This book presents the basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), that formal Arabic which is written and spoken in the contemporary Arab World. In its written form it is used almost exclusively in any printed publication anywhere in the world today; as such it is the direct descendent of the Arabic of the Koran, the poetry of Pre-Islamic Arabia, and the classical literature of the Golden Age, the major differences being in lexicon and style. It is also an oral medium of expression used in formal situations ranging from a radio newscast to a lecture or other formal address to an international conference. Used orally it may be modified in varying degrees, depending on such factors as the nature of the occasion, the makeup of the audience, the speaker's control of MSA, etc. MSA is a universal form of Arabic learned in schools across the Arab world; it is opposed to dialectal or colloquial Arabic, of which there is a particular variety for each community and differs according to region and such social factors as religion, socio-economic status, etc. The dialects are used for all non-formal situations–at home, at work, social occasions, etc.–all the usual day-to-day activities.

The Arab does not keep MSA and his own dialect separate, but mixes them according to the degree of technical complexity of his subject, the degree of formality of the occasion, etc.

This book is the outcome of discussions and exchanges of opinions that took place at the Arabic Teachers' Workshops that were held during the summers of 1965, 1966 and 1967. At the first workshop held in Ann Arbor, Michigan in June 1965 and directed by Charles Ferguson, but more specifically at the second workshop held at Columbia University in New York City in June 1966 and directed by Peter Abboud, it was the opinion of the participants that there was need for an elementary textbook which (1) was expressly designed for the undergraduate student at universities in the U.S. and Canada, (2) was written by a team of Arabic language teachers consisting of native and non-native speakers, linguists and people whose primary interest was literature and the social sciences, (3) implemented the principles of the audio-lingual approach to language teaching, and (4) presented in a culturally meaningful context the elements of Modern Standard Arabic. Subsequently, in June 1967, Peter Abboud directed a third workshop at Princeton University, in Princeton, N.J., consisting of five members and chaired by Ernest McCarus, the purpose of which was to determine the principles on which such a book should be based, to discuss its content and methodology, and to prepare a few sample lessons. The document that this committee prepared was made available on request to all teachers of Arabic in the United States and Canada during the academic year 1967–68, and a detailed questionnaire was prepared and sent to some twenty Arabists in the U.S. and abroad eliciting comments on various parts of the document.