The learner of the Arabic language, especially the non-native students, must learn the four skills that will undoubtedly help him to master the Arabic language in a short time, God willing, as the studying of these articles make him able to know how to listen well to the Arabic language as well as reading, writing and speaking. The learner should learn these skills with each other at the same time if he is able to do so.
The beginning is with listening skills:
- Listening skills:
This is the first skill that the learner should start with. This is the first portal and the first entrance to understanding and learning the Arabic language. As Ibn Khaldun said in his introduction about the skill of listening that it is the most important skill ever, the child cannot speak the language until he hears the language from those around him. The deaf and the dumb are not able to speak the language because they did not listen to the language so, it is the real way to learn the language, the difference between student’s awareness depends on their interest in leaning this skill. The student who keeps always on learning the listening skill in the language`s linguistic program or on television or the Internet or with a teacher is a student who learns the language correctly and quickly.
- Reading skill:
It is one of the important skills that the learner must pay attention to. reading is one of the most important means of transmitting knowledge in the past and in the present, but it was in the past one of the most important tools that conveys the science. The more the student increases the skill of reading, the more he has knowledge and know more about the language and its tradition. reading enables them of knowing the vocabulary and its meanings, and different language styles.
There are two types of reading:
- First: the silent reading: which depends on reading with the eye and mind only without pronunciation, and this is used by students in advanced level in learning the Arabic language and the student in it tastes what he is reading and his goal is to increase his information and knowledge.
- Second: literal reading: Student in it pronounce the letters in a loud voice and the goal of it is to listen to others and to correct the pronunciation, sounds, words and sentences. In any case both methods of reading are important to the student.
- Writing skill:
It is one of the four important skills that the teacher must care about, because through it he can know how the student expresses what he learned from vocabulary or sentences or culture in general. Through this skill, the teacher can train the student on how to write letters in different forms and in different places, like the beginning, the middle and the end of the word. The student can learn through this skill punctuation and how to organize speech and sentences. There are many ways to teach writing used by specialized teachers to educate, monitor, train the students and testing their level through the so-called spelling. The student learns in the beginning the Writing and spelling skills until he reaches an advanced level of writing through which he can express a culture, ideas, feelings or suggestions, and perhaps reach literal writing.
- Speaking skill:
This is the fourth and final skill of the skills that must be learned by the student, which is one of the most important skills as specialists call it the fruitful skill so, it is undoubtedly that the biggest goal of any person wanted to learn a particular language, especially the Arabic language, is to speak as it is the first and most important goal in the study of the Arabic language. In the past, the Arabs used to send their children to the desert and places where the language is correct so that their children can learn Arabic from an authentic Arab source. The teacher and the student as well must make the studying of the conversation as a part in their studying plan. The conversation is the cornerstone in building the mastery of the Arabic language. The teacher should listen carefully to the pronunciation of the student, and should teach him the differences between the short vowels which are (fat-ha, kasrah, and dammah) and the long vowels which are (Alif, waaw, yaa) and also teaches him how to communicate with others in the streets of the Arab countries or anywhere else. Rather, the student may learn how to shed poetry and speeches, as well as learning when should he start talking and stops it in correct way, and how to choose the words that is appropriate to the meanings and the goal is that the student learn how to speak Arabic correctly, in addition how to think by the Arabic language as well.