Arabic Language Learning Strategies

[jackdaws]

As-salaamu alaykum,

I'm posting this question here even though I have already the very basics of Arabic language, because - being a new member - I don't yet have the forum privileges to post a question to Sheikh Dr. V. Abdur Rahim.

My situation is that I have been learning Arabic for some weeks from a commercial language pack called "Teach Yourself Arabic". This pack teaches what it describes as modern standard Arabic, which I hope will be of some use to me if ever I meet an Arabic person, travel to an Arabic country, or wish to read an Arabic book or newspaper. However, my primary reason for studying Arabic is to understand the Qur'an in it's original language - i.e. classical Arabic. Having belatedly discovered this difference between the two forms of Arabic, I am now keen to start studying classical Arabic, and have found myself at this wonderful website and it's free download facilities.

Now, since there are some differences between modern standard Arabic and classical Arabic, I am wondering whether it would be beneficial or harmful to study both forms of the language at once. I know that people who study languages at college do study more than one language, and in one respect it may be that studying modern Arabic may help me study classical Arabic. However, I don't want to find in several weeks time I have been simply confusing myself with two incompatible forms of a language.

What do people think? I would be particularly interested in the views of people who have some experience or expertise in the learning of languages.