-
Rhythm in English
abstract
Each language has its own rules for
rhythm. Clear English speech depends on the way
varying lengths
of syllables which
produce a characteristic rhythm. You will
understand the English local speaker better
and be much easier to be understood if
you master the rhythm of English. Listening
comprehension has
always been the weak
point of Chinese learners becasuse Chinese and
English belong to two completely
different language system. English is
stress-rhythmed and Chinese is syllable-rhythmed.
Large amount of
dialects in China also
put forward much more difficulties in the teaching
of listening and speaking at the
same
time.
This
essay
aims
at
collecting
the
essential
elements
in
English
rhythm
teaching,
hoping
to
provide some suggestions
on English studying and learning.
Most Chinese learners of English have
noticed that there are differences between Chinese
and English
speech. However, they don't
think the differences have anything to do with
their listening comprehension
or
speech. In fact, the rhythm of a language
determines the sound in flow of speech, which may
lead to
misunderstanding
of
the
meaning.
The
same
sentence,
if
spoken
with
a
different
rhythm,
may
sound
significantly
different.
In
order
to
mastering
the
rhythm
is
English,
Chinese
learners
may
pay
more
attention to the
stress of word, assimilation,
obscuration, linked sound, and stress of sentence
, which
are crucial elements
for it.
Stress of word
In learning English, pronouncing the
words correctly is very important. Mistakes in
stress will lead to
misunderstanding.
If your pronounce below
/
bi?l?
u/
as
billow
/
?
bil
?
u/,
the meaning will
be quite different.
Students may make
same mistakes in other words such as exercise
/
?
eks
?
saiz]
educate
/
?
edju:keit/.
Stress of sentence:
The
rhythm of English depends on stress. Therefore ,
English is stress-rhythmed. Within a sentence
1
only
main
information-carrying
syllables
are
stressed.
Consequently,
the
unstressed
syllables
are
uttered
very
fast.
The
tongue
doesn't
have
the
enough
time
to
assume
the
ideal
position
of
articulation,
leaving
sound to be shortened even hardly
voiced. So the Chinese learners of English must
familiar their ears and
mouth to the
fast-changing speed of speech, and train
themselves to catch, identify and interpret words
in
stressed, mildly stressed or
unstressed positions.
Content
words
usually
stressed,
including
nouns,
verbs,
adjectives,
adverbs
(including
not,
verbs
contracted with not,
such as don’t),
demonstrative(this,
that, these, those) Interrogatives(who, when, why,
etc.)
Function
words
usually
reduced,
include:
articles,
simple
prepositions:
(to,
of
,
in,
etc.),
personal
pronouns,
relative
pronouns:
(who,
that,
which,
etc.)
possessive
adjectives:
(my,
his,
your,
etc.),
conjunctions: (and, but, as, etc.).
However, there are also some strong form of a
function
word is used in the following
circumstances: the end of a sentence, for
example, what are you fond of?
Yes, I
can. 2. when being contrasted with another word
for example, the letter is from him, not to him. I
travel to and from London a lot. 3.
when emphasis is given, for example, you must go
and see a doctor. 4.
when quoted, for
example, you shouldn't put ‘and’ at the end
o
f a sentence.
The more
unstressed syllables there are squeezed between
two stresses, the less time there can be for
pronouncing each sound. Various kinds
of sound changes occur as a result. First and
foremost among these
is
the
reduction
of
the
length
of pauses
between
words,
which
may
lead
to
total
disappearance
of
word
boundaries.
Assimilation:
changing voicing or point of
articulation of adjacent sounds to
make them more similar
Two sound may assimilated into one.
This is called assimilation. In the utterance I
need your help, the
end sound /d/ and
the initial sound /j/ are assimilated into
/
d
?
/.
Similar cases include last year, miss
you /
?
ju:/
, without your help
/
wi??autd?
u:help/.
Linked sound:
Due to linkage
of sound, series of words are likely to be uttered
more as a close-knit unit than a string
of clearly-enunciated individual words
with audible stoppage between them. Chinese
listeners unfamiliar
2