Saudi Arabic Audio CD Language Course.

Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Includes 15 audio CD tapes, plus a 288-page textbook. Of the three dialects in Saudi Arabic, the Hijazi, the Najdi, and the Shargi, the Hijazi dialect is used throughout out the country for government and commercial purposes, and has become the most widely understood dialect on the Arabian Peninsula. Even so, there is no "standard" Hijazi dialect, but the basis for this course is "urban" Hijazi to distinguish it from the Bedouin dialects also native to the region. The aim of this course is "working" proficiency in the language. The learner will be able to meet social demands and limited business requirements, carry on general conversations, and understand speech at a normal rate of speed. The course provides all the basic grammatical structures of the dialect, plus considerable vocabulary. the printed material is in English and Roman letters are used to approximate the Saudi Arabic sounds.