Arabic English Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (English and Arabic Edition)
Product ID: 1210902
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"This Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (fourth edition) has been enlarged and amended with 13,000 new entries. It is the only authorized paperback edition of the famous Hans Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary, edited by J. Milton Cowan. This new edition has thousands of new entries include numerous additions and corrections to the material and presents the results in a single handsome volume. The author provides a useful introduction in which he discusses, clearly and precisely, the present state of the Arabic language. He points out the situations in which written and spoken varieties of Arabic are used, and remarks on the forces that influenced the development of the lexicon of Modern Arabic. He discusses both the purist movement with its normative tradition, and what might be called the laissez-faire actual usage of writers and journalists under the influence of Western modes of expression, of their everyday colloquial, or both. He then moves on to the problem of local terminology, especially for public institutions, offices, administrative matters, titles, and foods. Although such terms are included for most of the Arab countries, the list is not complete, as indeed the author recognizes (viii); readers of Arabic material characterized by a distinct regional coloring are advised to refer to dialect dictionaries and glossaries." Review: You speak English. You're learning Arabic. You'll appreciate this dictionary. - What is there left to say about this excellent dictionary? It's probably all been said, but here some of its characteristics. 1. I learned Arabic in the military at DLI in Monterey. All of our professors were native speakers, some from universities in Cairo, Baghdad, etc., and this is the dictionary they prefer. 2. This is truly a dictionary, not just a lexicon. Written Arabic can be ambiguous without the diacritical markings, which are not written in this text, either, but the transliteration of the word is given and easily put to use. E.g. "صبع - ṣaba'a a (ṣab') ... to insert one's finger (ها into the hen, so as to ascertain whether she is going to lay an egg)" You finally know how to say that. 3. Once more, there are no diacritical markings in this text. I think this is preferable simply because the markings would add a lot of clutter. Keep in mind this version is the size of a handbook, so the font is necessarily small. 4. The book is easily portable, being precisely 5.14" x 8.46" x 1.38" (w x l x h). You like or no like, I don't know. I could go for a hardback or even a leather binding. There's certainly no way you would cut this and have it rebound. 5. I've used al-Mawrid, also, which is great for quick look-ups since words are ordered by their spelling, making irregular verbs easy to find, sometimes, and you can get it with the English-Arabic part. Hans Wehr, on the other hand, orders everything according to the root verb, real or implied. Sticking with the root system ensures all related words to a given root appear together. I think this makes Hans Wehr better for _studying_ Arabic, not just getting through a BBC article. 6. Hans Wehr reinforces your understanding of the measures. It does so because it usually doesn't write them out, forcing you to memorize them. This is the standard. I had to have it again after losing my first one in a move. Review: the one to have - Working with an Arabic dictionary requires real skill, not to mention a great deal of patience. The Hans Wehr is organized (as all authentic Arabic dictionaries are) by word roots, and although with practice many patterns are easy to spot, particularly ones with letters extraneous to the root, there are also many which are not- especially ones with 'waw' and 'yay'. The only solution here is experience. It is also essential to memorize the nine classes of derived verbs, since derived verbs are not given as separate entries, but rather are listed (by their class) under the root of the simple verb. This isn't intended to scare anybody off, but although the Hans Wehr is certainly the best and most complete nonspecialist Arabic-English dictionary available, it definitely works on its own terms. It is essential for any serious student of Arabic and will be an everyday companion for the years it will take to learn the language well. One could only wish that a similar value was available for translating English into Arabic. Maybe some day.
| Best Sellers Rank | #639,848 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,089 in Foreign Dictionaries & Thesauruses #1,307 in Foreign Language Instruction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 325 Reviews |
B**H
You speak English. You're learning Arabic. You'll appreciate this dictionary.
