Mastering Arabic Vocabulary Mastering Arabic Vocabulary provides a structured vocabulary course for undergraduate and advanced students of Arabic. Arranged thematically, and by root, the course presents the key vocabulary that a well-informed Arabic speaker should have at their disposal when discussing diverse topics from business and politics to culture, society, science and technology. The course includes a wealth of exercises throughout to support learners from passive recognition to an increase in their active vocabulary. Mastering Arabic Vocabulary is the ideal reference source for students of Arabic to build and expand their vocabulary. Nadia R. Sirhan has a PhD in Arabic Linguistics from SOAS, University of London. Mastering Arabic Vocabulary For Intermediate to Advanced Learners of Modern Standard Arabic Nadia R. Sirhan First published 2018 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2018 Nadia R. Sirhan The right of Nadia R. Sirhan to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this title has been requested ISBN: 978-1-138-94280-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-94281-3 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-67292-2 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Apex CoVantage, LLC Contents Introduction Arabic-derived verb forms The participles Notes on the text 1 Politics ِﺔﺳَ ﺎﻴﺴّ ﻟا ﻢُ ﻠﻋِ Government and politics Political parties and ideologies Security measures War and peace Civil (dis)obedience Elections and voting Displacement and aid Exercises 2 Law and order مُ ﺎﻈّﻨﻟاو نُ ﻮﻧﺎﻘﻟا The legal process Treaties and contracts Crimes Under arrest Verdicts and convictions Prison Evidence and proof Appeals and settlements Exercises 3 Work, business and economics ُدﺎﺼِﺘﻗِﻻاو ُةرﺎﺠّﺘﻟاو ﻞُ ﻤَﻌﻟا Work and employment Business, trade and commerce Economics and finance Exercises 4 Education ﻢُ ﻴﻠﻌ(cid:6020)ﺘﻟا School Education Performance levels University Subjects Other subjects Extra-curricular and recreational activities Exercises 5 Media مﻼﻋﻹا ﻞُ ﺋﺎﺳو ِ َ Journalism and news Publishing Commentary Censorship Exercises 6 Culture, religion and society ُﻊﻤَ َﺘﺠﻤُ ﻟاو ﺔُ ﻓﺎﻘ(cid:6020)ﺜﻟاو ﻦُ ﻳّﺪﻟا Religion Culture and society Exercises 7 Family and feelings ﻒُ ِﻃاﻮَﻌﻟاو ﺔُ ﻠِﺋﺎﻌﻟا Family relations Emotions and feelings Exercises 8 Health ﺔُ ﺤﺼّ ﻟا The body The senses Sex and reproduction The mind Ailments, illnesses and disabilities Treatments, cures and death Exercises 9 Earth, nature and the environment ﺔُ َﺌﻴﺒﻟاو ﺔُ َﻌﻴﺒ(cid:6020)ﻄﻟاو ضُ رَﻷا Animals Weather and climate Natural disasters Natural resources and energy The world and beyond Exercises 10 Information technology تِ ﺎﻣﻮﻠﻌﻤَ ﻟا ﺔُ (cid:6020)ﻴِﻨﻘِﺗ Useful terms Exercises Answer key Index Introduction Arabic, a Semitic language, is based on a consonantal root system whereby almost every word in the language is derived from a root. Although there are exceptions, most Arabic words have a triliteral root (made up of three consonants or radicals), and it is this root that defines the underlying meaning of the word. Thus, words which are derived from the same root will frequently have a shared basic meaning. We can see how the consonantal root system works using the root ب ت ك (k t b) where words derived from this root have a meaning linked to ‘writing’: ﺐَ َﺘَﻛ (kataba) he wrote ﺐٌ َﺘْﻜ ﻣَ(maktabun) an office or desk ﺔٌ َﺒَﺘﻜﻣَ (maktabatun) a library or bookshop ﺐٌ ِﺗﺎﻛ (kātibun) an author As can be seen, the different but related words are formed by adding vowels and affixes to the root following specific patterns or forms which give predictable meanings. In other words, by adding certain vowels and affixes to the root, particular noun or verb patterns are reproduced, which may lead to a vast number of words which are predictable in both form and meaning. When you come across a new word, assuming you recognise the root, you can approximate the basic meaning of the word. It is easy to see how knowing the root and understanding the root patterns enables the learner to understand and access a plethora of words. There are instances, however, where one root can have two different meanings (which might have originally been linked) and either each Form applies to both meanings or each Form produces a different meaning. The root س و س (s w s), for example, carries both the meaning ‘to govern or dominate’ and ‘to rot or