Naked Arabic: A Stripped-Down Language Class For The G.I.

NAKED
ARABIC
A Stripped-Down
Field Class for the G.I.
First Edition
Anne Tremblay
This book belongs to
Name
Branch of Service
Class Date Class Number
Instructor
© 2008, Anne Tremblay. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of this

publication is forbidden without the express written consent of the author.
ii
Dedication
This course is dedicated to the Iraq War vets and other military
vets with whom I worked on Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas. Special
thanks to Dylan, Matt, and Andy for their openness in talking about
their experiences. It is my hope that this course will contribute to
bringing 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 to

those Arabs who want only peace and to raise their own families in
freedom, this is for all of you.
Peace be upon you.

Anne Tremblay
December 3, 2007
iii
iv Naked Arabic
Special Thanks
While 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 we
have 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; to
the friends and family, past and present, who are (or have been) a
source of inspiration and support; and to my Marine, Michael—the
son 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 my
mentors as well as my students, and I am grateful for and humbled by
your unwavering dedication and faith in me—even in the face of being
duped into learning a foreign language. :). As Karen would say, you
ladies rock!
A Personal Note to You, the Reader

You will succeed. There are four factors that prevent people from
pursuing knowledge. The first is the availability of training. This
course—along with online access to it—removes that first obstacle.
The second factor is usually expense, which literally isn’t a factor
here because I am making this course a shareware of sorts—it is free
to all servicemembers and their families.
The third impediment people often have is fear of failure. If you
are utterly terrified that you “aren’t smart enough” or “it’s too hard” to
learn Arabic, then I have this challenge for you—let me prove that I’m
a SuperTeacher. Cape and all! You’ll learn it, frankly, because I am just
that <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 most
knowledge gets stuck with the most work? If you are the only soldier
for 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, it
is a burden for you to bear—do so with your head held high. It’s still
not 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!
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
v
vi Naked Arabic
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 to
mark 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 only
one 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 and
proudest memories of a noble war that pitted pure good against pure evil and good triumphed. The
victors in that war were the American G.I.s, the Willies and Joes, the farmer from Iowa and the
steelworker from Pittsburgh who stepped off a landing craft into the hell of Omaha Beach. The G.I. was
the wisecracking kid Marine from Brooklyn who clawed his way up a deadly hill on a Pacific island. He
was a black fighter pilot escorting white bomber pilots over Italy and Germany, proving that skin color
had nothing to do with skill or He was a native Japanese-American infantryman released from his own
country'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 his
hands, helping guide a dive-bomber pilot back onto the deck.
They were America. They reflected our diverse origins. They were the embodiment of the
American spirit of courage and dedication. They were truly a "people's army," going forth on a crusade
to save democracy and freedom, to defeat tyrants, to save oppressed peoples and to make their families
proud of them. They were the Private Ryans, and they stood firm in the thin red line. For most of those
G.I.s, World War II was the adventure of their lifetime. Nothing they would ever do in the future would
match their experiences as the warriors of democracy, saving the world from its own insanity. You can
still 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, Rough
Riders. 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's
commitment. For more than 200 years, they answered the call to fight the nation's battles. They never went
forth 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 called
many things, but it was most certainly a century of war. The American G.I.s helped defeat fascism and
communism. They came home in triumph from the ferocious battlefields of World Wars I and II. In
Korea and Vietnam they fought just as bravely as any of their predecessor, but no triumphant receptions
awaited them at home. They soldiered on through the twilight struggles of the cold war and showed
what they were capable of in Desert Storm. The American people took them into their hearts again. In
this century hundreds of thousands of G.I.s died to bring to the beginning of the 21st century the victory
of 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 rights
and freedoms of others. Only a nation such as ours, based on a firm moral foundation, could make such
a request of its citizens. And the G.I.s wanted nothing more than to get the job done and then return
home safely. All they asked for in repayment from those they freed was the opportunity to help them
become part of the world of democracy-and just enough land to bury their fallen comrades, beneath
simple white crosses and Stars of David.
The volunteer G.I.s of today stand watch in Korea, the Persian Gulf, Europe and the dangerous
terrain of the Balkans. We must never see them as mere hirelings, off in a corner of our society. They
are our best, and we owe them our full support and our sincerest thanks. As this century closes, we
look back to identify the great leaders and personalities of the past 100 years. We do so in a world still
troubled, but full of promise. That promise was gained by the young men and women of America who
fought and died for freedom. Near the top of any listing of the most important people of the 20th century
must stand, in singular honor, the American G.I.
Introduction
This course is designed to provide a native English speaker with
a basic ability to read, write, and speak Standard Arabic.
This course is NOT designed to make the student fluent in

