English is the international language of the modern world. In fact, there are more people learning it as a second language than there are native speakers.

For a non-English speaker, learning English can open the door to new horizons and many opportunities.

However, learning English—in particular, its spelling and pronunciation, can be extremely difficult. It’s even more so for a student of English as a Second Language (ESOL), who may be used to consistent spelling and pronunciation rules in his primary language, and may be wondering, “What exactly are the rules for English?”

Enigmas of the English Alphabet explores the history of the alphabet and its adoption in the English language, reviewing several little-known facets of the evolution of English in order to help the reader understand the peculiarities of this language compared to other European languages.

It features an entire section describing each of the 15 or more common basic vocalic sounds in American English, which are normally represented by only five letters, and the corresponding position of the mouth, using specific diacritic symbols to indicate them in the actual words. Exercises were added to allow the reader to get familiar with those sounds and mouth positions, allowing him to improve his pronunciation in a relatively short time as compared to other systems.

Midwest Book Reviews

Enigmas Of The English Alphabet by Alvaro J. Alves-Milho is an informative understanding of the in-depth complexities of the English language. Comprehensively compiled and arranged for ease of use by non-specialist general readers, Enigmas Of The English Alphabet expansively contributes for a greater and more accurate conceptual grasp of the rules and peculiarities of a difficult and sometimes contradictory language.