Modern Arabic: Structures, Functions and Varieties (Longman Linguistics Library)

This text describes the basic structure of the various forms of the Arabic language, exmaining both standard modern Arabic and modern Arabic dialect. It explains the sychronic and diachronic relationships between written and spoken dialects, discussing cross-dialect influences and paying particular attention to developing intermediate varieties of Arabic which fall between the standard variety and plain dialect. It also covers sociolinguistic aspects of variations in Arabic.