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Master Arabic
ebook
Published January 31, 2017
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About the author
Alex Strick van Linschoten
13 books149 followersI don't use Goodreads any more. I switched over to The StoryGraph. https://thestorygraph.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 3, 2017
The things to know about Master Arabic is that it is Alex Strick van Linschoten and Saba Imtiaz’s eight and second book project, respectively. Strick, apart from being a linguist, is the world’s leading expert on the Taliban and other insurgent groups. His is the book that is read by journalists who then go on to write up accessible versions of the original text, myself included. Imtiaz, who previously led the New York times’ coverage of Pakistan, has been synonymous with her hometown Karachi for many years. Between the two of them, they speak over ten languages. Both live in Jordan now, and the lives they lead there is different from the lives that most other expats lead, and this is chiefly as a function of their language skills. Their Arabic fluency is a super power that allows them to exist in a parallel universe that most foreigners have no access to.
Master Arabic is your guide into that world. The book is aimed at intermediate-level Arabic learners — to help them overcome their learning plateaus where many language learners linger — but a beginner would also benefit from its catholic overview of available language acquisition theories. The book contains Strick and Imtiaz’s decades worth of tips on acquiring Arabic, and the tips vary from the specific (Iverson’s list method is a favourite, as is the self talk trick) to more philosophical (developing good habits, as it turns out, is the secret). The practical tips, on how you should bring a kitchen timer to a conversation exchange, or prefiguring particles and connectors (things like as a matter of fact, or between you and me), or outsource tasks to upward.com, are all things I noted and will do. The book is also no nonsense when it comes to the fact that what you need is to put in the time. (“Be deliberate in how you study. This is the overriding principle that I advocate in this book. And as an adjunct to that, be in charge of how you choose to spend your time. In a few years from now, if I asked you to look back, would you rather be an expert in all the latest TV series, or would you rather be comfortable reading a novel in Arabic?”)
I especially liked the first goal setting chapter, which is applicable not just to Arabic but to other languages as well as other aspects of life. They are things you already know — how the goal has to be clearly defined and how it needs to be something you can track — but as with other things you intellectually understand but can’t seem to internalize, it helps to have a trusted friend remind you of those facts.
Strick, who also offers one on one language coaching, writes about how he overcame a decade of absence from Arabic studies. He committed to 100 hours of practise before he had to show up for an intensive language course. He prebooked lessons on iTalki (another great tip) and spent the next two months speaking Arabic an hour a day, everyday, five days a week. The result was that when he arrived at the Middlebury language school, he tested in the highest level the program offered. To know that he’s done it is to believe that you, too, are capable of replicating his success.
The book comes in two versions. The premium version gets you access to a online resource guide that is constantly being updated, which is really all you need, and gets you feeling like you are part of a kind of a community. I recommend the premium version, and I also recommend trying out Strick’s language coach program. I’ve been fortunate enough to have studied with him on and off for years, and he has added much to the way I approach language learning — which is to say the way I move through the world.
Master Arabic is your guide into that world. The book is aimed at intermediate-level Arabic learners — to help them overcome their learning plateaus where many language learners linger — but a beginner would also benefit from its catholic overview of available language acquisition theories. The book contains Strick and Imtiaz’s decades worth of tips on acquiring Arabic, and the tips vary from the specific (Iverson’s list method is a favourite, as is the self talk trick) to more philosophical (developing good habits, as it turns out, is the secret). The practical tips, on how you should bring a kitchen timer to a conversation exchange, or prefiguring particles and connectors (things like as a matter of fact, or between you and me), or outsource tasks to upward.com, are all things I noted and will do. The book is also no nonsense when it comes to the fact that what you need is to put in the time. (“Be deliberate in how you study. This is the overriding principle that I advocate in this book. And as an adjunct to that, be in charge of how you choose to spend your time. In a few years from now, if I asked you to look back, would you rather be an expert in all the latest TV series, or would you rather be comfortable reading a novel in Arabic?”)
I especially liked the first goal setting chapter, which is applicable not just to Arabic but to other languages as well as other aspects of life. They are things you already know — how the goal has to be clearly defined and how it needs to be something you can track — but as with other things you intellectually understand but can’t seem to internalize, it helps to have a trusted friend remind you of those facts.
Strick, who also offers one on one language coaching, writes about how he overcame a decade of absence from Arabic studies. He committed to 100 hours of practise before he had to show up for an intensive language course. He prebooked lessons on iTalki (another great tip) and spent the next two months speaking Arabic an hour a day, everyday, five days a week. The result was that when he arrived at the Middlebury language school, he tested in the highest level the program offered. To know that he’s done it is to believe that you, too, are capable of replicating his success.
The book comes in two versions. The premium version gets you access to a online resource guide that is constantly being updated, which is really all you need, and gets you feeling like you are part of a kind of a community. I recommend the premium version, and I also recommend trying out Strick’s language coach program. I’ve been fortunate enough to have studied with him on and off for years, and he has added much to the way I approach language learning — which is to say the way I move through the world.
January 17, 2018
This really is an all-encompassing manual on how to learn Arabic. It could as well be named "Everything you ever wanted to know about how to learn Arabic and did not know who to ask". The book is full of practical, "actionable" advice which will help to up your game of learning Arabic instantly. Since Arabic is not the easiest language out there to learn, I could not recommend the book more.
The title is Master Arabic but actually large part of the book (except for resources section) provides tips for learners of any language, since only rarely are those Arabic-specific. What is spaced-repetition system (and how to use Anki), how to use mnemonics, why to track time spent on your studies (or rather, on improving a given language skill), what is deliberate practice and much more - I have been using all this information in my studies of other languages as well.
The title is Master Arabic but actually large part of the book (except for resources section) provides tips for learners of any language, since only rarely are those Arabic-specific. What is spaced-repetition system (and how to use Anki), how to use mnemonics, why to track time spent on your studies (or rather, on improving a given language skill), what is deliberate practice and much more - I have been using all this information in my studies of other languages as well.
June 30, 2017
Freelance writers like Alex are leading the way to fill the many gaps and inadequacies of university Arabic programmes. Skip the degree, follow the advice in this book. Go premium for the extra constantly updated online resources.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews