Yale University Press Let's Study Urdu: An Introductory Course: With Online Media

La meilleure méthode, à ma connaissance, pour apprendre l’ourdou - ou du moins commencer.

This is a refreshingly simple language book that has clearly been written by academics for self-motivated students. There are no images in this book, no thought bubbles, no colours or garish fonts, no answer key, and no Romanization of Urdu words for pronunciation; nor are chapters devoted to subjects and situations ('at the market') to build vocabulary and conversational skills, the darling of language pedagogy nowadays. The chapters progressively teach grammar concepts with vocabulary worked in, which I would describe as a classical formula for language acquisition. If you are looking to read Urdu poetry, as well as speak on the street, this book with its online audio will get you there. In the future it would be helpful if the vocabulary glossaries at the end of each chapter were ordered according to the Urdu, not English, alphabet, since one is usually searching for an Urdu word. Also, the audio recordings can be confusing because the same two voice actors speak multiple parts without any signs of transition or intonation change; it would be helpful to bring in a third and fourth person.