The Arab peoples of Africa and the Middle East speak to each other in a variety of local dialects, but the language that serves educated Arabs all over the world when they need to converse across national boundaries is Modern Standard Arabic. Although it is otherwise chiefly a medium of written communication, it is also spoken on the radio and television, on lecture platforms, on the stage, at formal gatherings, and at business and diplomatic sessions. Materials for the development of oral skills are therefore of prime importance in teaching it successfully.
This highly useful and...