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.
