Product Description

This dictionary provides Syrian terms for the language needed in everyday life. The Syrian used is that of educated Muslims in Damascus, which would be understood not only elsewhere in Syria but also in the broader linguistic area of "Syrian Arabic," which encompasses present-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Arab-speaking population of Israel. The book includes examples, idioms, and common phrases using the word in question. The Arabic terms are presented in transcription.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #431082 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Language Notes
Text: English
Original Language: Arabic

Customer Reviews

SIMPLY AWESOME
It's a shame that the Arabic-English part was never completed!! I love this dictionary, it has almost everything it. I actually went through most of it with a Syrian friend, and he agreed that everything in there appears as it is spoken in Syria today. It lacks slang terms, but then again one can learn the slang of Syrian Arabic by visiting Syria, and it's a great country to visit, very beautiful!

WOW!
I refer to this book once in a while.Its really neat that I can just think of a word, look it up and voila!....there it is in perfect syrian colloquial arabic.The entries also have example sentences to give you an idea of the context and grammatical syntax with which this word is used.I have noticed however that some very common arabic expressions/words that I hear spoken by Syrians and Lebanese are not included as synonyms for the meanings.Im not sure if this is because this book was compiled in the 1960s and the colloquial slang could be slightly different now in 2005....this sort of thing is very rare, though.I wonder how on earth they compiled such a detailed exhaustive list.This is a lifetime keepsake, if you are as crazy about learning levantine arabic as I am!

Your guide to Syrian Arabic
This book is superb. Its biggest plus is that it uses thousands of real-life examples of sentences in Syrian Arabic and demonstrate how words are used. It is designed to be a guide to speaking Arabic on a conversational level, and is replete with colloqualisms, figures of speech, and idioms. It is well worth the money.