Dari is the most used language in Afghanistan; all official documents are written in it. This textbook, designed to cover one year of instruction, offers beginning learners a communicative approach to the Dari language that develops the four language skills—speaking, listening, reading, and writing—through culturally relevant activities. The book is accompanied by extensive authentic materials, including audio and videos recorded in Afghanistan (available on the Press website), to help learners perform tasks and functions in both colloquial and standard forms. Grammar and vocabulary in each thematic lesson are chosen carefully to help learners perform these tasks and functions at an elementary level and beyond.
Dari: An Elementary Textbook prepares learners to perform at level 1+ or 2 on the ILR scale and at the novice high/intermediate low level on the ACTFL scale. Special notes are included for people with experience in Persian to help them learn Dari more efficiently. It is the fifth elementary level textbook published in partnership with the Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR), following Pashto, Tajiki, Uzbek, and Uyghur.
Table of Contents
Forward
Preface
A Brief Introduction to Dari
1. An Introduction to Dari
2. What Is Your Phone Number?
3. Greetings and Introductions
4. In the Classroom
5. What Do You Do Every Day?
6. My Family
7. My Residence
8. At the Bazaar
9. Summer Vacations
10. During My Break
Appendices
A: Answer Key
B: Transcripts
C: Dari Phrases
D: Persian Phrases
E: Dari-English Glossary
F: English-Dari Glossary
Index
Reviews
"Without a doubt, this is simply the best Dari textbook ever developed. Anyone can use it—be it a new language learner, heritage speaker or a language instructor. This book not only uses interesting and relevant, daily life topics in each chapter, but also seeks to develop the most needed skills, e.g. speaking, listening, reading and writing. Grammar and cultural notes make the book very comprehensible and easy to follow. For those interested in working for the government or interested in taking language proficiency exams, Dari: An Elementary Textbook will provide the skills needed to meet their goals. Dr. Arman’s book is what language learners have been missing all along—it’s a complete, all-in-one language textbook."—Behnaz Zamani, Dari Language Instructor, Indiana University
"As a native Dari speaker from Afghanistan and a linguist by profession, I found Dari: An Elementary Textbook exceptionally well-written and easy to understand and follow, as the book offers authentic and culturally appropriate illustrations to help students to follow along. Beginners will find Dari extremely useful when applying the book’s many practical elements to their learning process."—Homayun Saifi, linguist, media analyst, Legal Languages International
About the Author
Rahman Arman is at Indiana University as an Afghan languages developer in CeLCAR and a lecturer of language and culture in CEUS (Central Eurasian Studies). He has spent many years developing materials for study of the Dari and Pashto languages, and he is certified by both ACTFL/ILR as an Afghan languages OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) tester.
