This book will teach you how to speak and understand the spoken Arabic of the Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, southern Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the Emirates and Oman). It is not a manual of standard, or literary, Arabic, which is not a spoken language - for that use Teach Yourself Arabic. However, so that you will be able to read road signs, shop names etc, there is a simple guide to the Arabic alphabet. In the first ten units of the book you will find all the important information that you will need for good communication in Gulf Arabic. The last four units refer to specific situations in which you might find yourself if you are visiting or living in the region, and build on the words and grammar you have already learned. Each unit contains several dialogues which introduce the new language in a realistic context. The new words and phrases are given in both Arabic script and English transliteration. The grammar points are fully explained and illustrated and gradually build up to provide you with all you need to understand and speak Gulf Arabic. There are plenty of exercises to check your progress and the answers for these are at the back of the book or on the recording. The final section of each unit contains the Arabic script which gradually takes you through the Arabic alphabet so that by the end you will be able to recognise simple road signs and so on. There is a double CD (ISBN 0340912472) to accompany this book, available separately or with the book in a pack (ISBN 0340912480)