Arabic. Fluency requires practice and daily use, and it is expected that
this course will provide enough of a foundation so that the GI
can rapidly develop fluency in Arabic once he/she is working in an
Arabic-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 in
war or in peace (especially when you’re talking about marriage!).
When considering titles for the program, I smiled when this title
popped into my head, content with the knowledge that such a title
would turn heads and raise inquiries in the field. Picture it— you have
your beat-up old copy of this book casually tossed on your rack, and
another soldier walks by, notices the title, and immediately inquires
about it. Or—even better—he grabs the book and starts to flip through
it. Yes, he may be disappointed that it is not Naked Arabs, but it does
provide an opportunity to discuss the language and how easy it is to
actually 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
1
2 Naked Arabic
to read, write, and speak the language, based on being a native

English speaker. Any linguists who may read through this book may
cringe at some of the liberties I have taken (e.g., referring to Arabic
accents as “vowels”), but rest assured that these liberties are based
solely 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 Stone
Arabic series with high expectations about my ability to learn this
language. After struggling through the first lesson, I thought to myself,
“What in the world have I gotten myself into?” I was discouraged and
retreated from the endeavour with my pride wounded and wondering
if I had lost IQ points. I had expected to be able to pick out the patterns
of the language as I had always done when learning other foreign
languages.
After a short time, my ego rebounded and my competitive streak
came back in full force—after all, I thought, “If an Arab child can learn
the language, I sure as <expletive deleted> can!”
I knew I had to be missing something since I was having such a
difficult time seeing the patterns that MUST be there in order for a
language to exist. If there is no pattern, no one would understand
eachother. It was a mystery I needed to solve. . . .
A partial college course, a private tutor, and several books and
programs later, I’ve solved some of those mysteries. Now the keys to
those mysteries are presented to you in this course to provide what
you 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 variations
of 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
Naked Arabic 3
phrases, slang, and accent. Arabic-speaking nations have the same

variability that English-speaking nations do. The Arabic spoken in
Morrocco is different from the Arabic spoken in Iran, which is different
from the Arabic spoken in Baghdad. Within Arab cities, Arabic is often
spoken differently between the educated and uneducated populace.
But if you can communicate in Standard Arabic, most Arabic speakers
will 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 only
has 26 letters. When I first looked at written Arabic, it appeared as a
jumble of chaos with no obvious rhyme or reason. The good news is
that, as an English speaker, you actually already know almost all of the
Arabic letters. Let me give you one example.
BIRDBATH
Now, if I told you that this symbol:
is the equivalent of an English B, you could figure out what the

following words are:
IRD ATH
How about these?
ASKET ALL
4 Naked Arabic
ALLOON
DREW ARRYMORE
JESSICA AL A
What most English speakers don’t realize is that Arabic uses many of
the same sounds we use to speak English. While there are over 100
symbols to represent Arabic letters and sounds, there are actually only
28 letters, 4-6 vowels, and one unique glottal stop (obviously, we don’t
have that last sound in English). The reason for the 100 symbols is the
limitation of writing in script form (see # 3 in Mysteries Revealed).
How This Field Class Works

