 #5 (permalink) Mon Dec 15, 2008 14:40 pm How to write a book report (review)? |
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Introduction:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, "We ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a poem, see fine pictures, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." It is agreed upon that the word 'reasonable' implies correctness in usage. However, when speaking or uttering a word, it should be correctly pronounced to be better understood especially by non-native speakers of the language being used. Since ''actions speak louder than words'' the book Better English Pronunciation by J. D. O'Connor speaks out loud about itself and proves its significance in the field of Linguistics. This book was first published in 1967and was printed in the United Kingdom at the Cambridge University Press. The second edition was published in 1980 and it has been printed 28 times the last one of which was in 2006. It is a highly successful and widely used text on pronunciation. As it is so obvious from the title of the book, it provides a systematic and thorough introduction to the pronunciation of English to help intermediate and more advanced students improve their production of the spoken language. In other words, it helps ESL learners speak English pretty well and enhance their pronunciation to be better understood by fellow-students and English people as well. It is worth to be recommended for beginners as it uses an easy language and employs reasonable words to express the purpose.
Content
The book is sectioned into 7 chapters, each is ended with exercises and practice material is given at intervals throughout the book. After a short introduction to pronunciation problems the author explains how the speech organs work. Then, he deals with each sound separately before dealing with words in combination, rhythm-patterns and intonations. The book is supplied with conversational passages for practice and answers to exercises. A recording of all the practice material is also available on cassettes. The particular difficulties of the speakers of certain other language are noted.
Analysis and Evaluation of the book
The book has been entirely re-designed and re-set, and the diagrams have been re-drawn. The old transcriptions, being Daniel Jones's English Pronouncing Dictionary (Dent), and new forms, being the Gimson transcriptions which is also used in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1978) and the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English (4th edition,1980), are listed in the foreword. The author relates the difficulty of learning another language grown-up people encounters to the habit of the native language. However, if one wants to be able to speak English well, then all the flowers of all tomorrows are in the seeds of today. In other words, performance can improve by working hard and practicing .Thus, and as learning a language starts with the ear, the author suggests listening to the radio, for instance. However, listening to the English language should not merely be for the meaning of it but for the sound of it. Then it is clarified that the model English to be used for practice is the sort of English which can be heard most often. After that the author explains how the speech organs work and aids each with a diagram that shows from where a sound can be produced. (more information should be provided here, but i haven't get to the part i should do an analysis for it yet)
Then he deals with each sound separately before dealing with words in combination, rhythm-patterns and intonations. (the same, incomplete)
The author succeeded in presenting his book in a very subjective way and organising the chapters in a chronological and logical manner for convenience, i.e. to help non-native speakers of English gradually develop their pronunciation performance. He clearly stated the intention of establishing this book in its introduction. Luckily, he recruited the detailed- balanced description genre in its right position as no other genre can be used for such book, and, luckily too, he utilised the suitable phonetic transcription as it seemed at the time of writing the book that there are many different transcription; however, he happily used this particular form hoping to have a movement towards using a standard transcription. Merits are scored in the favour of the writer that he used easy understandable language bearing in mind the main audience for whom the book was found and directed. He did not digress, over- or mis-use examples. He sometimes made comparisons and provided few simple definitions throughout the book. The book is also supported with notes, illustrations and drawings, exercises, answers to exercises, and cassettes as it mentioned earlier. It is also backed up with supplementary materials for further study and troubling sounds that maybe confusing when pronounced by speakers of other languages. A glossary page is an extra credit given to the assessment of the book. The biographer humbly and gratefully acknowledged his deep indebtedness and expressed his sincere thanks to users of the first edition whom drawn attention to errors and omissions and were the reason behind remedying these errors and omissions and led to the publishing of the second edition.
Conclusion
Mistakes are painful when they happen; years later, collection of mistakes is called experience which leads to success. Our author bravely admitted his mistakes made in the first edition and bravely fixed them by producing a unique book of its kind that is would be recommended for learners. |
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Ta.qUe.Ri.a
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Joined: 03 May 2008
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