Product Description

Dari is one of the official languages of Afghanistan. Closely related to the Persian (Farsi) of Iran, and the Tajik of Tajikstan, the languages have been split by politics and geography. This two-way dictionary and travel-oriented phrasebook provides an indispensable resource for travelers, businesspersons and foreign aid workers.

• Romanized for English speakers
• 5,000 total entries
• Basic Dari grammar and pronunciation
• Practical cultural information

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40774 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 230 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780781809719
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Nicholas Awde is an author and linguist specializing in the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. He is the author of five books about the region, including The Afghans, Pashto Dictionary & Phrasebook and Urdu Dictionary & Phrasebook.

Customer Reviews

Dari?
It's easier to be a critic than an author; much easier in the case of "Dari Dictionary & Phrasebook." An internet search on "Nicholas Awad" introduces a true polyglot, from Hausa to Armenian, and it appears from the content of this work that Awad and his collaborators have a mastery of classical Persian -- and a very quirky understanding of Afghan Dari. It's an excellent phrase book, but many of the Dari terms used would raise eyebrows from Mazar to Kabul. If you don't mind occasionally being in the position of a guy walking into a biker bar and saying, "Ho, good innkeeper, willst thou draw me a draught of your finest ale?", this book provides an interesting, and indeed useful, introduction to Dari. Provided the barman gets beyond your initial, "Ho . . ." The pronounciations sometimes follow the Iranian more than the Afghan model, many of the words use the Iranian rather than the Afghan varient (q.y., beer, strawberry), many of the phrases are far more flowery than commonly used, and the pronunciation guide and the verb forms used -- well, an additional expression that could well have been used in the book is "be-resh" which literally means "beardless" but the metaphorical meaning transcends "campy." Go ahead and buy this book if you are heading toward Afghanistan; your ear will quickly atune you to the pronunciation and verb forms commonly used. Think of Dari as probably the easiest language for a native English speaker to learn, perhaps the second easiest after Malay, study the book, and be confident in your conversation with Afghans. Most of them are pretty forgiving in matters of language.

A useful guide
This is an excellant book for travel. The book gives you common pharses used for every day conversation and also an english to dari or dari to english dictionary.

It even has a special section for pharses used by aid workers.

A Good Place to Start for Beginners
As somebody who has not yet begun to seriously study Dari, I have found this to be a very helpful companion. It has helped me unravel the Dari words and phrases used in guide books and travelogues on Afghanistan, and the short guide to Afghan history is concise yet insightful.

The "Very Basic Grammar" and "Pronunciation Guide" provide key building blocks to understanding and speaking the language. The dictionary, at 87 pages, is by no means comprehensive, but covers simple vocabulary beginners need to know. And the phrase book pulls together basic words and phrases for a myriad of situations one is likely to face as a tourist in Afghanistan.

All in all, not bad for a book of a little more than 200 pages that can fit in your back pocket.