A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Reference Grammars) | 
|  | | | Title: | A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Reference Grammars) | | Author: | Karin C. Ryding | | Publisher: | Cambridge University Press | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 19 September, 2005 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0521777712 / 9780521777711 | | List Price: | $48.00 | | You Save: | $11.22 | | Amazon Price: | $36.78 | |
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Product Description
Keeping technical terminology to a minimum, this comprehensive handbook provides a detailed yet accessible overview of Arabic wherein its phonology, morphology and syntax can be readily accessed. Accompanied by extensive examples, it will prove an invaluable practical guide for supporting students' textbooks, classroom work or self-study, and a useful resource for scholars and professionals.
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Customer Reviews:
• Alhamdullilah, 2 In 1 Deal 25 January, 2008
SubhanAllah(Praise be to Allah), not only does this book greatly presents Arabic grammar but also makes you understand the English counterpart also. 2 in 1 deal, even though it is an Arabic Grammar reference but it will also increase you English vocabulary and strengthen you English grammar rules also.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A343DL2LNUDOKW
• Excellent! 22 May, 2008
This is by far my favorite book on Arabic grammar -- it is well organized, easy to follow, systematic and thorough. This book however is not for people who wish to start learning Arabic, rather it is better suited for students of Arabic who already have a couple of years under their belt and want a one stop reference for grammar.
It is perfect for review and editing - it has come in handy on MANY occasions for me.
The author uses a lot of linguistic jargon and this book is not designed for learning Arabic - it assumes that the reader has a decent grasp of Arabic.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3KB1QXXA86SJX
• Superb!!! Efficient!!! And Clear!!! 04 June, 2008
It is extremely difficult finding clear texts on Grammar let alone Modern Standard Arabic Grammar. This Book is well organized and clearly written.I truly wish all grammar books were written like this. Simply a breath of fresh air.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1IVGQM1OHK29N
• An Excellent Arabic And English Grammer Guide. 14 September, 2008
Professor Ryding's master piece is best appreciated when used daily. The "Contents" comprises nine pages of jam-packed easy to use reference material. The seven "Index" pages provide additional verbiage in English as well in transliterated Arabic. The arrangement of the topics in the Index provides additional details that augment the Table of Contents section of this superb Reference. This book, I believe, was not intended as an English Grammar Guide. However, this is a unintended bonus but a bonus none the less.
This book comes in handy when explaining Arabic syntax to my English speaking colleagues. It helps to use the precise English term that best conveys the Arabic meaning. In any language this would not an easy task. To do so in Arabic is a daunting endeavor. Dr. Ryding, however, makes this task look simple and pithy. Any user of this Reference Guide will find just such a word every time.
As a Reference Guide you may go to any chapter to review the topic of your choice without the need to study the previous chapters or the following chapters. The topics addressed in each chapter are considered to be an integral part of the whole volume, yet at the same time these topics may be made use of without relying on the remaining chapters.
The section on "How to use An Arabic Dictionary" is very useful, see appendix I.
The "Glossary of English grammatical terms", starts on Page 686 of my copy of the book, hence the Bonus.
I highly recommend that the "Preface" and "Chapter 1" be read in their entirety, at least once.
This Reference Guide not only supports a student's textbook, but also assists the user of Arabic in a professional milieu.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AVWWTY7DO3RUA
• Clear And Concise 04 January, 2009
What makes Arabic hard? This question is one of the fundamental and repeated queries of the Arabic student. Neophytes may think it's the alphabet, others may think it's the vocabulary, but I believe, and I think that many others would agree with me in saying that the most difficult part of Arabic is grammar. Since many grammar rules are never exposed in most verbal or written texts, it is possible for even advanced students of the language to maintain little more than an elementary proficiency in syntax and grammar. I even remember one Saudi student in Spokane telling me it was easier for him to write papers in English than it was for him to write them in Arabic.
So, it became inevitable that I should read a grammar book other than the isolated (although deftly composed) lessons in the Al-Kitaab series. Based on other reviews, I picked up A Reference Grammer of Modern Standard Arabic, by Karin C. Ryding, and I have not been disappointed. Perhaps contrary to the expectations of the author, I read the text straight through and was gratified to see it start from letters and continue on to words, with the most difficult part of verbs and conjugation coming at the end. The mast surprising thin about this book was its accessibility. I read it all in about 4 days, and while it will certainly take me more time to memorize and internalize all the new concepts and words I feel like I have a vastly improved knowledge of Arabic grammar than before I read this book. The most helpful tool for this is the fact that the majority of the 700 pages is devoted to phrase-level and sentence level examples, from form XII verbs to rules governing the seat of Hamza within words. While the book covers all the rules a student would practically want to know, references to other works are made throughout to more detailed analyses. Finally the nearly complete lack of linguistic terminology was a significant boon to my comprehension. In the rare instances that a linguistic term (English) was used, it was always clearly explained before being used by the author.
There were three drawbacks to the book, none of which were particularly troublesome . First Ryding has a troubling tendency to state when patterns can be used, not when they cannot. For example in her explanation on adverbs, she say the phase bi-shakal can be used in some cases, and in some cases the adjective in mansoob alone suffices. I still have no clear idea when I should use one over the other. Even explaining the use as idiomatic or that it is difficult to discern would have been more helpful. Also, many rules are repeated through different section of the book, without the addition of any real new information. Finally, the placement of Verbs at the end of the book and the organization of dividing based on pattern (I-XV) rather than verb type, such as hollow or weak, would have been extraordinarily confusing were I not already familiar with the rules via Al-Kitaab.
As a reference book or grammar study guide, this book is far more useful than Al-Kitaab, Arabic Grammar by W. Wright, or any of the paperback sized books that cover the main rules but do not give the depth of analysis or the myriad of examples given by a serious reference work like this.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1QQA4U4I31YV6
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