This course is designed specifically to be 1) used as a workbook
for the learner, then 2) used as a reference manual in the field, and
hopefully 3) used as the impromptu field class for those military
personnel who are already deployed.
I am working on a method to make this course available to
military personnel who are unable to come to the Northeast for a class.
Please refer to the References and Additional Resources section for
further details.
Format By Strategy
While 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 doing
yourself a disservice by doing so. This program is designed to work
for all types of learners—whether you are a visual learner, an auditory
learner, or a tactile learner. Stay with the class/instructor and you will
get the most benefit.
Naked Arabic 5
This book has three primary sections: letter exercises (where I

will introduce you to the letter name, the sound it makes, and the
different ways it is written), brain games/practice pages (where you
will apply the information you just learned), and references/additional
resources (so you can continue to build your Arabic language skills).
The program is designed to keep you engaged; it is fairly fast-paced
and interactive. While the letters are presented in the correct
alphabetical order for the Arabic language, I have broken them up by
letter sets for easier learning. You will first be introduced to a set of
letters, then work through a brief series of games to reinforce the
information and get your eyes and brain used to reading from right to
left, distinguishing the letters in context, and sounding out words.
Mysteries Revealed
Before we begin the program, there are a number of useful
“rules” that are handy to keep in mind. Each of these rules will be
reviewed and repeated as we go along in the course, but here is a
condensed list of the key differences that I have found (so far) in
learning Arabic. Knowing these basic rules and differences from
English will make things easier for you.
1. Arabic reads RIGHT to LEFT. Although, they write their

numbers from left to right. Go figure.
2. Each letter is pronounced. Arabic is a language in which words

are spelled phonetically—meaning what is written is exactly how
it is pronounced. When you sound out a word based on the
individual letter sounds, you are most likely pronouncing it
correctly, unlike in English where we have so many “exceptions”.
Therefore, no slurring or dropping letters when you are sounding
out the words! You heard me, Bostonians! No cah pahkin!
3. Arabic script includes STAND-ALONE, INITIAL, MEDIAL, and

FINAL forms of each letter. Although, not every letter has an
initial or medial form, they all do have stand-alone and final
forms. This was one of the oddest things to get used to. We will
discuss it when we look at the letter baa’.
6 Naked Arabic
4. It’s all about the DOTS. The script can be absolutely identical,
and the key to differentiating up to three completely separate
letters is whether the dots are above or below the letter, and how
many 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 they

FOLLOW. But, native Arabic speakers will often not bother to
write in the vowels at all. You are just supposed to “know” that
they are there. This particular feature of the Arabic language was
particularly annoying to me.
7. Vowel that starts a word or word break needs an ’alif. The

letter ’alif, which is the first letter in the Arabic Alphabet, is used
as a placeholder if a vowel starts the word or word section.
Remember, vowels are placed on top or below the consonant
they FOLLOW, so if the vowel sound actually starts the word,
then you can’t have a random slash hanging out in the
atmosphere.
8. Spaces DO NOT always indicate a word break. This fact was

by far the most frustrating for me.
9. This instruction is based on Modern Standard Arabic. There

WILL 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, but
taken one step further. For example, it would be the same as if we
set up our dictionary so that you had to look up the word To Sell
in order to find the word Salesman. More about root words later.
11. Arabic words can be either feminine or masculine. If you have

any experience with French, Spanish, or other European
languages, this won’t require much explanation.
12. Beware the lack of a literal translation. All books and military
references I have seen so far do not translate sentences from
Naked Arabic 7
Arabic to English literally. This becomes slightly problematic and

frustrating when you are trying to build your vocabulary
acurately, because the non-literal translations may mislead you.
For example, ask any Arabic-language teacher to tell you how
to ask, “What time is it?” and they will always use the word saa’a
for “time”. If you literally translate it, saa’a actually means “hour”.
So you are asking, “What hour is it?”
Becoming the Arabic Guru

