Packaged with a set of three audio CDs, Alif Baa, Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds, is intended for anyone interested in learning modern Arabic as a living language. The first part of the Al-Kitaab language program, it embodies two main premises: that the student can and should learn to recognize and produce the sounds of Arabic correctly from the very beginning, and that the student should be introduced to the full range of the Arabic language and cultural continuum—colloquial, modern standard, and classical.

Alif Baa introduces about 150 basic vocabulary words, including social greetings and politeness formulae, most of which are common to standard Arabic and one or more dialects. The book and CDs focus on reading skills, aural recognition, and oral production through extensive drills and accompanying DVD. Including authentic materials from newspapers and magazines and skits filmed in Egypt, as well as an English-Arabic glossary, Alif Baa lays the groundwork for the rest of the Al-Kitaab language program.

Note: If you going to purchase this answer-key booklet, we require you to purchase Al-Kitaab/Textbook for Beginning Arabic : Part One (Paper) (product I.D. number 41547).