Naked Arabic: A Stripped-Down Language Class for the G.I

NAKEDARABIC

A Stripped-Down Field Class for the G.I.

First Edition

Anne Tremblay

© 2008, Anne Tremblay. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of thispublication is forbidden without the express written consent of the author.

ii

This book belongs to

Name

Branch of Service

Class Date Class Number

Instructor

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DedicationThis course is dedicated to the Iraq War vets and other military

vets with whom I worked on Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas. Specialthanks to Dylan, Matt, and Andy for their openness in talking abouttheir experiences. It is my hope that this course will contribute tobringing peace to the Middle East, so that, twenty years from now,their sons and daughters won’t have to endure what they did.

And to each current and future serviceman and woman, and tothose Arabs who want only peace and to raise their own families infreedom, this is for all of you.

Peace be upon you.Anne TremblayDecember 3, 2007

Special ThanksWhile all of us like to think we can accomlish anything we want

to on our own, the reality is that it’s far easier to succeed when wehave the support of those around us.

With that in mind, I would like to extend thanks to my husband,Richard, who knows enough to just go with any of my crazy ideas; tothe friends and family, past and present, who are (or have been) asource of inspiration and support; and to my Marine, Michael—theson I always wanted and one of the best friends I’ve ever had.

I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to Kathy Foote,Karen Rowe, Melissa Tremblay, and Betty Dingman. You are mymentors as well as my students, and I am grateful for and humbled byyour unwavering dedication and faith in me—even in the face of beingduped into learning a foreign language. :). As Karen would say, youladies rock!

A Personal Note to You, the ReaderYou will succeed. There are four factors that prevent people from

pursuing knowledge. The first is the availability of training. Thiscourse—along with online access to it—removes that first obstacle.

The second factor is usually expense, which literally isn’t a factorhere because I am making this course a shareware of sorts—it is freeto all servicemembers and their families.

The third impediment people often have is fear of failure. If youare utterly terrified that you “aren’t smart enough” or “it’s too hard” tolearn Arabic, then I have this challenge for you—let me prove that I’ma SuperTeacher. Cape and all! You’ll learn it, frankly, because I am justthat <expletive deleted> good. :)

The last concern that some people have is the fear of success.After all, doesn’t Karma dictate that the person with the mostknowledge gets stuck with the most work? If you are the only soldierfor twenty miles who is halfway decent at speaking the local language,then odds are pretty good that you’re going to be in demand. Alas, itis a burden for you to bear—do so with your head held high. It’s stillnot a good enough excuse to not attend this class!

So, now that you know all the psychology behind the scenes,it’s time to start learning Arabic!

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Mysteries Revealed 5

Becoming the Arabic Guru 7

What is ^ Supposed to Be? 8

The shadda, hamza, and sukkun 9

Apply What You Learned 10

Resrouces and References 22

Introduction to Letters and Practice 23

Quick Reference—Letters in Alphabetical Order 51

Last Challenge 53

Quick Reference—Letters by Dot Order Back Cover

Reprinted from http://chaplaincare.navy.mil/Devotions/devotions_020.htm. Edited for length.

Time Magazine prepared a list of the 10 most influential people of the century in each field tomark the end of the century. The 10 most influential scientists, politicians, entertainers, sports figures,musicians, artists, and industrialists. This month they published the 10 most influential people (overall)of the century. They named "the American GI" the most influential person of the century. It is the onlyone that is not a single individual. General Powell wrote the introduction to the award in 2004:

G.I. is a World War II term that two generations later continues to conjure up the warmest andproudest memories of a noble war that pitted pure good against pure evil and good triumphed. Thevictors in that war were the American G.I.s, the Willies and Joes, the farmer from Iowa and thesteelworker from Pittsburgh who stepped off a landing craft into the hell of Omaha Beach. The G.I. wasthe wisecracking kid Marine from Brooklyn who clawed his way up a deadly hill on a Pacific island. Hewas a black fighter pilot escorting white bomber pilots over Italy and Germany, proving that skin colorhad nothing to do with skill or He was a native Japanese-American infantryman released from his owncountry's concentration camp to join the fight. She was a nurse relieving the agony of a dying teenager.He was a petty officer standing on the edge of a heaving aircraft carrier with two signal paddles in hishands, helping guide a dive-bomber pilot back onto the deck.