As 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:
Letter Name
English equivalent
Note to help you remember
Copy over the letter while saying the letter
name: “Stand-alone baa’ ”.
On the second line, copy over the letter while
saying the sound (in this case, it’s “b”)
On the third line, copy over the letter while
saying the letter name: “Initial baa’ ”.
On the fourth line, copy over the letter
while saying the sound, “b”.
On the fifth line, copy over the letter while
saying the letter name: “Medial baa’ ”.
On the sixth line, copy over the letter while
saying the sound, “b”.
On the seventh line, copy over the letter
while saying the letter name: “Final baa’ ”.
On the last line, copy over the letter while
saying the sound, “b”.
Be sure to write
FROM RIGHT TO LEFT!!!
8 Naked Arabic
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 say
the letter while pulling your tongue BACK and DOWN from the ROOF of
your 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 your
mouth about midway and then pulls back slightly and down to make the
sound. Now, try saying TickTock with extra emphasis on the Tock,
forcing your tongue back and down even more. Do this ten times. It’s
uncomfortable at first, but this is essentially the difference in sound
between 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 and
qaaf (k and ^k).
Other Notes
This 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 letter
stands 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 the
field and need a quick cheat guide.
I have, for example, had previous students suggest that the
Stand-alone version of the letter baa’ resembles a certain part of the
female anatomy that begins with the English letter B. If that relationship
helps you remember the letter and what sound it makes, then go
ahead and write a notation in your book.
Also, this course is a work in progress. If you have suggestions to
improve the material or presentation, I always welcome positive
feedback. If you come across something and think to yourself, “Well,
<expletive deleted>, I wish I’d known that!”, then odds are pretty good
that other personnel would also find the information to be useful. If you
do have any suggestions or feedback, please contact me via e-mail and
I will consider integrating it into future classes. You must put your class
date and number in the Subject line, or it will be filtered out as spam. My
contact information is in the references and resources pages.
STOP! Turn to page 23.

Naked Arabic 9
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 symbols
below. The shadda actually doesn’t require much explanation—it simply
means that you double the consonant or vowel that it appears
immediately above or below the symbol. The hamza is what is known
as a “glottal stop”, referring to a sudden end to the sound you were
making by drawing back on the sound, kind of like when you hiccup.
The last symbol is the sukkun, and that simply indicates a long pause
before 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.

10 Naked Arabic
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 following
English names? (Read from left to right.)
1. A city in Massachusetts known for a famous Tea Party and the Red
Sox baseball team.
a) os on
b) os on
c) os on
2. A state known for NASCAR, the Tar Heels NCAA team, and the
Wright Brothers’ first in flight...
a) Nor C rolin
b) Nor C rolin
c) Nor C rolin
Continue to Page 11.
Naked Arabic 11
Sound out the following words, reading from right to left. You will
notice that there are lines to the right of the letters. You can write in the
English 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 with
the first set of letters, we will jump right into some vowels.
STOP!
Review Rule #6 and Rule #7
on Page 6 before you
continue to Page 12.
i. bat, ii. that, iii. bath

2. a. North Carolint, b. North Carolina, c. Norb Carolina.
1. a. Tosbon, b. Boston, c. Thosaon.
Answer Key:
12 Naked Arabic
= a (fatha) = i (kasra)
= u (damma) = long a (madda)

Then who are the following Famous People with their names spelled
with Arabic vowels? (Read from left to right.)
a) br h m L ncoln
b) W ll Sm th
c) 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 rules
you’ve learned: Arabic is written from right to left. There may be up to
four versions of the same letter: a Stand-Alone version, Initial version,
Medial version, and a Finial version. Vowels are shown over the
consonant they follow, or over an ’alif if the vowel starts the word
or 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)
2. a. that, b. abut, c. tub.

