about Arabic grammar rules and application is presented here and explained in a language easy to understand and use. The book also focuses on vocabulary building and usage of the most commonly used words today. As such, Mabrouk becomes an indispensable book for any dedicated teacher and serious student of Arabic. Students and teachers alike have all of the supplementary practice material they need for a complete course of study at both the elementary and intermediate levels.
About the Author: George Nicolas El-Hage, Ph.D. is a Lebanese-American poet, professor, linguist, administrator and writer. He was born in Mansourieh El-Metn, Lebanon in 1952. His father was Nicolas Iskandar El-Hage and his mother was Martha Abounader El-Hage. Dr. El-Hage completed his elementary and secondary school education in Lebanon. He acquired his B.A. in Arabic Literature from the Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon. While in Beirut, El-Hage studied with and was influenced by poets like Buland al-Haidari and Khalil Hawi. He then immigrated to the United States where he completed both his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Arabic and Comparative Literature at the Binghamton University. His dissertation (later published into a book by NDU Press, Lebanon) was on William Blake and Kahlil Gibran: Poets of Prophetic Vision. He has taught at Yale University, Binghamton University, The Lebanese University, Columbia University, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and the Defense Language Institute. His academic career has been equally spent between teaching, authoring, lecturing and administration. Dr. El-Hage is a prolific writer with a perfect command of both English and Arabic languages. His training and expertise in the field of Arabic and Comparative Literature has enabled him to delve into a wide range of topics and areas covering literature, mythology, mysticism, language acquisition, criticism, theology and art. He is a published poet in Arabic, both in Modern Standard and in spoken Levantine Dialect as well as in Lebanese Zajal. He also writes poetry in English and is an accomplished translator. Dr. El-Hage has published seven volumes of poetry, numerous research articles, books on language pedagogy and poetry in Lebanese Dialect and Zajal. His poetry betrays a marked fluctuation between a deep romantic sensitivity and a tragic existential awareness which colors his reading of current universal and regional events. The tragedy of his embattled country constitutes a dominant theme in his writings. El-Hage is a supporter of the free verse movement in Modern Arabic Poetry. Nevertheless, he still appreciates the Qasida 'Amudiyya, the classical form of traditional Arabic Poetry. He always chooses short meters, and his poetry is characterized by its musical effects. Many of Dr. El-Hage's books are available on www.amazon.com.