36.1072, Reviews: Modern Standard Arabic: Shehata (2025)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-36-1072. Fri Mar 28 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.1072, Reviews: Modern Standard Arabic: Shehata (2025)

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Date: 27-Mar-2025
From: Asmaa Shehata [asm.shehata at gmail.com]
Subject: General Linguistics:  Shehata (2025)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/35-589

Title: Modern Standard Arabic
Publication Year: 2023

Publisher: Cambridge University Press
           http://www.cambridge.org/linguistics
Book URL: https://cambridge.org/9780521708180

Author(s): Peter F. Abboud, Aman Attieh, Ernest N. McCarus, Raji M.
Rammuny

Reviewer: Asmaa Shehata

SUMMARY
"Modern Standard Arabic: Advanced to Superior" is an updated version
of the book that was first released in 1971 by the Center for Middle
Eastern and North Africa Studies at the University of Michigan. In
addition to the 20 lessons in the book, there is a free online
companion that contains lexical and grammar notes, as well as
listening comprehension and reading passages in the lessons. Each
lesson is also broken up into seven main sections. Part 1,
Preliminaries, includes pre-reading activities, new vocabulary, and
cultural activities to assist students to get ready to comprehend the
lesson's main content. Part II, Reading Activities, on the other hand,
consists of reading materials, lexical notes that include vocabulary
and important expressions, and grammatical structures that are
followed by drills. Part III, Review, consists of three primary
sections: reading aloud, vocabulary and grammatical review, and
translation. Its goal is to review all of the previously discussed
elements. Part IV, Applications, aims to equip students to use the
knowledge they have learned from each session in written and spoken
assignments that require opinion expression, persuasion, and
comparison and contrast. Parts V and VI: Reading Authentic Texts
in-depth and Developing Listening Comprehensions, incorporate at least
two listening and two reading passages with varying themes into each
lesson using audios and videos. Included in each reading/listening
passage are objectives, vocabulary, the gists of the initial and
intensive reading/listening passages, and a follow-up where students
evaluate the passages they heard or read. Part VII, Dictionary
Studies, contains a few selected terms from the lesson,  as well as
meanings and usage extensions. English translations of these words and
their derivatives are also provided.
Lesson 1 focuses on discussing societal concerns in married life
through Tafik Al Hakeem's short story "The Happiest Couple," which
covers a range of topics such as the wife's culinary talents, recipe
instructions, and cookery programs on the radio. These themes'
specific vocabulary and  cultural idioms are introduced. Several
grammatical constructions, including the circumstantial clause, are
covered in the lesson, along with an example of a commercial radio
advertisement. Furthermore, readings from Lesson 2, "Arabs before
Islam," describe the pre-Islamic lifestyle of Arabs in the Arabian
Peninsula, elucidating their daily routines, occupations, and
religious beliefs. They also discuss the status of poetry, its
characteristics, and the role of women, such as that of a  well-known
Arab poetess. Numerous grammatical constructions are also added, such
as the past tense, the verb ‘to be’, indefinite relative phrases, and
indefinite relative pronouns. While Lesson 3, "The Study of the Arabic
Language", presents the verbal nouns, the verbs of approximation, the
imperfect tense, and the subordinating conjunction of ما, Lesson 4,
"The emergence and spread of Islam", offers background information
about the topic to come, in addition to grammatical issues such as the
active participle, verbs with two accusatives, and apposition.
Lesson 5, "Beghdad", presents information about this Iraqi city and
introduces the passive participle and the past tense. Moreover, Lesson
6, "People of Paradise," covers manner adverbs and hamza writing,
while Lesson 7, "Arab Press and its Development," offers a variety of
readings, including two short stories, and goes over Nisba adjectives,
the indirectly linked qualification, and the adjectival/participle
construct. Along with a variety of reading and listening materials
about education, Lesson 8, "Education in the Arab States," also goes
over a number of grammatical concepts, including the resumptive
pronoun, the relative pronoun al-, and the definite coordinated head
of an iḍāfa. This is followed by Lesson 9, "Pillars of Arab
Nationalism," which covers the functions of noun clauses, as well as
Arab nationalism and culture through reading and listening readings.
In Lesson 10, "Pioneers of the Arab Renaissance," the pioneering Arab
thinkers are introduced, along with the many identities of relative
clause sequences and ما.
After discussing literary writings and the Circumstantial Clause in
Lesson 11, "The Journey," Lesson 12, "The Arab World: Natural
Resources," highlights some Arab organizations and revolutions and
explains the Active participle. Next, in Lesson 13, "The Formation of
the Arab Society," the topic of minorities in Arab nations is covered,
along with the functions of verbal nouns and exceptive and concessive
