The Joy of Phonetics and Accents

Great book by fabulous author. Louis makes everything make sense and I appreciate his work.

Love all the things in this book. Truly is amazing the approach to the Phonetic Alphabet that Colaianni came up with, but without the pillows he describes of in the book it is very difficult to apply this in any capacity in the classroom. He notes what he did to have his made and that is possible to do with some form of sewing experience, but it is countless hours of labor to do the whole thing. There are some links on his site to people who are selling and charging thousands of dollars for the alphabet. If there were a cost effective set of pillows that could be accompanied with the book it would be better for application.I gave it four stars because it is a new and fun way to learn Phonetics, but it needs to have a set to go with it to give reason to purchase the book. I would even venture to say $500 would be a reasonable classroom cost for the pillows, but not the over $2000.00 prices I've seen from independent makers.I recommend the author set up some form of package or system to get sets affordable and usable.

maybe better for younger ages getting into phonetics

This is a brilliant book on finding the joy in language through the study of sound and phonetics in the English language. A must-read for singers, actors, public speakers and anyone interested in the English language, Colaianni provides a unique approach to what could easily be a tiring subject. Colaianni seeks to make language tangible through his vocal exercises and his delightful idea of making alphabet pillows. Don't just say language. Experience it! Taste it, touch it, play with it, love it, make it yours! His enthusiasm for the subject is infectuous. Although written in a clear, easily understood manner, the joy he feels for sound will soon be yours once you begin to follow his simple instructions. Learn to love language!