What is there left to say about this excellent dictionary? It's probably all been said, but here some of its characteristics. 1. I learned Arabic in the military at DLI in Monterey. All of our professors were native speakers, some from universities in Cairo, Baghdad, etc., and this is the dictionary they prefer. 2. This is truly a dictionary, not just a lexicon. Written Arabic can be ambiguous without the diacritical markings, which are not written in this text, either, but the transliteration of the word is given and easily put to use. E.g. "صبع - ṣaba'a a (ṣab') ... to insert one's finger (ها into the hen, so as to ascertain whether she is going to lay an egg)" You finally know how to say that. 3. Once more, there are no diacritical markings in this text. I think this is preferable simply because the markings would add a lot of clutter. Keep in mind this version is the size of a handbook, so the font is necessarily small. 4. The book is easily portable, being precisely 5.14" x 8.46" x 1.38" (w x l x h). You like or no like, I don't know. I could go for a hardback or even a leather binding. There's certainly no way you would cut this and have it rebound. 5. I've used al-Mawrid, also, which is great for quick look-ups since words are ordered by their spelling, making irregular verbs easy to find, sometimes, and you can get it with the English-Arabic part. Hans Wehr, on the other hand, orders everything according to the root verb, real or implied. Sticking with the root system ensures all related words to a given root appear together. I think this makes Hans Wehr better for _studying_ Arabic, not just getting through a BBC article. 6. Hans Wehr reinforces your understanding of the measures. It does so because it usually doesn't write them out, forcing you to memorize them. This is the standard. I had to have it again after losing my first one in a move.
P**H
the one to have
Working with an Arabic dictionary requires real skill, not to mention a great deal of patience. The Hans Wehr is organized (as all authentic Arabic dictionaries are) by word roots, and although with practice many patterns are easy to spot, particularly ones with letters extraneous to the root, there are also many which are not- especially ones with 'waw' and 'yay'. The only solution here is experience. It is also essential to memorize the nine classes of derived verbs, since derived verbs are not given as separate entries, but rather are listed (by their class) under the root of the simple verb. This isn't intended to scare anybody off, but although the Hans Wehr is certainly the best and most complete nonspecialist Arabic-English dictionary available, it definitely works on its own terms. It is essential for any serious student of Arabic and will be an everyday companion for the years it will take to learn the language well. One could only wish that a similar value was available for translating English into Arabic. Maybe some day.
S**M
It's a must owned Arab-English Dictionary
I'm happy with Amazon for its swift delivery of my order. Accordingly I'm supposed to receive the book latest 29th July but instead I got in a matter of ten days.Thank you Amazon. Now for the book - I've got several arab-english dictionaries that I switched from on another whenever I need to search for a word. But The Hans Wehr dictionary proved otherwise. It is easy to use and the user gets the benefit of several definitions explained and examples to show its usage. Based on the three letter root of Arab language words are easily searched. The only gripe I have is it's pages. They are thin and delicate and can be easily torn through everyday usage. I do not know if you have the hard cover version, I have not seen one and bought the paperback version then. Another plus is the clear printing easy to read format. Nonetheless I'm happy with it and find it valuable as recommended by many authors of Arab Language authors. Its a 'must owned dictionary'.
U**S
A wonderful reference for Arabic study
Even the best Arabic language course benefits from being supplemented by a proper Arabic-English dictionary like this one. It is useful as well as interesting to see how each Arabic word is related to other words derived from a common three consonant Semitic stem. The verbs derived from each stem are designated by Roman numerals I through X, as explained in this book's introduction. I find the systematic grammatical approach of Han Wehr's dictionary to be quite satisfying. Using the three consonant room system employed in this dictionary, it is easy to compare cognates between different Semitic languages. On an eccentric whim I read the beginning of Genesis (from "In the beginning" to Noah's Ark) in Hebrew, but looked up the stem of new words in Arabic using Wehr's dictionary. Especially amusing was the discovery the Hebrew word for deluge is related to the Arabic root "bwl" that is associated with urination!
V**0
It Does Have Transliteration!
