Review of Reed, Marine & Levis, John. (Eds.). 2015. The Handbook of English Pronunciation. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 552 pages. ISBN 978–1–118–31447–0

Abstract

Review of Reed, Marine & Levis, John. (Eds.). 2015. The Handbook of English Pronunciation. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 552 pages. ISBN 978-1-118-31447-0.The Handbook of English Pronunciation is a long-awaited, state-of-the-art reference book which will be a valuable resource for researchers and teachers alike. It provides an authoritative overview of current knowledge in this field and addresses key pedagogical issues. Readers do not need to be experts in to benefit from the book, and reading it will bring home to them pronunciation influences all research into, and teaching of, spoken language (2015: xii).The handbook, skilfully edited by Marnie Reed and John Levis, showcases contributions from 37 experts from around the world in 530 pages. The seven-page Introduction includes some candid comments about the challenges of pulling together contributions from a host of authors, countries and approaches, but-given the variety and richness of Englishes around the world-this diversity is one of the book's major strengths.The main body of the book contains 28 chapters organised into six parts, and each of the parts delves into one aspect of English pronunciation: History, Description, Discourse, Major Varieties, Acquisition, and Teaching. In addition to the bibliography at the end of each chapter, the book provides a comprehensive, 10-page Index that makes it easy for readers to rapidly find what interests them-detailed descriptions, practical classroom information or further reading suggestions. Showing readers where to find further information as their needs and questions evolve is a key feature of any handbook. Finally, Notes on Contributors (2015: vii-xi) provide useful information about the authors.Part 1 of the handbook-The History of English Pronunciation-opens with a chapter by Jeremy Smith, in which he illustrates the process of historical phonology with three case studies: voiced and voiceless fricatives as examples of the development of new phonemic categories, the relation between digraphs and diphthongs, and the causes and consequences of the Great Vowel Shift. Smith's methodological queries and meta-reflections set the tone for the rest of the handbook, which encourages frank questioning and the good-humoured pursuit of knowledge. Lynda Mugglestone's chapter on Accent as a social symbol is a delightful romp through linguistic, literary and media sources which illustrates accents have acted as gatekeepers in stratified societies. Part 1 concludes with John M. Murphy and Amanda A. Baker's definitive history of teaching ESL pronunciation. This chapter provides a perfect complement to Celce-Murcia, Brinton, Goodwin and Griner's 2010 overview, as it covers key players, approaches and periods in much more detail than the latter.The five chapters that make up Part II of the book provide descriptions of English pronunciation. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 will be of particular interest to classroom teachers, as they offer useful insights which can inform pedagogical choices. For example, David Deterding's concise chapter on segmentals asks we should refer to sounds without linking the representation to one accent (2015: 70) and mentions Wells' system of keywords (1982) and upper-case letters. Some teachers have developed their own systems for doing this, but others might appreciate being reminded of Wells' keywords. Two other chapters include sections explicitly addressing pedagogical implications: Adam Brown for syllables in Chapter 5 and Fe-Ling Low for rhythmic patterning in Chapter 7. Teachers will also find the chapters on lexical stress by Anne Cutler (Chapter 6) and intonation by John Levis and Anne Wichmann (Chapter 8) very valuable, as their clear explanations of the importance of lexical stress and intonation to both production and perception will help teachers make choices appropriate to their own instructional contexts.Part III-Pronunciation and Discourse-contains four chapters examining how discourse affects the of segments and the meanings of supra-segmental features, as well as a discussion of pronunciation's connection to fluency (2015: xvii). …