Useful Links for Learning ArabicWriting the Arabic Alphabet -
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/arabic/alphabet/alphabet.html Unfortunately I couldn't get the quick-time videos on this site to work right for me. I had to click through the black on the bottom to see them bit by bit. The person writing has very good and proper handwriting though so it's a great example if you want to start practicing the letters.
Arabic Phrases -
http://www.linguanaut.com/english_arabic.htm The list is a bit long but it has a lot of useful phrases in Arabic. It also has transliterations beside the Arabic script for those who are still struggling with the alphabet. You can find links to videos of people saying some common phrases as well. Very useful for a beginner.
Links Found Within LessonsThe Alphabet Sounds Taught by a Native -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANIoxAxruys&feature=player_embedded They did a great job explaining how each letter sounds. It’s one of the best audio-visual presentations I have seen.
Arabic Alphabet Song -
http://www.funwitharabic.com/song.htm This song starts with an adult singing it and his pronunciation is spot on. It also shows how some of the letters connect to make basic words and it has some links to some other basic information similar to what I have here. The only problem is that in some of the repetitions of the alphabet the letters don’t always keep in time with what they’re saying.
Arabic Alphabet Song -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AsgDINA6GI It’s hard to get the pronunciation from this exactly cause it’s kids singing but it’s cute.
Cardinal Numbers -
http://www2.ignatius.edu/faculty/turner/arabic/anumbers.htm This is a link to a site where you can hear the pronunciation of the cardinal numbers. Just be aware that it is only 1-10. They did not put the correct audio for the zero.
My Arabic Book RecommendationsStandard Arabic An Elementary - Intermediate Course by Eckehard Schulz, Gunther Krahl, and Wolfgang Reuschel - This book is really great and it's easy enough for a beginner to understand. It gives good explanations but if a beginner tries to read it too fast they might get a brain overload. There's a lot of information crammed in the pages of this book. It's really great if you know Arabic and just want a review.
The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic edited by J.M. Cowan - Usually referred to by Arabic students as the Hans Wehr. This is THE dictionary to have. It's difficult to use at first, because words must be found by looking up the root, but once you become accustomed to it, you will find it much more useful than the average Arabic dictionary. You gain a much better knowledge of the relationship between different word forms if you use the Hans Wehr instead of the usual dictionary.
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