All Strangers Are Kin : Adventures in Arabic and the Arab World by Zora O'Neill read online book TXT
9780547853192 English 054785319X "The shadda is the key difference between a pigeon ( hamam ) and a bathroom ( hammam ). Be careful, our professor advised, in the first moment of outright humor in class, that you don't ask a waiter, 'Excuse me, where is the pigeon?' -- or, conversely, order a roasted toilet." If you've ever studied a foreign language, you know what happens when you first truly and clearly communicate with another person. As Zora O'Neill recalls, you feel like a magician . If that foreign language is Arabic, you just might feel like a wizard. They say that Arabic takes seven years to learn and a lifetime to master. O'Neill had put in her time. Steeped in grammar tomes and outdated textbooks, she faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master Arabic, but also driving herself crazy. She took a decade-long hiatus, but couldn't shake her fascination with the language or the cultures it had opened up to her. So she decided to jump back in--this time with a new approach. Join O'Neill for a grand tour through the Middle East. You will laugh with her in Egypt, delight in the stories she passes on from the United Arab Emirates, and find yourself transformed by her experiences in Lebanon and Morocco. She's packed her dictionaries, her unsinkable sense of humor, and her talent for making fast friends of strangers. From quiet, bougainvillea-lined streets to the lively buzz of crowded medinas, from families' homes to local hotspots, she brings a part of the world that is thousands of miles away right to your door. A natural storyteller with an eye for the deeply absurd and the deeply human, O'Neill explores the indelible links between culture and communication. A powerful testament to the dynamism of language, All Strangers Are Kin reminds us that learning another tongue leaves you rich with so much more than words., A lively, often hilarious, and always warm hearted exploration of Arabic language and culture After years of studying Arabic, Zora O'Neill faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master the language but was also driving herself crazy. So she stepped away. But a decade later she still couldn't shake her fascination with Arabic and returned to her studies, this time with a new approach.O Neill embarks on a grand tour through the Middle East to Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, and Morocco packing her dictionaries, her unsinkable sense of humor, and her talent for making fast friends of strangers.She travels along quiet, bougainvillea-lined streets and amid the lively buzz of crowded cities and medinas. She jumps off the tourist track, into families homes and local hotspots, and makes a part of the world that is thousands of miles away seem right next door. With lively prose and an eye for the deeply absurd and the deeply human, O Neill explores the indelible links between culture and communication. "All Strangers Are Kin" is a powerful testament to the dynamism of language and how learning another tongue leaves you rich with so much more than words.", A lively, often hilarious, and always warm-hearted exploration of Arabic language and culture, guided by a keen-eyed travel writer with twenty years of experience studying Arabic, After years studying Arabic, Zora O'Neill faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master it but also driving herself crazy. So she stepped away. But, a decade later, she still couldn't shake her fascination and returned to Arabic, this time with a new approach. O'Neill embarks on a grand tour through the Middle East--to Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, and Morocco--packing her dictionaries, her unsinkable sense of humor, and her talent for making fast friends of strangers. She travels along quiet, bougainvillea-lined streets and amid the lively buzz of crowded cities and medinas. She jumps off the tourist track, into families' homes and local hotspots, and makes a part of the world that is thousands of miles away seem right next door. With lively prose and an eye for the deeply absurd and the deeply human, O'Neill explores the indelible links between culture and communication. All Strangers Are Kin is a powerful testament to the dynamism of language and how learning another tongue leaves you rich with so much more than words.
9780547853192 English 054785319X "The shadda is the key difference between a pigeon ( hamam ) and a bathroom ( hammam ). Be careful, our professor advised, in the first moment of outright humor in class, that you don't ask a waiter, 'Excuse me, where is the pigeon?' -- or, conversely, order a roasted toilet." If you've ever studied a foreign language, you know what happens when you first truly and clearly communicate with another person. As Zora O'Neill recalls, you feel like a magician . If that foreign language is Arabic, you just might feel like a wizard. They say that Arabic takes seven years to learn and a lifetime to master. O'Neill had put in her time. Steeped in grammar tomes and outdated textbooks, she faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master Arabic, but also driving herself crazy. She took a decade-long hiatus, but couldn't shake her fascination with the language or the cultures it had opened up to her. So she decided to jump back in--this time with a new approach. Join O'Neill for a grand tour through the Middle East. You will laugh with her in Egypt, delight in the stories she passes on from the United Arab Emirates, and find yourself transformed by her experiences in Lebanon and Morocco. She's packed her dictionaries, her unsinkable sense of humor, and her talent for making fast friends of strangers. From quiet, bougainvillea-lined streets to the lively buzz of crowded medinas, from families' homes to local hotspots, she brings a part of the world that is thousands of miles away right to your door. A natural storyteller with an eye for the deeply absurd and the deeply human, O'Neill explores the indelible links between culture and communication. A powerful testament to the dynamism of language, All Strangers Are Kin reminds us that learning another tongue leaves you rich with so much more than words., A lively, often hilarious, and always warm hearted exploration of Arabic language and culture After years of studying Arabic, Zora O'Neill faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master the language but was also driving herself crazy. So she stepped away. But a decade later she still couldn't shake her fascination with Arabic and returned to her studies, this time with a new approach.O Neill embarks on a grand tour through the Middle East to Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, and Morocco packing her dictionaries, her unsinkable sense of humor, and her talent for making fast friends of strangers.She travels along quiet, bougainvillea-lined streets and amid the lively buzz of crowded cities and medinas. She jumps off the tourist track, into families homes and local hotspots, and makes a part of the world that is thousands of miles away seem right next door. With lively prose and an eye for the deeply absurd and the deeply human, O Neill explores the indelible links between culture and communication. "All Strangers Are Kin" is a powerful testament to the dynamism of language and how learning another tongue leaves you rich with so much more than words.", A lively, often hilarious, and always warm-hearted exploration of Arabic language and culture, guided by a keen-eyed travel writer with twenty years of experience studying Arabic, After years studying Arabic, Zora O'Neill faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master it but also driving herself crazy. So she stepped away. But, a decade later, she still couldn't shake her fascination and returned to Arabic, this time with a new approach. O'Neill embarks on a grand tour through the Middle East--to Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, and Morocco--packing her dictionaries, her unsinkable sense of humor, and her talent for making fast friends of strangers. She travels along quiet, bougainvillea-lined streets and amid the lively buzz of crowded cities and medinas. She jumps off the tourist track, into families' homes and local hotspots, and makes a part of the world that is thousands of miles away seem right next door. With lively prose and an eye for the deeply absurd and the deeply human, O'Neill explores the indelible links between culture and communication. All Strangers Are Kin is a powerful testament to the dynamism of language and how learning another tongue leaves you rich with so much more than words.