Pronouncing Arabic, I provides the student of Arabic with an acceptable model for reading a written text aloud. Acceptance is not, however, thereby implied of the widespread Arab view that written Arabic alone should be studied, and reference is made wherever necessary to other Arabic `accents''. Professor Mitchell''s book is the first comprehensive and accurate account of a prestigious Arabic `accent''; the categories of phonetics supplied offer both the means of practical instruction on pronunciation and a framework for the wider study of the spoken language. Eight chapters cover the definition of the style of Arabic with which the book is concerned; the essentials of phonetics, the phonetic classification of the consonants of the Arabic alphabet, practical instructions on the pronunciation of Arabic consonants and vowels, accentuation, features of juncture and pause, quantity, rhythm, and intonation. Abundant illustrative and practice material is also provided. How to write the accepted Arabic script is dealt with in a companion volume, Writing Arabic, also published by the Oxford University Press.
Industry Reviews
'The notation system and the pictorial representation of the pitch are clear and easy to follow ... basically a self-instruction manual, which if properly used, and especially if used with the help of an Arabic speaker, can solve any problem of pronunciation and answer any question which might occur to the learner.'
Bruce Ingham, SOAS Bulletin
'this work is clearly an authoritative and up-to-date reference work that will be of great use to both teachers and learners of Arabic, as well as others interested in the phonology of the language.'
Roger Allen, University of Pennsylvania, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Volume 25 No. 2 (December 1991)
`Mitchell's prose is both accurate and illuminating, and thusthe book cn be highly recommended for students and specialists, too...Mitchell's book is absolutely first rate'
Journal of the American Oriental Society 112.1 (1992)