<B><U>About Modern Standard Arabic</U></B><P><UL><LI>Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), also known as Standard Arabic or Literary Arabic, is the variety of Arabic used in writing and in formal speech. <LI>MSA is spoken by an estimated 300 million people world-wide. <LI>It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. <LI>Modern Standard Arabic is the official language of all Arab countries, and is the only form of Arabic taught in schools at all levels. Because of this, MSA is the <I>lingua franca</I> of all educated Arabic-speakers, regardless of nationality or spoken native dialect. <LI>It is used in the news, schools, official documents, and courts of law. <LI>MSA bears great resemblance to Classical Arabic; the language of ancient poetry and the Quran. <LI>The Modern Standard Arabic alphabet contains 28 basic letters and is read from right to left. </LI></UL><P><B>Pimsleur's Modern Standard Arabic Comprehensive Language Program</B> <P> <P>The Pimsleur® Method: the easiest, fastest way to learn a new language. Completely portable, easily downloadable, and lots of fun. You’ll be speaking and understanding in no time flat! Modern Standard Arabic, Comprehensive includes 15 hours of spoken language practice and one hour of reading instruction in thirty, 30-minute lessons. <P><UL><LI>In the first 10 lessons, you’ll cover the basics: saying hello, asking for or giving information, scheduling a meal or a meeting, asking for or giving basic directions, and much more. You’ll be able to handle minimum courtesy requirements, understand much of what you hear, and be understood at a beginning level, but with near-native pronunciation skills. <LI>In the next 10 lessons, you’ll build on what you’ve learned. Expand your menu, increase your scheduling abilities from general to specific, start to deal with currency and exchanging money, refine your conversations and add over a hundred new vocabulary items. You’ll understand more of what you hear, and be able to participate with speech that is smoother and more confident. <LI>In the final 10 lessons, you’ll be speaking and understanding at an intermediate level. In this phase, more directions are given in the target language, which moves your learning to a whole new plane. Lessons include shopping, visiting friends, going to a restaurant, plans for the evening, car trips, and talking about family. You’ll be able to speak comfortably about things that happened in the past and make plans for the future. </LI></UL><P>Reading Lessons are included at the end of Unit 30 and provide you with an introduction to reading the Arabic alphabet. These lessons are designed to teach you to sound out words with correct pronunciation and accent. A Reading Booklet to be used with the audio lessons is also included in PDF format.