Abstract: Our language, the choice of words, our pronunciation, etc., give a clear picture to the hearer about ourselves. The form and choice of words, plus the speakers’ intonation which may constitute what is called a dialect. Some people say Kuwaiti Arabic is a dialect of Arabic but that is always controversial and debatable. However, everyone says conclusively that the written language is the same, though the spoken language may vary here and there. Nonetheless where communication is concerned, everyone succeeds in saying what he or she means in spite of these differences. The language used on radio, TV, media, cinema, etc., by and large remains the same. Foreign learners of English like Arab students have a choice. They can adopt either British standard or American standard. Many Arab students acquire American accent easily and some others choose the British standard of accent. It does not make much difference which standard is chosen or used. What matters is one’s intelligibility. When a student speaks English, his pronunciation should be understandable to everyone across national and regional boundaries. In other words there should be international intelligibility of the spoken variety of English. Many Arabs who are resident and settled in the US and Britain don’t show much evidence of Arabic flavor when they speak English. Students who study in the US or UK acquire some measure of English accent and they tend to influence the pronunciations of the people around them. Pronunciation varies more than any other aspect of English. After all, the slightest change in the way we move the organs of speech changes the sound that comes out. It is pronunciation which is immediately noticed and that distinguishes one person from another. Spelling, grammar, morphology, syntax, etc. may not change at all. Even in RP no two individuals speak hundred per cent in the same way or have the same accent in every respect. There will be individual differences. Almost everyone’s pronunciation is uniquely distinctive and also exhibits regional, national or social qualities of sound.
Keywords: Pronunciation Difficulties, communication.
Title: Pronunciation Difficulties of Arab Students-Causes and Remedies
Author: Muneera Al-Ghareeb
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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