Praise for Popular Proverbs
Promoting the rich character of Arab culture and its people is a vital part of my weekly radio show. What makes Dr. Isleem’s book so appealing is not only the beauty of the language but the story behind each proverb. It’s Arab culture with a dash of politics and humor! I highly recommend Popular Proverbs for anyone who wants to know more about Arab culture.
—Samir Haddad
Host, Arabic Candles
WNZK Radio Detroit
As a beginning student of Arabic, I have found this book to be a delightful resource. In the classroom, the proverbs and Professor Isleem’s explanations of them provide a dimension of cultural depth to learning Arabic that inspires and motivates students far beyond the capacity of mundane verb tables or vocabulary lists. The proverbs are by turn amusing, insightful, and profound in their own right, but also serve as gateway to the wider world of Arab popular thought. Popular Proverbs deserves a welcome home on the bookshelf of any student of Arabic, from beginner to expert.
Thank you much for publishing this excellent resource!
—Jake Burnett
Ph.D. Student, Program in Comparative Literature
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Thank you much for publishing this excellent resource!
—Jake Burnett
Ph.D. Student, Program in Comparative Literature
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Nasser provides us with a wide variety of sayings, some simple and some more complex, which makes the book useful for beginning, intermediate, or advanced students of Arabic. The literal translations help the students to understand the words, the anecdotes help to contextualize the proverbs, and the English equivalents help students to appreciate both the similarities and differences between Palestinian and American cultures.
The proverbs presented are also an excellent way for beginning students to enrich their language with expressions that are not available in most commonly-used Arabic language textbooks. They also provide students with a means to use the language in context; the book presents students with meaningful language that they can easily use in conversation with classmates.
—Michael J Rulon
Department of Asian Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill
The proverbs presented are also an excellent way for beginning students to enrich their language with expressions that are not available in most commonly-used Arabic language textbooks. They also provide students with a means to use the language in context; the book presents students with meaningful language that they can easily use in conversation with classmates.
—Michael J Rulon
Department of Asian Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill
I was thrilled at the choice of the proverbs as it touches the universality of human thought and brings back memories of various phases of life.
I am hopeful that this book will eliminate many misconceptions against Palestinians and help build bridges among humanity.
—Tanzeel Chohan
I am hopeful that this book will eliminate many misconceptions against Palestinians and help build bridges among humanity.
—Tanzeel Chohan
The proverbs are like little baby steps in the language, little aids that move us along, slowly and gently. They are perfectly designed for students like ourselves (though I could also very well imagine that the book would be of great interest to someone who was not learning Arabic). To have all the proverbs collected in one place is really quite a lovely resource. It will certainly stay on my shelves long after I have mastered the language (inshallah!).
—student, UNC-Chapel Hill
—student, UNC-Chapel Hill
As a student in Elementary Arabic, I have benefited from and thoroughly enjoyed this collection of sayings. Its benefits include familiarizing my novice ears and eyes with the Arabic script and its sounds, providing a lighter atmosphere to the class, and allowing me a window into a culture with which I am thoroughly unfamiliar.
I recommend it for any student or layman hoping to enrich their study of culture, humor, ethics, or the Arabic language.
—Sam Albetta
—Sam Albetta
