- Paperback: 381 pages
- Publisher: Teach Yourself; 4th Revised edition edition (28 Dec 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340958855
- ISBN-13: 978-0340958858
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 16.8 x 5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
537,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #30 in Books > Languages > Grammar, dictionaries & phrasebooks > Urdu
- #33 in Books > Languages > By Language > Other Asian Languages > Urdu
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This TEACH YOURSELF URDU book/CD pack is a complete course in spoken and written Urdu. If you have never learnt Urdu before, or if your Urdu needs brushing up, this is the course you need.
David Matthews and Mohamed Kasim Dalvi have created a practical course that is both fun and easy to work through. They explain everything along the way and give you plenty of opportunities to practise what you have learnt. The course structure means that you can work at your own pace, arranging your learning to suit your needs.
The course contains:
- A range of graded units of dialogues, culture notes, grammar and exercises
- A step-by-step guide to pronunciation
- Urdu-English and English-Urdu vocabularies
- An introduction to Urdu script
By the end of the course you'll be able to cope with a whole range of situations and use the language confidently.
The book (ISBN 9780340958841) is accompanied by audio material on two CDs (ISBN 9780340958865) which are available for purchase separately.
David Matthews and Mohamed Kasim Dalvi have created a practical course that is both fun and easy to work through. They explain everything along the way and give you plenty of opportunities to practise what you have learnt. The course structure means that you can work at your own pace, arranging your learning to suit your needs.
The course contains:
- A range of graded units of dialogues, culture notes, grammar and exercises
- A step-by-step guide to pronunciation
- Urdu-English and English-Urdu vocabularies
- An introduction to Urdu script
By the end of the course you'll be able to cope with a whole range of situations and use the language confidently.
The book (ISBN 9780340958841) is accompanied by audio material on two CDs (ISBN 9780340958865) which are available for purchase separately.
About the Author
David Matthews taught Urdu and Nepali at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS), University of London for over thirty years. He has written 17 publications on aspects of Urdu and Nepali language and literature and also worked towards his own PhD on the Urdu of the medieval Deccan. He takes an active part in the activities of Urdu-speaking communities of the UK and Europe, and he has a special interest in the teaching and examining of Urdu in British schools. He is a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain.
Mohamed Kasim Dalvi has been Head Urdu and co-ordinator for Community Languages for a London Borough. He is currently Chair of Examinations (Urdu) for Edexcel and teaches at SOAS Language Centre.
Mohamed Kasim Dalvi has been Head Urdu and co-ordinator for Community Languages for a London Borough. He is currently Chair of Examinations (Urdu) for Edexcel and teaches at SOAS Language Centre.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My opinion of this book is quite mixed. I like the way that the chapters and pages are layed out. The dialogues are great. The only real problem that I had with this book is that the Urdu script is very small. For a person who can already read Urdu I am sure it is fine but for someone who is trying to learn it can be difficult to distinguish the similar looking letters.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a language teacher myself, I really appreciate the thought that has gone into producing this course book. The language structures and vocabulary are systematically and progressively introduced so that you don't get swamped by too much new stuff at a time. And new language learned is recycled in later chapters so that it sticks in your head. A typical chapter contains 3 dialogues (the book follows the adventures of John in Karachi) which are also on the CD. After a translation and vocabulary glossary, a few grammar points are explained after each dialogue. There are a couple of written/oral/aural exercises that go with each dialogue. There is a word glossary at the back, as well as keys to the exercises.
This is NOT an easy course. But if you take it slowly, a few pages at a time, and review what you have learned often, it offers a very thorough grounding in Urdu. The topics are useful, covering everyday conversation and situations. In my opinion, the CD is essential as Urdu pronunciation is rather tricky for English speakers. It also helps you to memorise the dialogues.
I agree, the Urdu print is small for beginners and there is no guidance for handwriting. As I already had a grounding in Arabic, this was no big deal for me. For complete newcomers to the script, try the Teach Yourself book on this topic.
This is NOT an easy course. But if you take it slowly, a few pages at a time, and review what you have learned often, it offers a very thorough grounding in Urdu. The topics are useful, covering everyday conversation and situations. In my opinion, the CD is essential as Urdu pronunciation is rather tricky for English speakers. It also helps you to memorise the dialogues.
I agree, the Urdu print is small for beginners and there is no guidance for handwriting. As I already had a grounding in Arabic, this was no big deal for me. For complete newcomers to the script, try the Teach Yourself book on this topic.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I struggled for two weeks trying to understand Urdu script from the introductory chapter in this book. I found it incomplete, not showing all possible combinations of consonants and vowels, etc., some of which can significantly change shape depending on their connection. I understand that there is a separate book on "Teach Yourself Urdu Script", but I was put off buying it due to the letter type in this book being so small that it doesn't convey the subtleties of the script and I needed a magnifying glass to read the characters (seriously!). If you want a serious book on Urdu script, get "Let's Study Urdu - An Introduction to the Script" by Ali S. Asani and Syed Akbar Hyder. It's clear and comprehensive and "unlocks the key" to the script.
Having said all that, Teach Yourself Urdu dialogues are nice and clear, and useful vocabulary is introduced up front, though I feel the context of certain vocabulary could be better explained, but you will need something extra to get to grips with the script, because without that you will never be able to read Urdu.
Having said all that, Teach Yourself Urdu dialogues are nice and clear, and useful vocabulary is introduced up front, though I feel the context of certain vocabulary could be better explained, but you will need something extra to get to grips with the script, because without that you will never be able to read Urdu.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent course
The two best Urdu courses currently available are this one and 'Colloquial Urdu'. They are both excellent, but in different ways, so I'll make some comparisons to help you choose. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Foxy Ferdinand of Bulgaria
A helpful aid
This book is a good starting point for picking up basic grammer and sentence structure covering areas such as greetings, directions etc. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2001
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