They were America. They reflected our diverse origins. They were the embodiment of theAmerican spirit of courage and dedication. They were truly a "people's army," going forth on a crusadeto save democracy and freedom, to defeat tyrants, to save oppressed peoples and to make their familiesproud of them. They were the Private Ryans, and they stood firm in the thin red line. For most of thoseG.I.s, World War II was the adventure of their lifetime. Nothing they would ever do in the future wouldmatch their experiences as the warriors of democracy, saving the world from its own insanity. You canstill see them in every Fourth of July color guard, their gait faltering but ever proud.

Their forebears went by other names: doughboys, Yanks, buffalo soldiers, Johnny Reb, RoughRiders. But "G.I." will be forever lodged in the consciousness of our nation to apply to them all. The G.I.carried the value system of the American people. The G.I.s were the surest guarantee of America'scommitment. For more than 200 years, they answered the call to fight the nation's battles. They never wentforth as mercenaries on the road to conquest. They went forth as reluctant warriors, as citizen soldiers.

They were as gentle in victory as they were vicious in battle.... The 20th century can be calledmany things, but it was most certainly a century of war. The American G.I.s helped defeat fascism andcommunism. They came home in triumph from the ferocious battlefields of World Wars I and II. InKorea and Vietnam they fought just as bravely as any of their predecessor, but no triumphant receptionsawaited them at home. They soldiered on through the twilight struggles of the cold war and showedwhat they were capable of in Desert Storm. The American people took them into their hearts again. Inthis century hundreds of thousands of G.I.s died to bring to the beginning of the 21st century the victoryof democracy as the ascendant political system on the face of the earth.

The G.I.s were willing to travel far away and give their lives, if necessary, to secure the rightsand freedoms of others. Only a nation such as ours, based on a firm moral foundation, could make sucha request of its citizens. And the G.I.s wanted nothing more than to get the job done and then returnhome safely. All they asked for in repayment from those they freed was the opportunity to help thembecome part of the world of democracy-and just enough land to bury their fallen comrades, beneathsimple white crosses and Stars of David.

The volunteer G.I.s of today stand watch in Korea, the Persian Gulf, Europe and the dangerousterrain of the Balkans. We must never see them as mere hirelings, off in a corner of our society. Theyare our best, and we owe them our full support and our sincerest thanks. As this century closes, welook back to identify the great leaders and personalities of the past 100 years. We do so in a world stilltroubled, but full of promise. That promise was gained by the young men and women of America whofought and died for freedom. Near the top of any listing of the most important people of the 20th centurymust stand, in singular honor, the American G.I.

vi Naked Arabic

Introduction

This course is designed to provide a native English speaker witha basic ability to read, write, and speak Standard Arabic.

This course is NOT designed to make the student fluent inArabic. Fluency requires practice and daily use, and it is expected thatthis course will provide enough of a foundation so that the GI can rapidly develop fluency in Arabic once he/she is working in anArabic-speaking area.

Why Naked Arabic?I chose the title, Naked Arabic, as part of my “rapid deployment”

goal. Communication is vital to the success of any mission, whether inwar or in peace (especially when you’re talking about marriage!).When considering titles for the program, I smiled when this titlepopped into my head, content with the knowledge that such a titlewould turn heads and raise inquiries in the field. Picture it— you haveyour beat-up old copy of this book casually tossed on your rack, andanother soldier walks by, notices the title, and immediately inquiresabout it. Or—even better—he grabs the book and starts to flip throughit. Yes, he may be disappointed that it is not Naked Arabs, but it doesprovide an opportunity to discuss the language and how easy it is toactually learn it.

Can Anyone Learn Arabic?Yes. If you can speak, read, and write basic English, then you

can learn Arabic. This course provides a step-by-step guide to learning

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to read, write, and speak the language, based on being a nativeEnglish speaker. Any linguists who may read through this book maycringe at some of the liberties I have taken (e.g., referring to Arabicaccents as “vowels”), but rest assured that these liberties are basedsolely on the goal of providing a simple, easy-to-learn format for the GI.

How Hard Is It?Before I began my journey into the Arabic language, I already

had some background in several other languages, including French,Russian, Latin, and a bit of Mandarin. I purchased the Rosetta StoneArabic series with high expectations about my ability to learn thislanguage. After struggling through the first lesson, I thought to myself,“What in the world have I gotten myself into?” I was discouraged andretreated from the endeavour with my pride wounded and wonderingif I had lost IQ points. I had expected to be able to pick out the patternsof the language as I had always done when learning other foreignlanguages.

After a short time, my ego rebounded and my competitive streakcame back in full force—after all, I thought, “If an Arab child can learnthe language, I sure as <expletive deleted> can!”

