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Mismatched Pronunciation makes it a bit difficult Oct 14, 2008
I have used other Pimsleur programs with great success. I also managed to use this one, but with significantly more struggling. One of the main problems is that the speakers, after carefully pronouncing a word out for you, will say it at regular speed and it sounds quite different. The male voice says the exact same word differently than the female voice, which is frustrating. The female voice is also nasal, high-pitched, and frankly it was grating on my nerves by the end. I also had difficulty because it seemed as if the speakers weren't repeating themselves as often as they do in the other language CDs by Pimsleur.
I do highly recommend any Pimsleur program and own two different languages by them, and I am definitely adding more. The Eastern Arabic, if practiced, will make you sound a lot like someone from Syria, which will probably go over better than sounding like an American that is trying to speak Arabic. I like the program but this particular set... not so much.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Learn Arabic at home Aug 03, 2008
The Pimsleur method has been working very well for me so far. It really makes learning foreign languages easy.
other opinion May 26, 2008
This product is a great way for someone with little to no knowledge of Arabic to get a solid footing in the language. I disagree with the other reviewer who says that they should have released the arabic program in modern standard arabic, as opposed to the easter dialect. Most people when they are learning a language are learning it for a specific reason, (i.e a trip, or because they are romantically envolved with someone who speaks it) In this case this program is directed towards people who want to learn Arabic to communicate with people in the middle east, specifically in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, hence the name "eastern arabic". If a traveler to any of these countries spent their time learning Modern Standard Arabic prior to their trip they would find it very useless, as NO ONE uses it on a daily basis, and they will not be able to understand a thing that anyone in these countries is talking about. The only people who should learn MSA are people that are studying the language in depth and who seek to become fluent in the literary langugae, and be able to read books and watch news broadcasts in Arabic, which are usually broadcast in MSA to ensure intelligiblity to Arabic speakers accross the Arabic Speaking world who may not be from the specific dialect-area where the broadcast originated from (ie. Algezeera.)
For most people the fun of learning a language is being able to have every day conversations with people, greetings, asking for directions, ordering meals etc. What good would it do the average tourist/business person if on trip to the middle east they could understand a news broadcast, but not be able to understand if someone on the street was simply asking them what their name is? Also, contrary to what this other reviewer said, the media, literature, and the educated do NOT communicate in Arabic in any Muslim country where Arabic is not the official language. Arabic will be of absolutely no use to you if you're traveling to Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, or any other non-arab Muslim country, unless of course you happen to be traveling to these countries for some kind of Islamic conference where you will be reading the Koran. As a final point, Pimsleur seeks to teach its customers to speak an every day version of the language they are learning, and the truth is that Modern Standard Arabic is not a language used in everyday situations. Another problem with learning MSA as opposed to a specific dialect, is that although the people to whom you are speaking will likely be able to understand what you are saying, you will not understand their responses.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 I like the series, but this one is kind of useless... Jan 09, 2008
I have no problem with the Pimsleur method of learning. Usually they do an exceptional job teaching you how to speak a language, and in some ways this sampling is no different. Had I wanted to learn Syrian Arabic these recordings would have been invaluable.
My biggest concern is this; this is Syrian Arabic -- a minor dialect. The important type of Arabic, the one they teach in most books, in the Rosetta stone series, in most university Arabic classes is Modern Standard Arabic which in a lot of ways is a completely different language. The difference of course is in the usage. If you were to talk to the average person on a street or in a market in Syria, odds are they would speak Syrian Arabic. But if you were to turn on the news, listen to the radio, read a newspaper, odds are it would be in Modern Standard. Furthermore if you traveled to say Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sudan, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia or really any other Muslim nation odds are most people would speak their native language -- but the educated people and the literature and media would be in Modern Standard Arabic. It is after all the language of the Koran and the unifying language of the Muslim world.
Secondly these lessons were rushed. When I was learning Hebrew, Spanish and Russian the tapes, each lesson, were around a half an hour long. The Arabic speakers here cover pretty much the same material but rush through it usually in under 20 minutes.
Both speakers voices were occasionally unclear. As you can imagine, this makes it hard to get the pronunciation right.
Keep in mind that these last two complains are minor. Had the material been in Modern Standard, I would have used my i-pod's pause button a lot more but gotten through the material. Pimsleur usually puts out a good product, and while I have nothing against the Syrian dialect, like I've explained it really isn't the Arabic that is being used anywhere (besides Syria).
Of course if you are planning a trip to Syria and want to be able to ask directions or to shop then this is a good investment. And I figure that you could probably make yourself understood in places like Jordan and Palestine (though I don't know this for sure). But if, on the other hand, you are interested in Middle Eastern politics and history (since after all it affects so much of the world and U.S. foreign policy these days) this isn't exactly the best starting spot.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Eastern Arabic (Syrian Dialect) Mar 02, 2007
First of all, I disagree with the previous reviewer's comment on Eastern (Syrian) Arabic not being useful. I have personally been understood using the Syrian dialect contained in this program from Western Sahara to Yemen!
Of course a different dialect is spoken in every country, but Syrian is the most widely understood form of Arabic.
If one learns MSA (Modern Standard Arabic), one will learn the language of the Koran, aka Classical Arabic, again this is a language used in books, not a language used to communicate with people on a regular basis.
If John Doe learns MSA, he will be eventually understood when he speaks in a shop, and then his interlocutor will respond to John in his/her local dialect, which John will find unintelligible and then the conversation will be over. Nevertheless, if John Doe learns a dialect such as Eastern (Syrian) or Egyptian, he will have a better chance of understanding the response from his Arabic speaking interlocutor.
In my opinion, this is the best Arabic Course if you are headed to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, where Eastern Arabic is spoken. Additionally, after using this course, I personally have not had much dificulty in communicating with people from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE (where Gulf Arabic is spoken).
If you are heading for Egypt, you should get Pimsleur Egyptian Arabic instead. Egyptian and Eastern, while sharing the same root have evolved over the centuries.
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