sentences. Lesson 14, "Some Holidays and Traditions in the Arab
States," then, focuses on family relationships and Bedouin marriage,
explaining the genitive construct and its meanings as well as the uses
of the participle لـِ. The following six lessons cover a variety of
fascinating subjects, such as the Arabic novel, contemporary Arabic
poetry, Arabic plays, Arabs in the American diaspora, and the exodus
of highly qualified and educated people from Arab countries. They also
go over a few grammar concepts, such as the use of adverbs of purpose
and reason and indirect questions.
EVALUATION
This book is a very beneficial source in advanced Arabic courses
because it skillfully combines cultural nuances with language
proficiency. It is well-structured thematically, addressing a variety
of cultural topics like customs, social norms, literature,
revolutions, diaspora, and media. This thematic complexity improves
the learner's contextual comprehension of the language in addition to
expanding their vocabulary. Moreover, learners may readily understand
subtle expressions and their usage because the book provides complex
grammatical structures in a way that is consistent with real-life
language. It is an interesting and intellectually stimulating
resource, since it incorporates real literature and creative
activities that encourage critical thinking.
The inclusion of authentic content like media articles, literary
extracts, and scholarly papers is one of the book's most admirable
aspects, as it introduces learners to the richness of the language's
culture. Instead of using simplified textbook examples, these
real-world materials expose students to the language in its genuine,
natural context. Through literary extracts, for example, learners can
gain an understanding of the language's creative and cultural
components. Students' comprehension and critical thinking skills are
enhanced when they read literature because it forces them to
comprehend narrative voice, symbolism, and figurative language. It
also makes them more sensitive to tone and register, which is crucial
for improving the sophistication and fluency of their communication.
Academic texts are also particularly helpful for students who want to
utilize the language in professional or higher education contexts. In
order to help students write research papers, give presentations, or
take part in intellectual discussions, such texts expose readers to
formal frameworks, technical terminology, and argumentative writing.
When these real resources are combined, a rich linguistic environment
is produced that replicates the language's actual usage in a variety
of settings. This method gives learners a deeper comprehension of
vocabulary, tone, and structure across various written discourse
types, in addition to adding variation to the learning process.
With its logical and progressive development of diverse themes, the
book has a strong sense of organization that enables learners to
gradually improve their accuracy and fluency. Every unit has a
distinct thematic focus, such as technology, culture, education, or
the environment; this guarantees that vocabulary and grammar are
introduced in context and keeps the subject interesting. The flow from
one concept to the next is deliberate and seamless, progressively
building in complexity while reiterating previously taught content. A
deeper, more comprehensive grasp of the language is promoted by this
coherent framework, which also assists students in making connections
between concepts from other chapters. This strategy turns the target
language from a tool for communication into a way to achieve cultural
literacy by promoting a deeper understanding of it.
The book does, however, have certain shortcomings. Although it offers
a rich cultural and linguistic experience, learners who have never
encountered advanced texts before may find its richness daunting. Even
if they are thorough, the explanations of intricate grammatical
concepts occasionally presume a degree of expertise that not all
students possess, which could cause dissatisfaction. Although the book
is meant for advanced readers, it frequently presents difficult
grammatical concepts (such as the functions of verbal nouns and
exceptive and concessive sentences) without providing enough context
or obvious examples to help the reader understand them. Even advanced
students may find it challenging to confidently understand unfamiliar
concepts as a result. Furthermore, the book does a good job of
presenting a variety of topics, but there are times when it falls
short in terms of interactive or communicative exercises that could
more dynamically reinforce learning. The book's usefulness would be
improved with more organized practice questions or facilitated
conversations, particularly for self-learners.
In sum, “Modern Standard Arabic: Advanced to Superior Level” is
nevertheless a useful resource for learners who want to improve their
language proficiency and broaden their cultural awareness in spite of
these small flaws.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Asmaa Shehata is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern
Languages at the University of Mississippi. Her research interests
include second language phonology with a particular focus on
cross-language speech perception and production.



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