I knew I had to be missing something since I was having such adifficult time seeing the patterns that MUST be there in order for alanguage to exist. If there is no pattern, no one would understandeachother. It was a mystery I needed to solve. . . .

A partial college course, a private tutor, and several books andprograms later, I’ve solved some of those mysteries. Now the keys tothose mysteries are presented to you in this course to provide whatyou need to develop a basic proficiency in Standard Arabic.

Standard Arabic or Iraqi Arabic?This course is based on Standard Arabic. If you think about

English for a moment, you’ll notice that there are numerous variationsof English—British English, Australian English, Yankee English,Southern English, New Yorker English. While most of us in the U.S.speak English, the local language is always a bit unique in its common

2 Naked Arabic

phrases, slang, and accent. Arabic-speaking nations have the samevariability that English-speaking nations do. The Arabic spoken inMorrocco is different from the Arabic spoken in Iran, which is differentfrom the Arabic spoken in Baghdad. Within Arab cities, Arabic is oftenspoken differently between the educated and uneducated populace.But if you can communicate in Standard Arabic, most Arabic speakerswill understand you.

But Arabic Scares Me . . .Arabic has over a hundred symbols. If you are a native English

speaker, this fact should scare the heck out of you, since English onlyhas 26 letters. When I first looked at written Arabic, it appeared as ajumble of chaos with no obvious rhyme or reason. The good news isthat, as an English speaker, you actually already know almost all of theArabic letters. Let me give you one example.

BIRDBATHNow, if I told you that this symbol:

is the equivalent of an English B, you could figure out what thefollowing words are:

IRD ATH

How about these?

ASKET ALL

Naked Arabic 3

ALLOON

DREW ARRYMORE

JESSICA AL A

What most English speakers don’t realize is that Arabic uses many ofthe same sounds we use to speak English. While there are over 100symbols to represent Arabic letters and sounds, there are actually only28 letters, 4-6 vowels, and one unique glottal stop (obviously, we don’thave that last sound in English). The reason for the 100 symbols is thelimitation of writing in script form (see # 3 in Mysteries Revealed).

How This Field Class WorksThis course is designed specifically to be 1) used as a workbook

for the learner, then 2) used as a reference manual in the field, andhopefully 3) used as the impromptu field class for those militarypersonnel who are already deployed.

I am working on a method to make this course available tomilitary personnel who are unable to come to the Northeast for a class.Please refer to the References and Additional Resources section forfurther details.

Format By StrategyWhile you may want to rush through this program and fill in all

the exercises to get it done as fast as you can, you will be doingyourself a disservice by doing so. This program is designed to workfor all types of learners—whether you are a visual learner, an auditorylearner, or a tactile learner. Stay with the class/instructor and you willget the most benefit.

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This book has three primary sections: letter exercises (where Iwill introduce you to the letter name, the sound it makes, and thedifferent ways it is written), brain games/practice pages (where youwill apply the information you just learned), and references/additionalresources (so you can continue to build your Arabic language skills).The program is designed to keep you engaged; it is fairly fast-pacedand interactive. While the letters are presented in the correctalphabetical order for the Arabic language, I have broken them up byletter sets for easier learning. You will first be introduced to a set ofletters, then work through a brief series of games to reinforce theinformation and get your eyes and brain used to reading from right toleft, distinguishing the letters in context, and sounding out words.

Mysteries RevealedBefore we begin the program, there are a number of useful

“rules” that are handy to keep in mind. Each of these rules will bereviewed and repeated as we go along in the course, but here is acondensed list of the key differences that I have found (so far) inlearning Arabic. Knowing these basic rules and differences fromEnglish will make things easier for you.

1. Arabic reads RIGHT to LEFT. Although, they write theirnumbers from left to right. Go figure.

2. Each letter is pronounced. Arabic is a language in which wordsare spelled phonetically—meaning what is written is exactly howit is pronounced. When you sound out a word based on theindividual letter sounds, you are most likely pronouncing itcorrectly, unlike in English where we have so many “exceptions”.Therefore, no slurring or dropping letters when you are soundingout the words! You heard me, Bostonians! No cah pahkin!

3. Arabic script includes STAND-ALONE, INITIAL, MEDIAL, andFINAL forms of each letter. Although, not every letter has aninitial or medial form, they all do have stand-alone and finalforms. This was one of the oddest things to get used to. We willdiscuss it when we look at the letter baa’.

