The book is designed for Arabic-speaking students of English and English-speaking students of Arabic. It is based on a cognitive approach to teaching pronunciation: all activities, drills, and instructions are directed to the brain in conjunction with the relevant vocal organs helping students to master many intricacies of pronunciation. Attention is given to subtle differences between Arabic and English in segmental (vowels and consonants) and suprasegmental (clusters, stress, rhythm, and intonation) domains, both of which are treated and taught holistically as systems, then identified, described, and taught as natural categories of sounds (subsystems) as well as individual sounds. All techniques of implementation are based on a triangular process of perception, recognition, and production, each phase reinforcing the next which collectively and cognitively prepare the brain to internalize the targeted sound or sound system. As a general demonstration of the approach, the book highlights techniques for teaching some of the most challenging sounds and sound phenomena in both Arabic and English.
Edward Y. Odisho was born in Iraq and grew up as a native speaker of Aramaic (Syriac). Through life experience and formal and informal education, he acquired high proficiency in several languages, studying English in Iraq before continuing his education in England, where he received M.Phil and Ph.D. degrees in phonetic sciences and linguistics. Odisho has been teaching at a variety of levels of education for four decades, the last three at different universities in Iraq, England, and the United States. He has published scores of research papers and articles in various international publications and has authored five books, the most recent being Techniques of Teaching Pronunciation in ESL, Bilingual and Foreign Language Classes, Lincom Europa (2003) and A Linguistic Approach to the Application and Teaching of the English Alphabet, Edwin Mellen Press (2004).