This dictionary is great! I don't know the root system very well but this dictionary will teach me. I actually like the fact that I can't just look up the English word and find the Arabic word, but instead I have to work for it. That will be a big help in my journey towards fluency. I was also pleasantly surprised to see there's roman transliteration for every word after I had read in one of the reviews that there were no short vowels. I gave the dictionary 4 stars for two main reasons. 1. There can be several English words for one Arabic word, but no instruction on when to use each of them. And 2. The paper cover barely made it through shipping so I can imagine what it will look like after I've cracked it open dozens of times in the future. The overall binding and cover chosen are poor for a reference book but all companies look to make everything cheaper and cheaper as time goes on so I'm not surprised. Overall I think this dictionary is a must have. In the beginning stages of learning Arabic, you may need a primary Arabic dictionary that goes from English to Arabic but eventually this will likely become your primary.
J**N
A MUST BUY for serious students of Arabic
This is an Arabic to English dictionary (it does NOT have English to Arabic entries). It is widely regarded as the most thorough dictionary available, and it is absolutely essential to mastering this language. They say you'll wear out at least a copy or two of the Hans Wehr dictionary while you are learning. I know many beginning Arabic students who rely on Google translate and lesser Arabic dictionaries with entries that are alphabetized (not organized by root). Don't fall into this trap. Buy this dictionary and learn to use it. It will take a bit of practice, but you will grow to love Hans Wehr's constant companionship. I am currently studying Arabic in Jordan, and it never leaves my side.
M**B
Best Arabic Dictionary
This is literally the best Arabic dictionary I have ever used. It is SO GOOD! It has so many entries which is great for Arabic learners.
S**E
Classic dictionary
Using for self-study. Lots of fun to pick a word and see all the derived words, words in context, common phrases using the word. It sparks lots of connections. You need to know the root to find the definition, unless you are looking for a word with foreign origin, place names etc. Wish the font were larger but that can't be helped due to the huge amount of information in the book. I have resorted at times to taking a picture with my phone and zooming in.
C**N
dizionario perfetto per uno studente
personalmente lo trovo il miglior dizionario dall'arabo, funzionale e intuitivo questa versione va benissimo per uno studente di lingue, non mi è ancora successo di non trovare una voce!
ぼ**い
大学の教科書です。
大学の教科書です。やっと購入できました。ありがとうございました。
J**S
The best Arabic-English dictionary
The best Arabic-English dictionary. Fully transliterated Arabic entries ordered by root. Exhaustive number of words. "Signpost" entries where the root isn't obvious. Imperfect 2nd vowels given as these are lexical not morphological items I.e. they can't be derived from standard patterns, they are a "given". Best dictionary by far. I've bought it twice.
A**D
4th edition, one of the best Arabic-English dictionairies out there
This particular print is a reasonable size... not so small like the pocket sizes that you have difficulty reading, and not so big like the snowball publishing version that it uses up space uselessly. It is the 4th edition - I believe the latest edition of this dictionary... overall, it is a nice product. It allows you to search arabic words based on their root letters, which simplifies finding the meaning of a word and other words that are related by the original root. This is a good tool for students of 'Aalim class as well as modern Arabic classes in universities. As for 'Aalim class students, this will be your first dictionary, before moving on to Arabic-Arabic dictionaries... so do not dwell on this dictionaries weaknesses... sure it has them... once you are able to see its weaknesses, you should probably be looking for a bigger and better dictionary like al-mu'jam al waseet, or al-qamus al-muhit... bottom line: This is an amazing dictionary for its scope, and this is probably the best edition and print I have seen so far (March 2013), I highly recommend it
H**G
A must-have ! Un indispensable !
English (french below. Français plus bas). If you can have only one dictionary, take this one. Yes, you need to be a little accustomed to the root system, but after that, it's a pure joy. And most of the time, instead of just learning one word, you'll have all the words of the same root, that 's a lot of time and energy save. The writings are clear enough for you to make no effort while reading. A must-have ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Français. Si vous ne pouvez acheter qu'un seul dictionnaire, que ce soit celui ci. Effectivement, il est en anglais (comme la plupart des bonnes ressources ! ;-) ) et il vous faut vous habituer au système de classement par racine (la plupart des dictionnaires arabes le sont ainsi) mais une fois ces barrières franchies, c'est un pur plaisir de le consulter. L'édition est assez clair, pas d'extra efforts pour lire. Il deviendra rapidement votre livre de poche.
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