Naked Arabic 5

4. It’s all about the DOTS. The script can be absolutely identical,and the key to differentiating up to three completely separateletters is whether the dots are above or below the letter, and howmany dots there are.

5. Shorthand on the dots. Sometimes people will use a straight,flat line above or below a letter to signify two dots, or an upside-down V above a letter to signify three dots.

6. Vowels are written ABOVE or BELOW the consonant that theyFOLLOW. But, native Arabic speakers will often not bother towrite in the vowels at all. You are just supposed to “know” thatthey are there. This particular feature of the Arabic language wasparticularly annoying to me.

7. Vowel that starts a word or word break needs an ’alif. Theletter ’alif, which is the first letter in the Arabic Alphabet, is usedas a placeholder if a vowel starts the word or word section.Remember, vowels are placed on top or below the consonantthey FOLLOW, so if the vowel sound actually starts the word,then you can’t have a random slash hanging out in theatmosphere.

8. Spaces DO NOT always indicate a word break. This fact wasby far the most frustrating for me.

9. This instruction is based on Modern Standard Arabic. ThereWILL BE differences in pronunciation with local dialects.

10. Arabic is based on ROOT WORDS, usually three consonants.This is similar to the idea of the English prefix and suffix, buttaken one step further. For example, it would be the same as if weset up our dictionary so that you had to look up the word To Sellin order to find the word Salesman. More about root words later.

11. Arabic words can be either feminine or masculine. If you haveany experience with French, Spanish, or other Europeanlanguages, this won’t require much explanation.

12. Beware the lack of a literal translation. All books and militaryreferences I have seen so far do not translate sentences from

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Arabic to English literally. This becomes slightly problematic andfrustrating when you are trying to build your vocabularyacurately, because the non-literal translations may mislead you.For example, ask any Arabic-language teacher to tell you howto ask, “What time is it?” and they will always use the word saa’afor “time”. If you literally translate it, saa’a actually means “hour”.So you are asking, “What hour is it?”

Becoming the Arabic GuruAs we go through the course, you will notice the Letter pages

are all formatted the same way. Here is a screen shot of a letter page,along with a brief explanation of how we will use it:

Naked Arabic 7

Letter Name

English equivalent

Note to help you remember

Copy over the letter while saying the lettername: “Stand-alone baa’ ”.

On the second line, copy over the letter whilesaying the sound (in this case, it’s “b”)

On the third line, copy over the letter whilesaying the letter name: “Initial baa’ ”.

On the fourth line, copy over the letterwhile saying the sound, “b”.

On the fifth line, copy over the letter whilesaying the letter name: “Medial baa’ ”.

On the sixth line, copy over the letter whilesaying the sound, “b”.

On the seventh line, copy over the letterwhile saying the letter name: “Final baa’ ”.

On the last line, copy over the letter whilesaying the sound, “b”.

Be sure to write FROM RIGHT TO LEFT!!!

And what is that ^ supposed to be?Throughout this course, you will see pronounciation hints that start

with a ^ symbol (also known as a carat). This is your cheat note to saythe letter while pulling your tongue BACK and DOWN from the ROOF ofyour mouth. Say the word Tick-Tock. You will notice that saying “Tick”forces your tongue toward your top front teeth. When you say “Tock”,in order to make the “t-o” sound, your tongue touches the roof of yourmouth about midway and then pulls back slightly and down to make thesound. Now, try saying TickTock with extra emphasis on the Tock,forcing your tongue back and down even more. Do this ten times. It’suncomfortable at first, but this is essentially the difference in soundbetween the Arabic daal and Daad (d and ^d), siin and Saad (s and^s), taa’ and Taa’ (t and ̂ t), thaa’ and thaal (th and ̂ th) and kaaf andqaaf (k and ^k).

Other NotesThis is your book, so annotate it as you like. Go ahead and write

in whatever hints you think will help you remember what sound a letterstands for. This is your reference book as well as your course book.Feel free to keep it in the pocket of your BDUs when you’re out in thefield and need a quick cheat guide.

I have, for example, had previous students suggest that theStand-alone version of the letter baa’ resembles a certain part of thefemale anatomy that begins with the English letter B. If that relationshiphelps you remember the letter and what sound it makes, then goahead and write a notation in your book.

Also, this course is a work in progress. If you have suggestions toimprove the material or presentation, I always welcome positivefeedback. If you come across something and think to yourself, “Well,<expletive deleted>, I wish I’d known that!”, then odds are pretty goodthat other personnel would also find the information to be useful. If youdo have any suggestions or feedback, please contact me via e-mail andI will consider integrating it into future classes. You must put your classdate and number in the Subject line, or it will be filtered out as spam. Mycontact information is in the references and resources pages.

