Standard Disclaimer: All resources contained herein are approved for public release and/or in the public domain. Wherever possible and/or appropriate, links to both local copies and original sources have been provided.
About LARA
I studied French in high school, then German in college (despite wanting to study Latin), and finally Arabic since finishing college. At one point, my goal was to achieve fluency in French, Latin, and Irish Gaelic. In reality, as I write this, I can understand what I describe as "enough Arabic to get me into trouble," and I'm constantly looking for the opportunity to spend a couple of years building that skill set. Eventually - maybe if I'm ever able to retire? - I'd like to introduce French into the mix, and I regret that my choices in college led me toward two unsuccessful years of German study in lieu of continuing my French, or beginning my Arabic studies earlier. At this point in my life, German, Irish Gaelic, and Latin are probably permanently off of the agenda.
So, why does LARA exist? Because over the years, the Internet has made it considerably easier to learn a language by providing a wide range of resources, ranging from actual applications, to phrasebooks, to dictionaries, translation services, streaming video and audio... The list goes on. So, LARA consists of a variety of resources that I've collected over time, focusing primarily on the various dialects of the Arabic language, but encompassing a handful of other languages and dialects. Over the years, I've also used some of these resources to build my own resources - notably, PDF flash card files for use on mobile devices - to assist me in my ongoing effort to improve my Arabic language skills. So, why not share them? As far as I'm concerned, no one should struggle with language learning, particularly Arabic, the way I have.
A Note About DLI Content: The Defense Language Institute (DLI) produces a range of "Language Survival Kits" (LSK's), and these comprise a significant volume of LARA's content. Each LSK consists of a PDF phrasebook and corresponding cache of MP3 audio files. The PDFs were designed to be printed, cut into quarters, and stapled to make pocket-sized notebooks.The MP3 files were designed to be burned onto an audio CD.
The DLI began publishing their LSK library as early as 2005, and I discovered my first LSK - the Iraqi Basic edition - at a now-defunct military surplus store in Corvallis, Oregon, in 2006. For several years thereafter, that LSK formed a cornerstone of my ongoing effort to build my Arabic vocabulary. Eventually, I discovered the DLI's Field Support website, and several additional LSK categories.
For many years, and despite no corresponding FOIA exemptions to cite, the DLI labeled four categories (Cordon and Search/Raid, Force Protection, and Weapons) as "For Official Use Only," preventing the public from downloading them for non-military use. Given that the entire purpose of these resources was to facilitate communication with foreign nationals, this made no sense whatsoever. Inexplicably, in late 2011, the DLI website was temporarily wide open, and I exploited this occasion by raiding the available repository. As new dialects were added, I made a couple of attempts to contact the DLI public affairs office, and began to consider a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Then, in November of 2024, I discovered that, without any FOIA-related harassment from yours truly, the DLI crew had finally pulled their collective head from betwixt their collective buttocks and made the remainder available online. The original versions, completed with "For Official Use Only" markings are retained at HARDAC, along with other relevant information. For example, the cover of the October 2009 Libyan Weapons LSK, with the original "For Official Use Only" header, is pictured.
Is that the end of the story? Of course not, because at present, the DLI website is something of a mess: some of the links appear to be broken, and some of the content appears to be unavailable. Fortunately, I've been able to complete my collection of DLI LSK resources for the Arabic dialects, and a few additional languages. Now that they're publicly releasable, LARA will serve as a mirror for the selected DLI LSK's in which I take a personal interest, and if the DLI themselves eventually get their act together, all the better.
So, what can you find here?
Now Active: My Arabic language resource list;
Now Active: My Emirati Basic flash cards, a PDF file optimized for mobile devices, which is derived from the corresponding DLI LSK;
Now Active: My master Arabic vocabulary list;
Pending: Miscellaneous Arabic resources from various sources;
Pending: Resources on the Orcadian and Shetlandic dialects.
Pending: Defense Language Institute resources on Arabic, Afghan, and Kurdish dialects, Azeri, Farsi, French, Georgian, Hebrew, Nepali, Somali, and Tamashek (Touareg); and
Pending: Documents shamelessly knicked from The Latin Library. Actually, maybe a link to The Latin Library is sufficient...
As with the other sections of HARDAC, this section is likely to expand in scope as I have time.
To search LARA, click here. Click here to return to the HARDAC index.
