Kristen Brustad is an associate professor of Arabic at the University of Texas at Austin.

Mahmoud Al-Batal is an associate professor of Arabic and the director of the Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Abbas Al-Tonsi is a professor of Arabic at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

The best-selling Alif Baa is the first volume of the Al-Kitaab Arabic language program and is now available in a new third edition. In this new version of the introduction to Arabic letters and sounds, English-speaking students will find an innovative integration of colloquial and formal (spoken and written) Arabic. Together, the book and new online component provide learners with all the material necessary to learn the sounds of Arabic, write its letters, and begin speaking Arabic, including interactive, self-correcting exercises to enhance learning. The online component also gives instructors additional online grading options.

FEATURES

Four-color design throughout the book features over 100 illustrations and photographs
Gives learners and instructors color-coded options for the variety of language they wish to activate in speaking: Egyptian, Levantine, or formal Arabic (MSA)
Introduces over 200 basic vocabulary words in all three forms of spoken and written Arabic side by side, including expressions for polite social interaction, and activates them in interactive homework exercises and classroom group work
Includes video dialogues in Egyptian and Levantine, filmed in Cairo and Damascus
Includes video footage of an Arabic calligrapher, capsules on Arabic culture, and images of street signs from Morocco, Egypt, and Lebanon
Includes new English-Arabic and Arabic-English glossaries, searchable in the online companion New 3rd Edition Textbook Includes
18 months of access to the companion website alkitaabtextbook.com that features a fully integrated set of interactive exercises with all the video and audio materials and additional online course management and grading options for teachers
a convenient DVD with the basic audio and video materials (no interactive exercises) for offline study that will play in any computer's DVD drive or transfer to an MP3 player or transfer to an MP3 player Alif Baa provides the essential firs