Al-Kitaab Fii Tacallum al-Arabiyya A Textbook for Arabic, Part Three by Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, and Abbas Al-Tonsi (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2001. 480 pages.)

Abstract

The latest in the series of Al-Kitaab fii Ta calf um al-cArabiyya books, Kitaab
3 offers some new activities to challenge advanced Arabic learners. Of the
familiar, tested themes, al-cibaaraat al-jadiida (new expressions) rank
among my favorites. Native speakers take idioms for granted, while students
are often confused by them. The authors provide a generous list of
translated idioms and how to use them. One of those oft-repeated exercises
shows students several rows of four Arabic words and asks them to
choose which word does not belong there. The students have to justify their
choice in Arabic, as the authors want them to "reach the level of the educated
native speaker."
Kitaab 3 consists of IO chapters. Chapter 1, "Islam and Politics," fea tures
two articles on "Islamic fundamentalism": "Resolving the Dispute
with the Islamic Situation" (Fahrni Hewaydi) and "Whither This Islamic
Spread?" (Ahmad Kamal Abul Majd). In the area of grammar, it covers
special uses of the demonstrative pronoun, the hollow verb, and the verbal
and adverbial maa. In chapter 2, "Between Classic and Popular Heritage,"
we read "The Anecdotes of Goha," that lovable fool who has kept Arabs of
all ages laughing since time immemorial. The same chapter highlights
Youssef Idris in his "On Egyptian Theatre," and Nizar Qabbani's poem
"qaari 'at al-finjaan" [The Reader of the Cup]. More discussion of maa
ensues, this time its nominal and conditional meanings, along with the
defective verb's morphology ...