1. a. bat, b. bath, c. buth.
a. Abraham Lincoln, b. Will Smith, c. Sandra Bullock
Answer Key:
14 Naked Arabic
= j/zh sound
= clearing throat sound
= short k sound
1. Then which of the following sentences is correct?
a) The cat made a sound as

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

c) The cat made a sound as

Answer Key:
1. a. The cat made a <clearing throat> sound as he tried to
ha<clearing throat sound> up a furball, b. The cat made a k sound
as he tried to ha<clearing throat sound> up a furball, c. The cat
made a <clearing throat> sound as he tried to hack up a
furball.
2. a. Pleasure, b. Ple<clearing throat sound>er, c. Pleker.
Plea ure c)
Plea ure b)
Plea ure a)
2. And how would you write the word pleasure?
15 Naked Arabic
16 Naked Arabic
= b
= t
= th
= zh
= furball
= k
= ^d
= ^th
= roll r
= z
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
STOP!
Review the ^ on Page 8,
then turn to Page 36.
d. Basra c. zit; b. shack; a. stud;

Answer Key:
18 Naked Arabic
= s (siin)
= ^S (Saad)
Then how would you pronounce these words, reading from left to
right:
ong ong
= d (daal)
= ^D (Daad)
And how would you pronounce these words, reading from left to right:
og og
= t (taa’)
= ^T (Taa’)
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

20 Naked Arabic
= F (faa’)
= Ko (qaaf)
= Ka (kaaf)
= L (laam)
= M (miim)
= N (nuun)
= quiet H (Haa’)
= W or OO (waaw)
= Y or EE (yaa’)
HINT! Use the back page Quick Reference to look

up any letters that aren’t listed above.
Naked Arabic 21
Then how would each of the following English words sound? (reading
from right to left):
a) Deep water pirates.
b) Semper Fi!
c) Known for mischief.
d)
. . . and I’ll tell you no lies.

STOP! Turn to Page 9.
questions).
(Army Brat); d. Ask mee na kwsteeonz (Ask me no
a. navee (Navy); b. Mareen (Marine); c. Arrrrrmee Brrrrat
Answer Key:
22 Naked Arabic
Resources & References

Now that you know the basics of Standard Arabic, here are a few
additional resources so that you can continue learning. Feel free to
contact me via e-mail with your suggestions to improve this course or
to recommend an additional reference you found to be useful in the
field. You may reach me at Naked_Arabic@Yahoo.com. Be sure to
include your Class number and branch of service in the SUBJECT
LINE 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 good

programs for building vocabulary quickly)
• Rosetta Stone Language Exchange at
http://www.sharedtalk.com/ (you can IM or live chat with native
speakers 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 many
countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, Korea, etc.)
at http://fieldsupport.lingnet.org/index.aspx
• The University of Wisconsin offers an on-site immersion
program. 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.
Naked Arabic 23
’alif
Pronunciation cheat: If by itself, it’s a short a sound
Notes:’alif can be used as a placeholder, too!
Remember to write it right to left!
Stand-
alone
’alif
Sound:
“a”
Initial t
’alif o ri
m, !
for laam
ial r
ed lette
M
l or the
ia or
I nit en f
an stak
Medial e
av y mi
h il
’alif ’t
sn eas
e
o e
l i f d ld b
’a cou
Final
’alif
Sound:
“a”

24 Naked Arabic
baa’
Pronunciation cheat: regular English B
Notes:One dot Below
Stand-
alone
baa’
Sound:
“b”
Initial
baa’
Sound:
“b”
Medial
baa’
Sound:
“b”
Final
baa’
Sound:
“b”

Naked Arabic 25
taa’
Pronunciation cheat: regular English T
Notes:Two dots above
Stand-
alone
taa’
Sound:
“t”
Initial
taa’
Sound:
“t”
Medial
taa’
Sound:
“t”
Final
taa’
Sound:
“t”

26 Naked Arabic
thaa’
Pronunciation cheat: regular English th sound
Notes:Three dots above
Stand-
alone
thaa’
Sound:
“th”
Initial
thaa’
Sound:
“th”
Medial
thaa’
Sound:
“th”
Final
thaa’
Sound:
“th”

