Study each letter. In the practice column, trace or copy the isolated form three times. Say the name aloud.
| Arabic Letter | Name | Sound | English near-equivalent | Practice (write 3 times) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | Alif | aa / glottal stop | long "a" as in "father" | |
| ب | Ba | b | "b" as in "book" | |
| ت | Ta | t | "t" as in "tea" | |
| ث | Tha | th | "th" as in "think" | |
| ج | Jim | j | "j" as in "jar" | |
| د | Dal | d | "d" as in "door" | |
| ر | Ra | r | rolled "r" | |
| س | Sin | s | "s" as in "sun" | |
| ع | Ayn | deep throat "a" | no English equivalent — a voiced pharyngeal fricative | |
| ف | Fa | f | "f" as in "far" | |
| ق | Qaf | q | deep "k" from back of throat — no English equivalent | |
| ك | Kaf | k | "k" as in "key" | |
| ل | Lam | l | "l" as in "light" | |
| م | Mim | m | "m" as in "moon" |
Which letter has NO English equivalent? _______ What makes it different from English sounds? _______________________________________________
The response is: وعليكم السلام (Wa 'alaykum as-salaam) — "And upon you peace."
Response: صباح النور (Sabaah an-nuur) — "morning of light"
Response: عفوا (Afwan) — "You're welcome"
Using the phrases above, write a 3-sentence introduction in Arabic (transliteration is acceptable if you have not yet learned to write the script):
| Number | Arabic word | Transliteration | Eastern Arabic numeral | Practice writing the word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | صفر | sifr | ٠ | |
| 1 | واحد | waahid | ١ | |
| 2 | اثنان | ithnayn | ٢ | |
| 3 | ثلاثة | thalaatha | ٣ | |
| 4 | أربعة | arba'a | ٤ | |
| 5 | خمسة | khamsa | ٥ | |
| 6 | ستة | sitta | ٦ | |
| 7 | سبعة | sab'a | ٧ | |
| 8 | ثمانية | thamaaniya | ٨ | |
| 9 | تسعة | tis'a | ٩ | |
| 10 | عشرة | 'ashara | ١٠ |
Write out your age in Arabic (word form): _______________________________________________
Write your birth year using Eastern Arabic numerals: _______________________________________________
The word "sifr" (zero) is the root of which English word? _______ What does this tell you about the history of mathematics?
English borrowed approximately 3,500 words from Arabic, mostly through contact with Arabic learning during the medieval period and through Spanish. For each word below, write its modern meaning and what the borrowing tells you about what Arabic scholars contributed:
| English word | Arabic origin | Meaning and significance |
|---|---|---|
| algebra | al-jabr (الجبر) | |
| algorithm | from Al-Khwarizmi (خوارزمي) — 9th-century mathematician | |
| zero | sifr (صفر) | |
| cotton | qutn (قطن) | |
| coffee | qahwa (قهوة) | |
| sugar | sukkar (سكر) | |
| assassin | hashshashin (حشاشين) | |
| admiral | amir al-bahr (أمير البحر) — "commander of the sea" |
| Arabic | Transliteration | English | Practice writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| أم | Umm | Mother | |
| أب | Ab | Father | |
| أخ | Akh | Brother | |
| أخت | Ukht | Sister | |
| بيت | Bayt | House/Home | |
| كتاب | Kitaab | Book | |
| مدرسة | Madrasa | School | |
| طالب | Taalib (m.) / Taaliba (f.) | Student/Scholar | |
| جميل | Jamiil (m.) / Jamiila (f.) | Beautiful | |
| كبير | Kabiir (m.) / Kabiira (f.) | Big/Great |
Add "al-" to make each word definite. Write the result in Arabic script or transliteration:
bayt (house) = _______ kitaab (book) = _______ madrasa (school) = _______
taalib (student) — is "t" a sun letter? ______ So "al-" + taalib = _______
Apply the feminine ending:
kabiir (big, m.) = kabiir + a = _______ (big, f.)
jamiil (beautiful, m.) = _______ (beautiful, f.)
"a beautiful school" — madrasa is feminine, so jamiil or jamiila? _______ Write the phrase: _______________
Arabic sentences often drop the verb "to be" in the present tense. "The book is beautiful" can simply be: الكتاب جميل (al-kitaab jamiil — literally "the book beautiful").
Translate into Arabic transliteration (or script if able):
"The house is big": _______________________________________________
"The student (f.) is beautiful": _______________________________________________
"My name is [your name]": _______________________________________________
The Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, Mali, and the Library of Congress both have documented collections of Arabic manuscripts produced by West African scholars. Search: "Timbuktu manuscripts" at loc.gov or "Ahmed Baba Institute" online.
Document you found: _______________________________________________
Subject matter of the document (mathematics, astronomy, law, medicine, theology): _______________________________________________
Approximate date: _______ Author or origin (if documented): _______________________________________________
What does this document's existence prove about West African intellectual history? _______________________________________________
The Sankofa principle states: "It is not wrong to go back and fetch what you forgot." In Akan (a West African language), Sankofa is represented by a bird looking backward. Arabic was the scholarly language of West Africa for centuries. Mansa Musa of the Mali Empire (r. 1312-1337 CE) brought scholars and architects to Mali, building one of the great Islamic universities in Timbuktu. Ahmad Baba (1556-1627 CE), a Timbuktu scholar, wrote over 40 documented books and was abducted to Morocco — where his library of 1,600 books was confiscated. When you learn Arabic today, whose intellectual tradition are you connecting yourself to? Write one paragraph making this connection specific: