英语语音第三讲-英语的话语节律.pptVIP

Language Rhythm Stress-timed rhythm Syllable-timed rhythm English rhythm is described as stress-timed rhythm. The characteristics found in languages with stress-timed rhythm Stress-timed languages have a large variety of syllable types—both open syllables (ending in vowels) and closed syllables of various types (syllables ending in consonants). Stress-timed languages may also have heavy and light syllables — heavy syllables, which attract stress, are those that have long vowels and/or end in consonant clusters. In stress-timed languages, unstressed syllables are shorter than stressed syllables, and vowels in unstressed syllables may be reduced. The more of these characteristics a language has, the more stress-timed its rhythm The characteristics found in languages with syllable-timed rhythm Stressed and unstressed syllables are of approximately equal length; The variety of syllable types is more limited; Vowel reduction in unstressed syllables is unlikely. Lloyd James likens stress-timed rhythm to Morse code signals (long dashes and short dots) and syllable-timed rhythm to “machine gun” or staccato patterns (1940). Learners whose native language is syllable-timed have difficulty learning English rhythm, but with exposure and increasing proficiency, they will acquire some of the characteristics of stress timing. Evidence from Instrumental testing？ Instrumental testing has failed to confirm some of the perceptual characteristics of stress-timed languages (Dauer 1983, Ramus et al. 1999). In stress-timed languages, stresses are heard as occurring at equal intervals in time (isochrony); in syllable-timed languages, the time between stresses is more variable. However, instrumental measurements reveal that stresses in English (a stress-timed language) are no more regular than those in syllable-timed languages (Dauer 1983). Information about the stress-timed nature of English rhythm is included in many pronunciation textbooks and helps students understand