الملخص الإنجليزي
Abstract:
The teaching of pronunciation has for a long time concentrated on segmental features. However, suprasegmentals should also be considered as they have a considerable influence on intelligibility. The purpose of this thesis is to call for the teaching of English intonation to Bahraini EFL learners. This was done through an investigation of the discoursal features of English intonation in the speech of Bahraini EFL students. The study adapted a qualitative approach using David Brazil's model of discourse intonation (Brazil, 1997) as a theoretical framework to compare the features of English intonation of two Bahraini EFL leaners and those of native speakers. The study revealed that Bahraini EFL students differ from British native speakers in their division of tone units, prominence selection, and tone choice. These features seem to be likely due to the students' lack of awareness of the appropriate use of intonation as well as of its importance for intelligibility among non-native and native or other non-native speakers of English. The major recommendation was to familiarize learners with intonation by teaching intonation patterns explicitly instead of relying on the traditional repetition dills instruction. Although this study used Bahraini EFL learners, it may be of interest to others who learn English as a second or foreign language.
Keywords: Suprasegmental features - Intonation - Intonation features
