Spoken Lebanese

By Maksoud N. Feghali

Millions of people of Lebanese and Arabic ancestry who live outside Lebanon have no firsthand knowledge of the Arabic Lebanese dialect which is understood in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and other Arab countries. When people of Lebanese ancestry visit their families and loved ones in Lebanon, they often find themselves unable to communicate effectively because of their limited command and understanding of the Lebanese dialect. The results are embarrassments, failed communications, disappointments, and unsatisfactory visits. Professor Maksoud Feghali put 25 years of his experience in teaching foreign languages to correct that situation. He designed a handy language guide based on a phonetic system he has developed. His phonetic system allows people to learn the Arabic Lebanese dialect with ease and speed. Spoken Lebanese, Feghali's book, teaches the Arabic Lebanese dialect through topics such as food, clothing, transportation, and leisure activities. This book, in addition to teaching the language, will be of great help to any one connected or traveling to the Arab World because it provides a better understanding of the Arabic culture and traditions. Spoken Lebanese includes a comprehensive lexicon. It presents realistic scenarios, dialogs, and situations that allow the visitors to communicate quite well with their hosts and families.

Originally from Bsous, Lebanon, Dr. Maksoud Feghali was born and raised in the town of Hazmieh, a suburb of Beirut. In 1974, Dr. Feghali emigrated to pursue higher education in the United States. He earned his PhD from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. In 1982, Dr. Feghali joined the Defense Language Institute, Monterrey, California, where he taught Arabic, co-authored the Arabic Basic Course, and co-developed the Defense Language Proficiency Test. In 1989, Dr. Feghali joined Appalachian State University, a member institution of the University of North Carolina, where he is currently professor of French, and director of the French Exchange Program. Dr. Feghali has lectured extensively on Lebanon, France, the Middle East, French culture and literature, English as a second language, and foreign language acquisition. He has published several related books and articles.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887905146
• ISBN13: 9781887905145
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Blair
• Length: 213 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Spoken Lebanese, a good textbook.

A very good explanation of spoken Lebanese. However, as I was raised in a Lebanese family and my parents spoke the language, (they didn't teach me) I find this book more of a textbook than a self study. It would be very helpful to have someone that speaks Lebanese to help with grammar and pronunciation. I will continue to study with it but, without a native speaker as a coach, it is slow going.

Nice, practical and handy

I am using this book in conjuntion with other books on Levantine Arabic.I wouldnt use this course as my primary source of Lebanese language study.This book is GREAT for verbs:Types of verbs, verb conjugations and pronunciation....this book as it all.In fact there is a list at the back that summarises all the verbs that are covered in the various chapters.The social expressions and pretty extensive vocabulary provided towards the end are really useful.This book will be pretty handy if you plan to mingle with a Lebanese family crowd.The book was intended for use in precisely such a situation and doesnt purpot to be anything more.The reason Im giving it 4 stars is because of the beautiful way in which verbs are presented and summarised.I havent seen this in any other book.

This is an excellent book in that it is faithful to Lebanese

This is an excellent book in that it is faithful to Lebanese phonology and syntax. It does not try to Arabize the Lebanese "dialect" in order to make it more acceptable to learners of "Arabic." However, I thought that an introduction to, and a use of LEBANESE script would have been more effective than using the various symbols the author has concocted. The Lebanese language already has a script, which was developped in the 1950s by the Lebanese linguist and philosopher Said Akl. I think Dr. Feghali should have used it to facilitate the learners' aquisition of this beautiful and wonderfully athletic language (which, by the way, should NOT be referred to as an "Arabic dialect". I don't know of any Frenchmen arguing that they speak a Latin dialect. Why should then the Lebanese, and the author of all people, denigrate their language and call it "Arabic".I highly recommend this book, but I only wish it was written in Lebanese

Excellent book

I used this in a UCLA class and found it very useful. The bad thing is that there is no alphabetical index of words, but if you learn everything in this book you will be able to speak a lot of Levantine arabic! It is all transliterated, there is no Arabic writing. The tape is also very helpful though they speak a bit too fast. I would still highly recommend it.