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STOP! Turn to page 23.

A Few Things That Aren’t Covered...I have decided not to cover the shadda, the hamza, or the sukkun

in great detail or practice in this edition (see examples of the symbolsbelow. The shadda actually doesn’t require much explanation—it simplymeans that you double the consonant or vowel that it appearsimmediately above or below the symbol. The hamza is what is knownas a “glottal stop”, referring to a sudden end to the sound you weremaking by drawing back on the sound, kind of like when you hiccup.The last symbol is the sukkun, and that simply indicates a long pausebefore continuing onto saying the next letter of the word.

= shadda (double the letter)

= hamza (glottal stop)

= sukkun (long pause)

For a more in-depth explanation of any of these three symbols,please read the References and Resources section of this book.

Naked Arabic 9


If I told you that the following was true:

= A = B

= T = Th

Then what would be the correct Arabic letters to use for the followingEnglish names? (Read from left to right.)

1. A city in Massachusetts known for a famous Tea Party and the RedSox baseball team.

a) os onb) os onc) os on

2. A state known for NASCAR, the Tar Heels NCAA team, and theWright Brothers’ first in flight...

a) Nor C rolinb) Nor C rolinc) Nor C rolin

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Continue to Page 11.

Naked Arabic 11

Sound out the following words, reading from right to left. You willnotice that there are lines to the right of the letters. You can write in theEnglish sound on these lines (right to left!) as you identify each letter.

i)ii)iii)

That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now that you are a little more familiar withthe first set of letters, we will jump right into some vowels.

Answer Key:1. a. Tosbon, b. Boston,c. Thosaon.2. a. North Carolint, b. North Carolina,c. Norb Carolina.i. bat, ii. that, iii. bath

STOP!

Review Rule #6 and Rule #7

on Page 6 before you

continue to Page 12.

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= a (fatha) = i (kasra)

= u (damma) = long a (madda)

Then who are the following Famous People with their names spelledwith Arabic vowels? (Read from left to right.)

a) br h m L ncolnb) W ll Sm thc) S ndr B llock

A few notes here: the short a (e.g., hat) is called a fatha; the short i(e.g., pit) is called a kasra; the short u (e.g., hut) is called a damma;and the long a (e.g., made) is called a madda. Now, apply the rulesyou’ve learned: Arabic is written from right to left. There may be up tofour versions of the same letter: a Stand-Alone version, Initial version,Medial version, and a Finial version. Vowels are shown over theconsonant they follow, or over an ’alif if the vowel starts the wordor word break. Now that we also know how to write a short a, long a,short u, and short i, how would you...

1. Write the word “Bath” (from right to left, though)

a)b)c)


Naked Arabic 13

2. And sound out the following words, reading from right to left:

a)

b)

c)3. Practice writing from right to left as you sound them out:

a)

b)

c)

Answer Key:a. Abraham Lincoln, b. Will Smith, c. Sandra Bullock1. a. bat, b. bath,c. buth.2. a. that, b. abut, c. tub.



= j/zh sound

= clearing throat sound

= short k sound

1. Then which of the following sentences is correct?

a) The cat made a sound ashe tried to ha up a furball.

b) The cat made a sound ashe tried to ha up a furball.

c) The cat made a sound ashe tried to ha up a furball.

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2. And how would you write the word pleasure?

a) Plea ure

b) Plea ure

c) Plea ure

Naked Arabic 15Answer Key:

1. a. The cat made a <clearing throat> sound as he tried toha<clearing throat sound> up a furball, b.The cat made a k soundas he tried to ha<clearing throat sound> up a furball,c.The catmade a <clearing throat> sound as he tried to hack up afurball.

2. a.Pleasure, b. Ple<clearing throat sound>er, c. Pleker.



= b

= t

= th

= zh

= furball

= k

= ^d

= ^th

= roll r

= z

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Naked Arabic 17

= s

= sh

Then sound out the following English words, reading from right to left:

a) Some guys think they are ...

b) little building

c) another word for blemish

d) a city in Iraq

Answer Key:a. stud; b. shack; c. zit; d. Basra

STOP!

Review the ^ on Page 8,

then turn to Page 36.


