Kilma Hilwa

One of the best ways to learn a language is by studying the media that native speakers themselves listen to and read, and popular songs can also reveal much about the culture and traditions of a country where the language is spoken. Egypt, as one of the great cultural production centers of the Arab world, enjoys a particularly rich musical scene, with songs in many styles in both Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. Here, Cairo-based Arabic teacher Bahaa Ed-Din Ossama presents twenty songs in Egyptian Arabic performed by popular singers from Umm Kulthoum to Mohamed Mounir and builds a variety of language lessons around them, with notes on vocabulary, grammar, and usage, and communicative exercises in listening, writing, and speaking. The songs are graded from easiest to most difficult, and each lesson includes a link to a performance of the song on YouTube, the lyrics of the song, and notes on the songwriter, the composer, and the singer. Students using this unique book will not only improve their Colloquial Arabic skills but will also gain an insight into the cultural landscape of Egypt. The book can be used in the classroom, for self-study, or simply for interest and sheer enjoyment of the songs. Includes songs by: Ali al-Haggar Amr Diab Dalida Farid al-Atrash Laila Murad Latifa Medhat Saleh Mohamed Abd al-Wahab Mohamed Fawzi Mohamed Mounir Nagat Riham Abd al-Hakim Sabah Samira Said Shadia Suad Hosni Umm Kulthum