a good first step
The Spanish are very fond of saying that their language is pronounced just as it is spelled. This is not quite true, especially if you grew up speaking English and associate different sounds with the Roman alphabet that both languages share in common. Spanish Phonetics and Phonemics offers a good first approach towards explaining some of those differences in sound.
This is a book that I had been waiting for. Notice, however, that I say it is a good 'first approach', yet not a definitive one. Completely absent from the book, for example, is any reference to peninsular Spanish, which I think is a shame. As well, the CD-ROM was a bit of a disappointment as it covers very little material.
The authors are on the right track though. We can only hope that in future they will come out with a second edition to the book which is more complete, with graphics illustrating the positions of the tongue and mouth as explained in the book, for example, a CD-Rom that is more comprehensive and some inclusion of Iberian Spanish, please!
All in all, however, I give this book a thumbs-up.