= s (siin)

= ^S (Saad)

Then how would you pronounce these words, reading from left toright:

ong ong

= d (daal)

= ^D (Daad)

And how would you pronounce these words, reading from left to right:

og og

= t (taa’)

= ^T (Taa’)

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Naked Arabic 19

Then what about these?

all all

= ^Vh (Dhaa’)

And this set?

Vampire ampire

= roll r (raa’)

= r (ghayn)

And finally these ?

ussia ussia



= F (faa’)

= Ko (qaaf)

= Ka (kaaf)

= L (laam)

= M (miim)

= N (nuun)

= quiet H (Haa’)

= W or OO (waaw)

= Y or EE (yaa’)

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HINT! Use the back page Quick Reference to lookup any letters that aren’t listed above.

Naked Arabic 21

Then how would each of the following English words sound? (readingfrom right to left):

a) Deep water pirates.

b) Semper Fi!

c) Known for mischief.

d)

. . . and I’ll tell you no lies.

Answer Key:a. navee (Navy); b. Mareen (Marine); c. Arrrrrmee Brrrrat(Army Brat); d. Ask mee na kwsteeonz (Ask me noquestions).

STOP! Turn to Page 9.

Resources & ReferencesNow that you know the basics of Standard Arabic, here are a fewadditional resources so that you can continue learning. Feel free tocontact me via e-mail with your suggestions to improve this course orto recommend an additional reference you found to be useful in thefield. You may reach me at [email protected]. Be sure toinclude your Class number and branch of service in the SUBJECTLINE or your e-mail will be kicked out by the spam filter.

Resources (some are restricted to DoD personnel)

• Rosetta Stone online at www.RosettaStone.com (very goodprograms for building vocabulary quickly)

• Rosetta Stone Language Exchange athttp://www.sharedtalk.com/ (you can IM or live chat with nativespeakers of the language you want to learn)

• Defense Language Institute (DLI) at http://www.dliflc.edu/• SCOLA (DLI’s link to foreign TV programs and broadcasts at

http://www.scola.org/eoneCommerce/Portal• DLI’s Field Support Division provides Pronunciation Guides,

useful phrases, and local customs (resources for manycountries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, Korea, etc.)at http://fieldsupport.lingnet.org/index.aspx

• The University of Wisconsin offers an on-site immersionprogram. Got to http://global.wisc.edu/apip/ for details.

• CNN runs an Arabic website at http://arabic.cnn.com/middle_east

References, Reference Books, and Recommended Reading

The Arabic Alphabet, by Awde & Samano. © 1986. ISBN 0-8184-0430-2 (good explanation of hamza, sukkun, and shadda).

Arabic Verbs and Essentials of Grammar, by Wightwick & Gaafar. © 2007. ISBN 978-0-0714-9805-0.

Candy Bombers, by Cherni. © 2008. ISBN 978-0-3991-5496-6.Mastering Arabic, by Wightwick & Gaafar. © 2007.

ISBN 978-0-2300-1310-0.Reconciliation, by Benazir Bhutto, © 2008. ISBN 978-0-0615-6758-2.Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Nafisi. © 2003. ISBN 978-0-8129-7106-4.Window on Afghanistan, by Hartman2. © 2006. ISBN 1-4251-0046-5.

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Naked Arabic 23

Stand-alone ’alif

Sound:“a”

Initial ’alif

Medial ’alif

Final ’alif

Sound:“a”

’alifPronunciation cheat: If by itself, it’s a short a soundNotes:’alif can be used as a placeholder, too!Remember to write it right to left!

’alif doesn

’t have

an In

itial o

r Med

ial fo

rm, o

r it

could be easi

ly mist

aken for t

he lett

er laa

m!


24 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone baa’

Sound:“b”

Initial baa’

Sound:“b”

Medial baa’

Sound:“b”

Final baa’

Sound:“b”

baa’Pronunciation cheat: regular English BNotes:One dot BelowRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 25

Stand-alone taa’

Sound:“t”

Initial taa’

Sound:“t”

Medial taa’

Sound:“t”

Final taa’

Sound:“t”

taa’Pronunciation cheat: regular English TNotes:Two dots aboveRemember to write it right to left!


