Coursebook published by Diplomatic Language Services Press. Course in spoken Iraqi Arabic. It is intended to provide an efficient introduction to Iraqi Arabic (IA), especially as it differs from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It is assumed that the user of this course already has a proficiency of at least R-2 in MSA on the FSI/ILR proficiency scale. This is the equivalent of having completed both volumes of the course "Elementary Modern Standard Arabic," published by the University of Michigan. If the student has less than an R-2 in MSA or S-2 in another variety of spoken Arabic, the "Basic Course in Iraqi Arabic" by Dr. Wallace Erwin (Georgetown University Press) is highly recommended. Dictionaries in Iraqi Arabic, both Arabic - English and English - Arabic are available from the G.U. Press, as well as "A Short Reference Grammar of Iraqi Arabic." This course is designed to be completed in 60-80 hours, either on a self-study basis or with an instructor. If the Classroom Activity Supplement booklet is used it will at least double the time required. This will vary depending on how well the student knows Modern Standard Arabic or another Arabic dialect. There are 14 lessons, each based on a particular grammatical topic. This layout should help the reader organize the large amount of data presented and know where to look up explanations and examples. Because this course is organized around grammar (i.e., it is not functionally based), it is designed to begin with the easiest material and work toward the most complex or most different from MSA. That is why Chapter 2 deals with nouns and the last three chapters deal with verbs. The biggest problem facing users of spoken Arabic is in comprehending the various dialects. One can do quite well speaking just one variety, such as Formal Spoken Arabic (lugat al mutqahfeen) or "mainstream" dialects -- Levantine, Egyptian, or Hijazi. The emphasis in this course is to make the dialect easier to understand, not to teach the student to speak like a native; there are "basic courses" available in Formal Spoken Arabic and almost all dialects for this purpose. After completion of this course, the user should understand the basic, as well as unique or problematical, grammar features of Iraqi Arabic. The only area left where more practice may be needed is in acquiring vocabulary, which can be achieved through the use of supplementary taped samples of authentic, unedited Iraqi speech.

From modern standard Arabic to the Iraqi dialect -- Iraqi Arabic classroom activity supplement -- Iraqi Arabic answer key.