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Title: Arabic-English Dictionary: The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic by Hans Wehr, J. Milton Cowan ISBN: 0-87950-003-4 Publisher: Spoken Language Services Pub. Date: 01 May, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $45.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4.65 (23 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: The only essential Arabic dictionary for English speakers
Comment: First, I must say this is the only Modern Written Arabic (MWA) - English dictionary that the student of Arabic has to have. Others, Al-Mawrid, for example, are useful as supplements, and contain new vocabulary, and there is a more recent German edition (5th edition) of Wehr published by Harrassowitz, but this book has a standard of scholarship unrivalled by any other MWA-English dictionary. Middle Eastern published MWA-English dictionaries like Mawrid, for example, don't give the grammatical information learners of Arabic need, such as broken plurals, verbal vowelling, verbal nouns (masdars), let alone how verbs are used with prepositions, all of which Wehr tells the user.

Words are in root order, so maktaba (desk) and kaatib (writer) both are found under the verb kataba (to write) . This really is the easiest way of ordering Arabic dictionaries once you've mastered grammar, though an alphabetic order dictionary is a help when you're starting and occasionally even when you're expert.

This dictionary is NOT a dictionary of Classical Arabic (although Beeston in his anthology of Bassar bin Burd reckoned that Wehr covered the vast majority of the vocabulary of this poet of the 8th Century AD). For Classical Arabic, Lane (perhaps supplemented by Hava's Faraid) is essential. But Lane is useless for modern Arabic. And if you're reading mediaeval Arabic, you will find Wehr fills in some of the gaps in Lane.

This dictionary is NOT a dialect dictionary, though it contains many dialect words that have found their way into the written Arabic of Egypt, Iraq, etc. Arabs don't write colloquial Arabic (at least not in formal contexts) and dialect dictionaries are specialized (dialect-English dictionaries are often written in transliteration rather than in the Arabic script). If you need a dialect dictionary, get one. This isn't one.

Other reviewers have rightly commented on the size of this dictionary, but some have confused editions. The 3rd (paperback) edition was 114 x 162 x 45mm (4.5" x 6.4" x 1.75") in size, weighed 0.65 kg and had tiny 5.5 pt print. The 4th (paperback) edition is larger: 216 x 130 x 40mm (5.2" x 8.5" x 1.5"), weighs 0.8 kg and has 7.5 pt print. This makes the 4th edition's print much more readable than the 3rd edition's.

The 4th edition which is sewn-bound is also more robust than the 3rd edition which was perfect-bound - I'm on my 3rd copy of the 3rd edition while my 4th edition soldiers on after 7 years. However, the book is not really pocket sized any more (I still keep using my last copy of the 3rd edition as a pocket copy).

The 4th edition isn't cheap (it's much more in England than in the US, though). If you're in the Middle East, you can pick up Librarie du Liban hardback copies of the 3rd edition (they have larger print than either of the two paperbacks - about 8 pt) for a little less. But I'd advise students to get the 4th if they can afford it. If they've lots of money, perhaps get the Harrassowitz hardback - I've not done so. And if they have money and German, get the 5th edition (Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart).

Rating: 5
Summary: The only Arabic-English Dictionary You'll Ever Need
Comment: Anyone half-way serious about the Arabic language is already familiar with the Hans Wehr. For anyone just beginning their study of Arabic, this review is for you.

Before being able to use this dictionary you have to know a few rudiments of the Arabic language: the alphabet, obviously, but more importantly the verb structure. There are 10-12 measures (awzan in Arabic) of most Arabic verbs, from which nearly all nouns are derived. Once you've learned this, you'll never need to look anywhere but the Hans Wehr for any word ever again.

The book is arranged by two or three-letter verb root. Under each verb you'll find the applicable measures and all common noun derivations of each.

As a professional translator, the Hans Wehr is always at my side. It's good to see the 4th edition is finally available in paperback. It's an improvement over the 3rd edition, and the old hardback 4th edition weighs about 15 pounds!

Buy this book!

Rating: 1
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS VERSION - GET THE BIGGER ONE.
Comment: I had to buy this book twice, the second time I bought the normal sized version (which is about 6" x 9"). This particular version being reviewed here is just TOO small and you will need to invest in a magnifying glass just to attempt to read the script - and then you'll not be able to anyway because the ink is too thick. You are better off not getting this version in the first place and buying the larger version - believe me you will not regret that decision. BTW, I have totally normal vision, no glasses, no sight problems (in case you are wondering !!!)

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