In the name of Allah, the Compassionate Source of All Mercy
works best?
With the advent of the computer, there are many programs available that teach languages; however, many times these programs focus on the romance languages and not Arabic. So, when programs that feature the Arabic language come up, we buy them. But how good are they? Do they deliver what they promise: learn Arabic without a teacher, without a classroom and in the privacy of your own home at your own pace!
We've taken some leading Arabic learning software and put them through their paces. We will try to present to you both their positive and negative aspects.
"Kaifa anta?"
This first program is interesting in that it has a little bit of everything. A say "a little bit" because most of the exercises number upwards to 15. for each section. I say "everything" because it includes most every aspect of Arabic. Alefon Ba'on uses cute cartoons and simple, but effective, animation to illustrate topics like grammar, sentence structure, names for objects and even the correct way to write a word in Arabic! What seemed very effective is the inclusion of the English structure of a sentence right under the Arabic sentence. This way one could learn the basic construct of the Arab Language. (for ex. subject-verb construction and an adjective comes after its noun).
Almost every topic that one could think of is placed in the program. One feature that was interesting was the great detail that was given to the letters. Each letter was given with all of its written possibilities. Moreover, the accent marks were given so as to facilitate the reading aspect. That's the best part of the program. One is led step by step from the introduction of letters to pronouns, nouns and simple sentence structures.
Each word is defined
How to write in Arabic is shown
Many options are available
This program is the most expensive, depending on where you buy it. It's been sold for as high as $80.00. It can be found in some computer stores with an instant $20.00 rebate and a mail in rebate of $20.00, making it very affordable. It's also laden with many features: a microphone, film clips, online grammar explanations, root word meanings and even a little turtle icon that slows the speaker down if you can't follow what's being said! This is more of an emersion style program. No letters are reviewed, and no vowels are given. While the grammar, and the like, is explained, it's in a separate window. There are actually so many windows you may want to shrink a few just to get your bearings straight within the program. One nice feature is a dialogue option that you can use to practice conversation. You play a character (the text is supplied for you) and you are able to analyze your own speech patterns. The difficulty lies in having to have some foundation in Arabic before you begin. Since no vowel marks are given, it may be difficult to follow some of the sentences. The program also seems rather daunting. It's like taking a college course on the computer. For some people this may be exactly what they need. For others (who are looking to learn Qur'an or speak "vacation" Arabic) it may be too much.
Join in the conversation!
This product is from the same company who brought you The Alim. Upon first glance you see the crispness of the fonts and superior quality of sound. The program is more about learning the letters and their sound combinations. As such, the exercises are filled with the forms of the alphabet and the "vowel" sounds (fatha, damma, etc). Does it get beyond this? Well, not really. In terms of actually learning Arabic the program is more of an introduction to familiarizing oneself with the letters and such. No words or sentence structures are given. They do, however, provide 13 Surahs in which the Arabic can be highlight with its meaning displayed in a lower screen.
In terms of the program being a "playhouse," it's not. While The Alim has led the way for multi-media based Islamic software, no such care has been taken with Arabic Playhouse. Though it seems to be geared for kids, it doesn't provide the stimulating pictures, games or cartoons that are found in other child based learning programs.
Does it teach the letters and how they're connected? Yes. Can you get beyond that? No.
Joining the Arabic letters
A Surah from the Qur'an
A mid level beginning level of Arabic
by Fairfield Language Technologies
This Cd is a rarity in that it is a bit difficult to find. Our copy was purchased from a computer store in a $10.00 program bin. With it were other language programs from the same company. It's rare that you find the Arabic language at all, so this little disk was a pleasant surprise. When the program boots up, you notice that its a medium sized window on your screen, thereby leaving the rest of your desk top exposed. Moreover, you can shrink the window or expand it as you please. And that's it. The icons that come with the program are self-explanatory, and the interface itself is very basic. The lessons are labeled: 1, 2, 3, etc. No alphabet is shown, no grammar is explained, no vowels symbols are given. What you are given, though, is a picture with Arabic writing on it and a voice that tells you what the picture is. Talk about emersion! The vocabulary runs the gamut, and you are given verbs, prepositions, etc. The problem? Someone who has no familiarity with Arabic at all may get lost. I say "may" because the program is picture based, and a picture tells a thousand words. "Rajul wa walid." You are given a picture of a "walid" (boy). You are then given a picture of a "rajul" (man). After a few screens you a shown a picture of the two together. The additional word? "wa" (and). Logic dictates that you will put the two together: A boy and a man. Seems easy enough. You can control whether pictures and shown or the voice over is heard as well.
A higher level of practice
In the end, you know what you will have to do: practice. If you get your family involved or fellow Muslims, you can start using simple phrases on a daily basis and go on from there, insha'llah.