Naked Arabic 27
jiim
Pronunciation cheat: regular French J sound
Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial and Medial forms
Stand-
alone
jiim
Sound:
“zh”
Initial
jiim
Sound:
“zh”
Medial
jiim
Sound:
“zh”
Final
jiim
Sound:
“zh”

28 Naked Arabic
Haa’
Pronunciation cheat: Cat with a furball.
Stand-
alone
Haa’
Sound:
furball
Initial
Haa’
Sound:
furball
Medial
Haa’
Sound:
furball
Final
Haa’
Sound:
furball

Naked Arabic 29
khaa’
Pronunciation cheat: hard English K sound that drops off
Stand-
alone
khaa’
Sound:
“loch”
Initial
khaa’
Sound:
“loch”
Medial
khaa’
Sound:
“loch”
Final
khaa’
Sound:
“loch”

30 Naked Arabic
daal
Pronunciation cheat: regular English Da sound
Notes:
Stand-
alone
daal
Sound:
“d”
Initial t
o ri
daal m, !
for laam
ial r
ed lette
M
l or the
a r
n iti n fo
a n I take
e s
Medial h av y mi
’t il
daal e sn eas
do e
a al uld b
d co
Final
daal
Sound:
“d”

Naked Arabic 31
thaal
Pronunciation cheat: regular English Tha sound
Notes:
Stand-
alone
thaal
Sound:
“th”
Initial it
, or
thaal m !
for uun
ial r n
ed ette
o r M he l
t
i t ial for
n n
a n I ake
e t
Medial h av mis
n’t ily
thaal o es eas
d e
a al ld b
th cou
Final
thaal
Sound:
“th”

32 Naked Arabic
raa’
Pronunciation cheat: rolled R, e.g., Spanish/Italian/French
Notes:
Stand-
alone
raa’
Sound:
rolled
“r”
Initial ri
t
o
raa’ m, !
for laam
ial er
ed lett
M
l or r the
ia fo
I nit ken
an ta
ave mis
Medial h ly
raa’ s n’t easi
e
’ do be
a d
ra oul
c
Final
raa’
Sound:
rolled
“r”
Naked Arabic 33
zaay
Pronunciation cheat: regular English Z
Notes:
Stand-
alone
zaay
Sound:
“z”
Initial it
, or
zaay m !
for nuun
ial r
ed lette
M
l or the
a r
n iti n fo
I e
e an stak
v i
Medial ’t ha ly m
n si
zaay o es e ea
d b
ay d
za coul
Final
zaay
Sound:
“z”

34 Naked Arabic
siin
Pronunciation cheat: regular English S
Stand-
alone
siin
Sound:
“s”
Initial
siin
Sound:
“s”
Medial
siin
Sound:
“s”
Final
siin
Sound:
“s”

Naked Arabic 35
shiin
Pronunciation cheat: regular English Sh
Stand-
alone
shiin
Sound:
“sh”
Initial
shiin
Sound:
“sh”
Medial
shiin
Sound:
“sh”
Final
shiin
Sound:
“sh”

36 Naked Arabic
Saad
Pronunciation cheat: ^So (as in English word sod)
Stand-
alone
Saad
Sound:
“^S”
Initial
Saad
Sound:
“^S”
Medial
Saad
Sound:
“^S”
Final
Saad
Sound:
“^S”

Naked Arabic 37
Daad
Pronunciation cheat: ^Do (as in English word dog)
Stand-
alone
Daad
Sound:
“^D”
Initial
Daad
Sound:
“^D”
Medial
Daad
Sound:
“^D”
Final
Daad
Sound:
“^D”

38 Naked Arabic
Taa’
Pronunciation cheat: ^To (as in English word taught)
Notes:
Stand-
alone
Taa’
Sound:
“^T”
Initial
Taa’
Sound:
“^T”
Medial
Taa’
Sound:
“^T”
Final
Taa’
Sound:
“^T”

