The English sound system differs from Arabic regarding places of articulation. Some of the English consonants do not exist in Arabic and vice versa. However, both languages share common palatal /j/. Arabic speakers find it difficult to pronounce /v/ sound and use /f/ instead. They also substitute /t/ and /d/ for /?/ and /e/. Arab speakers cannot pronounce the flap /s/ but stress the written /tt/. In English, /t/ is an aspirated alveolar but considered non-aspirated denti-alveolar in Arabic. As for /r/, it is always pronounced in Arabic but sometimes deleted in British English. Moreover, /?/ exists in Arabic as a consonant but alternative pronunciation in English.
Cite this paper
Alshalaan, K. (2020). A Comparison between English and Arabic Sound Systems Regarding Places of Articulation. Open Access Library Journal, 7, e5679. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1105679.
Bite, V. (2013) Arabic and English Phonetics: A Comparative Study. The Criterion: An International Journal in English, 4, 1-13.
http://www.the-criterion.com/V4/n4/Javed.pdf
Zarka, A.M.E.S. (2013) The Pronunciation Errors of L1 Arabic Learners of L2 English: The Role of Modern Standard Arabic and Vernacular Dialects Transfer. The British University, Dubai, 1-75.
Hago, O. and Khan, W. (2015) The Pronunciation Problems Faced by Saudi EFL Learners at Secondary Schools. Education and Linguistics Research, 1, 85-99.
https://doi.org/10.5296/elr.v1i2.7783