26 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone thaa’

Sound:“th”

Initial thaa’

Sound:“th”

Medial thaa’

Sound:“th”

Final thaa’

Sound:“th”

thaa’Pronunciation cheat: regular English th soundNotes:Three dots aboveRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 27

Stand-alone jiim

Sound:“zh”

Initial jiim

Sound:“zh”

Medial jiim

Sound:“zh”

Final jiim

Sound:“zh”

jiimPronunciation cheat: regular French J soundNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


28 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone Haa’

Sound:furball

Initial Haa’

Sound:furball

Medial Haa’

Sound:furball

Final Haa’

Sound:furball

Haa’Pronunciation cheat: Cat with a furball.Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 29

Stand-alone khaa’

Sound:“loch”

Initial khaa’

Sound:“loch”

Medial khaa’

Sound:“loch”

Final khaa’

Sound:“loch”

khaa’Pronunciation cheat: hard English K sound that drops offNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


30 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone daal

Sound:“d”

Initial daal

Medial daal

Final daal

Sound:“d”

daalPronunciation cheat: regular English Da soundNotes:Remember to write it right to left!

daal doesn

’t have

an In

itial o

r Med

ial fo

rm, o

r it

could be easi

ly mist

aken for t

he lett

er laa

m!


Naked Arabic 31

Stand-alone thaal

Sound:“th”

Initial thaal

Medial thaal

Final thaal

Sound:“th”

thaalPronunciation cheat: regular English Tha soundNotes:Remember to write it right to left!

thaal doesn

’t have

an In

itial o

r Med

ial fo

rm, o

r it

could be easi

ly mist

aken for t

he lett

er nuun!


32 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone raa’

Sound:rolled“r”

Initial raa’

Medial raa’

Final raa’

Sound:rolled“r”

raa’Pronunciation cheat: rolled R, e.g., Spanish/Italian/FrenchNotes:Remember to write it right to left!

raa’ d

oesn’t h

ave an

Initia

l or M

edial

form

, or it

could be easi

ly mist

aken for t

he lett

er laa

m!


Naked Arabic 33

Stand-alone zaay

Sound:“z”

Initial zaay

Medial zaay

Final zaay

Sound:“z”

zaayPronunciation cheat: regular English ZNotes:Remember to write it right to left!

zaay doesn

’t have

an In

itial o

r Med

ial fo

rm, o

r it

could be easi

ly mist

aken for t

he lett

er nuun!


34 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone siin

Sound:“s”

Initial siin

Sound:“s”

Medial siin

Sound:“s”

Final siin

Sound:“s”

siinPronunciation cheat: regular English SNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 35

Stand-alone shiin

Sound:“sh”

Initial shiin

Sound:“sh”

Medial shiin

Sound:“sh”

Final shiin

Sound:“sh”

shiinPronunciation cheat: regular English ShNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


36 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone Saad

Sound:“^S”

Initial Saad

Sound:“^S”

Medial Saad

Sound:“^S”

Final Saad

Sound:“^S”

SaadPronunciation cheat: ^So (as in English word sod)Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 37

Stand-alone Daad

Sound:“^D”

Initial Daad

Sound:“^D”

Medial Daad

Sound:“^D”

Final Daad

Sound:“^D”

DaadPronunciation cheat: ^Do (as in English word dog)Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


38 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone Taa’

Sound:“^T”

Initial Taa’

Sound:“^T”

Medial Taa’

Sound:“^T”

Final Taa’

Sound:“^T”

Taa’Pronunciation cheat: ^To (as in English word taught)Notes:Remember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 39

Stand-alone Dhaa’

Sound:“^Vh”

Initial Dhaa’

Sound:“^Vh”

Medial Dhaa’

Sound:“^Vh”

Final Dhaa’

Sound:“^Vh”

Dhaa’Pronunciation cheat: ^Vo (as in English word vault)Notes:Remember to write it right to left!


40 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone cayn

Sound:choke

Initial cayn

Sound:choke

Medial cayn

Sound:choke

Final cayn

Sound:choke

caynPronunciation cheat: this one takes practice...Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial formRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 41

Stand-alone ghayn

Sound:“r”

Initial ghayn

Sound:“r”

Medial ghayn

Sound:“r”

Final ghayn

Sound:“r”

ghaynPronunciation cheat: regular English R as in RainNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial formRemember to write it right to left!