Naked Arabic 39
Dhaa’
Pronunciation cheat: ^Vo (as in English word vault)
Notes:
Stand-
alone
Dhaa’
Sound:
“^Vh”
Initial
Dhaa’
Sound:
“^Vh”
Medial
Dhaa’
Sound:
“^Vh”
Final
Dhaa’
Sound:
“^Vh”

40 Naked Arabic
cayn
Pronunciation cheat: this one takes practice...
Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial form
Stand-
alone
c
ayn
Sound:
choke
Initial
c
ayn
Sound:
choke
Medial
c
ayn
Sound:
choke
Final
c
ayn
Sound:
choke

Naked Arabic 41
ghayn
Pronunciation cheat: regular English R as in Rain
Notes:cut off the tail for the Initial form
Stand-
alone
ghayn
Sound:
“r”
Initial
ghayn
Sound:
“r”
Medial
ghayn
Sound:
“r”
Final
ghayn
Sound:
“r”

42 Naked Arabic
faa’
Pronunciation cheat: regular English F
Stand-
alone
faa’
Sound:
“f”
Initial
faa’
Sound:
“f”
Medial
faa’
Sound:
“f”
Final
faa’
Sound:
“f”

Naked Arabic 43
qaaf (ko)
Pronunciation cheat: ^kof (as in English word cough)
Stand-
alone
qaaf
Sound:
“^ko”
Initial
qaaf
Sound:
“^ko”
Medial
qaaf
Sound:
“^ko”
Final
qaaf
Sound:
“^ko”

44 Naked Arabic
kaaf
Pronunciation cheat: regular English Ka (as in café)
Notes:it sort of looks like an English K
Stand-
alone
kaaf
Sound:
“ka”
Initial
kaaf
Sound:
“ka”
Medial
kaaf
Sound:
“ka”
Final
kaaf
Sound:
“ka”

Naked Arabic 45
laam
Pronunciation cheat: regular English L
Stand-
alone
laam
Sound:
“L”
Initial
laam
Sound:
“L”
Medial
laam
Sound:
“L”
Final
laam
Sound:
“L”

46 Naked Arabic
miim
Pronunciation cheat: regular English M
Stand-
alone
miim
Sound:
“m”
Initial
miim
Sound:
“m”
Medial
miim
Sound:
“m”
Final
miim
Sound:
“m”

Naked Arabic 47
nuun
Pronunciation cheat: regular English N
Stand-
alone
nuun
Sound:
“n”
Initial
nuun
Sound:
“n”
Medial
nuun
Sound:
“n”
Final
nuun
Sound:
“n”

48 Naked Arabic
haa’
Pronunciation cheat: heavy breathing
Notes:
Stand-
alone
haa’
Sound:
“~h”
Initial
haa’
Sound:
“~h”
Medial
haa’
Sound:
“~h”
Final
haa’
Sound:
“~h”

Naked Arabic 49
waaw
Pronunciation cheat: regular English W or oo (Wow, Woo)
Notes:
Stand-
alone
waaw
Sound:
“w/oo”
Initial it
, or
waaw m
or iim
!
f
ial r m
ed ette
M l
l or the
a
n iti for
a n I aken
e t
h av mis
Medial n’t ily
waaw o es eas
d e
aw ld b
wa cou
Final
waaw
Sound:
“w/oo”

50 Naked Arabic
yaa’
Pronunciation cheat: regular English Y or ee (Yeah, Baby)
Notes:
Stand-
alone
yaa’
Sound:
“y/ee”
Initial
yaa’
Sound:
“y/ee”
Medial
yaa’
Sound:
“y/ee”
Final
yaa’
Sound:
“y/ee”

