Beginning Urdu: A Complete Course

by Joshua H. Pien

Beginning Urdu is a complete first-year textbook designed to help learners acquire the language by actively using it in realistic situations. The book and its accompanying downloadable audio files contain all that is needed to complete one full year of study, including clear explanations of language structures; useful, fun, and engaging activities; and an organizational format that makes it easy to chart student progress.

FEATURES
* Develops all four skills ― listening, speaking, reading, writing ― through a wide range of tasks and activities, including role plays, games, and short conversations

* Beautifully illustrated with full-color, authentic images and written in an accessible style

* Introduces the sound system and script of Urdu

* Organized around functional themes such as home and family, everyday life, the marketplace, personal responsibilities, and travel

* Features straightforward grammatical explanations and topically organized vocabulary lists for each of the 34 chapters

* Integrates cultural information within the thematic units and also presents culture through aphorisms, poetry, and photographs

* Provides an activity set for each unit along with review activities, including tips for increasing fluency and sets of questions to help personalize learning

* Contains Urdu―English and English―Urdu glossaries

* Includes three appendices ― Urdu numbers, additional grammatical structures for moving to advanced levels of proficiency, and a suggested syllabus

Beginning Urdu covers approximately 150 contact hours and is designed to bring learners to the ACTFL proficiency level of mid- to high-intermediate in all four skills. The book also serves as a valuable resource for independent learners.

Audio for Beginning Urdu can be downloaded for free press.georgetown.edu/book/languages/b....

Genres: Nonfiction, India

688 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2012

Reviews

[Brett C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to the Urdu language. I own the learning series Pastho, Uzbek, Dari, and Tajiki by the same publisher (Georgetown University Press) and these are great. This is an elementary introductory level of the language and you will definitley have a well-rounded familiarity with the language before even getting half-way through the book. These books have lessons that include grammar, listening exercises, vocabulary and sentence recall, dictation and transcription which are all great ways to becoming a well rounded speaker, reader, writer, and listener in the target language.

In particular to this book, you will learn how to read the nastaliq script unique to Urdu. It is a little more difficult to read in comparison to Arabic/Pashto/Dari but the book is repetitive enough to reinforce what you learn. In my opinion Urdu is a very pretty sounding language that flows nicely and softly. Urdu and Pashto are probably my favorite sounding languages.

I would highly recommend this publisher to anyone interested in learning a foreign language. The books are a bit pricey but the audio is free and is performed by native speakers at a normal speaking tone.

Thank you very much!

[James Midkiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never recommend someone using an app to learn a language ever again, especially a less prominent one such as Urdu. An excellent book such as this one will pay for itself over and over again.

It took me 15 months to do this course at roughly 3 sessions a week with 45 minutes per session, though granted I had a good headstart on learning this language that not everyone else may have.

Mein is kitaab ka mashkor hoon.