42 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone faa’

Sound:“f”

Initial faa’

Sound:“f”

Medial faa’

Sound:“f”

Final faa’

Sound:“f”

faa’Pronunciation cheat: regular English FNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 43

Stand-alone qaaf

Sound:“^ko”

Initial qaaf

Sound:“^ko”

Medial qaaf

Sound:“^ko”

Final qaaf

Sound:“^ko”

qaaf (ko)Pronunciation cheat: ^kof (as in English word cough)Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


44 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone kaaf

Sound:“ka”

Initial kaaf

Sound:“ka”

Medial kaaf

Sound:“ka”

Final kaaf

Sound:“ka”

kaafPronunciation cheat: regular English Ka (as in café)Notes:it sort of looks like an English KRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 45

Stand-alone laam

Sound:“L”

Initial laam

Sound:“L”

Medial laam

Sound:“L”

Final laam

Sound:“L”

laamPronunciation cheat: regular English LNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


46 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone miim

Sound:“m”

Initial miim

Sound:“m”

Medial miim

Sound:“m”

Final miim

Sound:“m”

miimPronunciation cheat: regular English MNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 47

Stand-alone nuun

Sound:“n”

Initial nuun

Sound:“n”

Medial nuun

Sound:“n”

Final nuun

Sound:“n”

nuunPronunciation cheat: regular English NNotes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial formsRemember to write it right to left!


48 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone haa’

Sound:“~h”

Initial haa’

Sound:“~h”

Medial haa’

Sound:“~h”

Final haa’

Sound:“~h”

haa’Pronunciation cheat: heavy breathingNotes:Remember to write it right to left!


Naked Arabic 49

Stand-alone waaw

Sound:“w/oo”

Initial waaw

Medial waaw

Final waaw

Sound:“w/oo”

waawPronunciation cheat: regular English W or oo (Wow, Woo)Notes:Remember to write it right to left!

waaw doesn

’t have

an In

itial o

r Med

ial fo

rm, o

r it

could be easi

ly mist

aken for t

he lett

er miim

!


50 Naked Arabic

Stand-alone yaa’

Sound:“y/ee”

Initial yaa’

Sound:“y/ee”

Medial yaa’

Sound:“y/ee”

Final yaa’

Sound:“y/ee”

yaa’Pronunciation cheat: regular English Y or ee (Yeah, Baby)Notes:Remember to write it right to left!


Letters by Alpha Order 51

Quick Reference: Letters by Alpha

Letter Stand-Name Sound Alone Final Medial Initial

’alif fair*

baa’ big

taa’ tempt

thaa’ thing

jiim leisure

Haa’ furrball H

khaa’ loch

daal den

dhaal then

raa’ rolled

zaay zoo

siin so

shiin show

Saad throat S

Daad throat d

Taa’ throat T

Dhaa’ throat Vh

Odd stuff

shadda double

sukkun throat stop

Vowels

fatha a

kasra i

damma o

madda long a

52 Letters by Alpha Order

Letter Stand-Name Sound Alone Final Medial Initial

cayn -

ghayn r

faa’ food

qaaf throat ko

kaaf kitten

laam lung

miim mast

nuun new

haa’ breath

waaw woo

yaa’ y ee

Aman can be selfish,cowardly, disloyal, false,fleeting, perjured, and

morally corrupt in a wide varietyof other ways and still beoutstandingly good in pursuitsin which other imperatives bearthan those upon the fightingman. He can be a superb creativeartist, for example, or a scientistin the very top flight, and still bea very bad man. What the badman cannot be is a good sailor, orsoldier, or airman.

-General Sir John Hackett

"The Military in the Service of the State", in War, Morality, and the MilitaryProfession, second edition, ed. M.M. Walkin (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press,1979), pp. 124-125.

QUICK REFERENCE: Letters by Dot

(Cut at solid lines; folds to business card size for your wallet!)N

O d

ots ’a

lif(a

)Ha

a’(fu

r)da

al(d

)ra

a’(r

oll r

)

siin

(s)

Saad

(^s)

Taa’

(^t)

c ayn

(cho

ke)

kaaf

(ka)

laam

(L)

miim

(m)

haa’

(bre

ath)

waa

w(w

/oo)

1 d

ot AB

OVE

khaa

’(k

-)dh

aal

(th)

zaay

(z)

Daad

(^d)

Dhaa

’(^

v)gh

ayn

(r)

faa’

(f)nu

un(n

)

1 d

ot B

ELO

Wba

a’(b

)jii

m(z

h)

2 d

ots

AB

OVE

taa’

(t)qa

af(^

ko)

2 d

ots

BELO

Wya

a’(y

/ee)

3 d

ots

AB

OVE

thaa

’(th

)sh

iin(s

h)

Vow

els

alo

ng a

i uN

aked

Ara

bic

© 2

008.

N

aked

Ara

bic

© 2

008.

N

aked

Ara

bic

© 2

008.

Documents

Naked Arabic: A Stripped-Down Language Class for the G.I