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
52 Letters by Alpha Order
Letter Stand-
Name Sound Alone Final Medial Initial
c
ayn -
ghayn r
faa’ food
qaaf throat ko
kaaf kitten
laam lung
miim mast
nuun new
haa’ breath
waaw w oo
yaa’ y ee
Vowels Odd stuff

fatha a shadda double
kasra i sukkun throat stop
damma o
madda long a
A
man can be selfish,
cowardly, disloyal, false,
fleeting, perjured, and
morally corrupt in a wide variety
of other ways and still be
outstandingly good in pursuits
in which other imperatives bear
than those upon the fighting
man. He can be a superb creative
artist, for example, or a scientist
in the very top flight, and still be
a very bad man. What the bad
man cannot be is a good sailor, or
soldier, or airman.
-General Sir John Hackett
"The Military in the Service of the State", in War, Morality, and the Military
Profession, second edition, ed. M.M. Walkin (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press,
1979), pp. 124-125.
NO dots 1 dot ABOVE 2 dots ABOVE
’alif (a) khaa’ (k-) taa’ (t)
Haa’ (fur) dhaal (th) qaaf (^ko)
daal (d) zaay (z)
raa’ (roll r) Daad (^d) 2 dots BELOW
siin (s) Dhaa’ (^v) yaa’ (y/ee)
Saad (^s) ghayn (r)
3 dots ABOVE
Taa’ (^t) faa’ (f)
c
thaa’ (th)
ayn (choke) nuun (n)
shiin (sh)
kaaf (ka)
laam (L) 1 dot BELOW Vowels
Letters by Dot
miim (m) baa’ (b) a long a

haa’ (breath) jiim (zh) i
QUICK REFERENCE:
waaw (w/oo) u
Naked Arabic © 2008. Naked Arabic © 2008. Naked Arabic © 2008.
(Cut at solid lines; folds to business card size for your wallet!)

Naked Arabic: A Stripped-Down Language Class For The G.I.

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Naked Arabic: A Stripped-Down Language Class For The G.I.

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

NAKED

Class Date Class Number

© 2008, Anne Tremblay. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of this

And to each current and future serviceman and woman, and to

Peace be upon you.

A Personal Note to You, the Reader

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

Quick Reference—Letters by Dot Order Back Cover

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

This course is NOT designed to make the student fluent in

Why Naked Arabic?

Can Anyone Learn Arabic?

to read, write, and speak the language, based on being a native

How Hard Is It?

Standard Arabic or Iraqi Arabic?

phrases, slang, and accent. Arabic-speaking nations have the same

But Arabic Scares Me . . .

is the equivalent of an English B, you could figure out what the

How This Field Class Works

This book has three primary sections: letter exercises (where I

1. Arabic reads RIGHT to LEFT. Although, they write their

2. Each letter is pronounced. Arabic is a language in which words

3. Arabic script includes STAND-ALONE, INITIAL, MEDIAL, and

5. Shorthand on the dots. Sometimes people will use a straight,

6. Vowels are written ABOVE or BELOW the consonant that they

7. Vowel that starts a word or word break needs an ’alif. The

8. Spaces DO NOT always indicate a word break. This fact was

9. This instruction is based on Modern Standard Arabic. There

10. Arabic is based on ROOT WORDS, usually three consonants.

11. Arabic words can be either feminine or masculine. If you have

Arabic to English literally. This becomes slightly problematic and

Becoming the Arabic Guru

And what is that ^ supposed to be?

STOP! Turn to page 23.

A Few Things That

= shadda (double the letter)

= hamza (glottal stop)

= sukkun (long pause)

STOP! Turn to page 22.

If I told you that the following was true:

i. bat, ii. that, iii. bath

If I told you that the following was true:

= u (damma) = long a (madda)

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

STOP! Turn to page 27.

2. a. that, b. abut, c. tub.

If I told you that the following was true:

= clearing throat sound

1. Then which of the following sentences is correct?

a) The cat made a sound as

b) The cat made a sound as

c) The cat made a sound as

If I told you that the following was true:

a) Some guys think they are ...

c) another word for blemish

d. Basra c. zit; b. shack; a. stud;

If I told you that the following was true: