Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), or Modern Written Arabic (shortened to MWA) is a term used mostly by Western linguists to refer to the variety of standardized, literary Arabic that developed in the Arab world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is the language used in academia, print and mass media, law, and legislation.

This is an elementary-intermediate course and this book presents a comprehensive foundation course for beginning students of written and spoken Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), providing an essential grounding for successful communication with speakers of the many colloquial varieties. This long-established and successful text has been completely revised with the needs of English-speaking learners especially in mind and will prove invaluable to students and teachers alike.

• Step-by-step guide to understanding written and spoken texts

• develops conversational ability as well as reading and writing skills

• Arabic-English Glossary containing 2600 entries

• Fresh texts and dialogues containing up-to-date data on the Middle East and North Africa

• includes Arab folklore, customs, proverbs, and short essays on contemporary topics

• Grammatical terms also given in Arabic, enabling students to attend language courses in Arab countries

• provides a wide variety of exercises and drills to reinforce grammar points, vocabulary learning and communicative strategies

• includes a key to the exercises