Arabic Stories for Language Learners: Traditional Middle Eastern Tales in Arabic and English by Hezi Brosh and Lutfi Mansour (review)

Interest in learning Arabic in higher education has grown extensively in the last fifteen years. Although this growth may have finally reached something of a plateau in the United States, Arabic language-learning materials remain in demand around the world.

The book Arabic Stories for Language Learners contains sixty-six stories in Arabic, each with a parallel English translation. The stories revolve around daily life and the numerous challenges that are often overcome with help from others. Some of the stories show the importance of honor, loyalty, and patience during times of trial. Other stories describe the shrewdness and honesty of the Bedouin. Additionally, some stories narrate the calling and activities of the Prophet Muhammad. Certain stories depict some rulers of old—such as some caliphs—as impulsive, yet benevolent, in their ultimate authority. Finally, a few stories portray the comical absurdity of the notorious village idiot, Juha.

This series of stories is quite accessible to foreign-language learners from the intermediate to advanced levels. The single plotline in each story allows readers to follow along without difficulty. It is likely that students even at higher levels of Arabic proficiency could learn new vocabulary and more about Arab culture from this series—particularly in the longer stories toward the end of the collection. The occasional use of case markers and other diacritics provides clarity in instances of more complicated grammar, yet does not burden the reader with the cognitive load of a fully marked text. Many of the stories are thought-provoking and teach timeless lessons and morals. Finally, the accompanying audio is very clear with the stories read at a moderate speed.

As for ways to improve the series, it would be beneficial if annotations could be included to describe some of the culturally unique terms and more complex grammatical terms. For example, in a story about the desert, the English text includes the word “tent” to describe where the Bedouin lived, while the Arabic gives the equivalent as “houses from [animal] hair.” A footnote could explain the cultural/contextual reasons for this. Another example is the term danaa ‘ajaluhu, rendered as “his moment of death grew closer.” An accompanying note could explain the grammar of this phrase to help learners develop their knowledge of Arabic syntax. In general, the English translations are excellent. There are, however, a few issues to note. A minor concern, for example, is a missing section of the English translation in story 54. Another matter is that in story 32 about the caliphs who came after the Prophet Muhammad, the Arabic term iktafū bi-l-qalīl is given as “were satisfied with little.” The reader is likely to understand this English phrase as “they were mostly unsatisfied in life,” rather than “they were satisfied with life although they had but little.” In addition, it would be helpful to include the number of each story in the text itself, as has been done in the CD guide. Moreover, there is at least one instance of two stories with the same title but different content. Furthermore, note that the English introduction claims that the book “is geared toward intermediate and advanced students,” while the back cover states that the book is “for the beginner to intermediate student.” It is hoped that future editions of the series will address these minor issues.

Perhaps the most serious omission of the book is that the authors do not provide any pedagogical suggestions or tips on how to use the book effectively in existing courses or as an independent learner. Also absent are comprehension questions, drills, and any mention of reading strategies. Thus, the student and teacher are on their own in determining whether, or how, this series may benefit them. The real language-learning value of this series could be greatly enhanced if such pedagogical thinking were to...