New Understand the Noble Quran Course for 2014

Salaam Students and Friends

The New Understand Al-Quran Course is due to start on 13 April 2014, In-Sha-Allah.

Classes will be on Sunday mornings from 08.30 - 09.45.

The current Read Arabic Course will still continue.

The Two Courses will thus be integrated during the same time slot.

Please inform Family and Friends!

Will speaking Arabic help you to understand Al-Quran?

How is it possible to learn and speak Arabic once a week?

It would be very difficult to learn any language, if the only exposure is once a week.  Students who are taking the Speak Arabic Today course, are therefore encouraged to practise the words and sentences covered weekly - on a daily basis.  Audio and video materials will be made available to help with this process.  It has been proven that if one listens and repeats the same sentences (with understanding) a few times, this helps a lot with communication.  Furthermore a number of oral and written exercises will be done weekly (which should be revised daily).  This ensures success. 

About: Speak Arabic Today

Speak Arabic Today

تكلّم العربية اليوم

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This Programme proposes to teach English speaking foreigners to speak the Arabic language.  The aim is to empower the student to start speaking Arabic from day one, hence the title: Speak Arabic Today.

The programme will mainly focus on the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) which is spoken all over the Arabic world.  From time to time a few colloquial words and phrases will be introduced to assist those who are planning to visit an Arab country or interact with the many Arabs in our midst.  Although visitors to Arab countries will mostly hear the natives speak the colloquial Arabic (Al'Amiya - العامية), MSA is taught in schools.  MSA is also spoken in schools, on radio and TV.  This is also the language written in text books, story books, magazines and newspapers. Arabs all over the world therefore do speak, read and understand MSA.

The vocabulary and sentences which will be introduced throughout this course will help students who are studying Arabic and or Islamic studies at various schools and institutions. 

In addition to my own knowledge, I've consulted more than twenty Arabic books (used to teach foreigners in Arab countries as well as at institutions across the world), such as: العربية بين يديك , العربية للناشئين , احبّ العربية , طريقة جديدة في تعليم العربية, دروس في العربية, دروس اللغة العربية  as well as  the Enjoy Arabic Series (العربية للإستمتاع), which I have written a few years ago.  I am also in consultation with Arab speakers, mainly from Egypt and Morocco for advice regarding colloquial Arabic.

The themes which will be covered, should include everyday phrases, greetings and introductions, conversing in class, at home, at the office; travelling (including Hajj) and visiting places such as the restaurant, beach, etc.  Conversations about Quran and the Hadith will also be introduced. To assist students audio and video materials will be made available from time to time.

A unique feature of this course is that input from students as well as teachers would be welcome throughout: the course is therefore flexible - in order to cater for the specific needs of the students. 

Key vocabulary and phrases will be posted on this blog from time to time to help students to prepare.   Remember there is only one way to speak Arabic: That is To Speak Arabic - So whoever wants to speak, should join a class or group where spoken Arabic can be practised.  Speaking any new language requires lots of drilling, so start by reading and repeating the words and phrases over and over. 

Students and teachers or speakers are welcome to send their comments and suggestions to me at: idreeskamish@gmail.com

For the first 100 words and sentences to kickstart your Arabic conversations, go to:
http://schoolofarabic.blogspot.com/p/lesson-one-speak-arabic-today.html

Why Learn Arabic?

 

Arabic is spoken by more than 300 million people living in twenty three Arab nations, occupying a vast expanse of land from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east, and from the borders of Turkey in the north to Sudan and the Sahara in the south. Each Arab nation has a different form of colloquial Arabic, however, Modern Standard Arabic remains the formal Arabic which is written and spoken in all nations of the contemporary Arab world. Due to this rather wide span of Arabic usage around the world, the United Nations adopted Arabic as one of its six official languages in 1974.
 

Arabic is also the language of Islam and it is widely understood by over one billion Muslims from Morocco to Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia and from Turkey to Yemen, and all the Arabs and Muslims emigrated to western countries.

Arabic is a very rewarding language to learn and understand for professional reasons, academic scholarship, and in order to enjoy a rich cultural exchange with a large population of the world. The following are some rather obvious advantages for learning Arabic.