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Unit 12 Rhythm of English Speech: Xu Dehua
Unit 12 Rhythm of English Speech: Xu Dehua
Speech
Xu Dehua
Rhythm
Rhythm is the internal law of English language. It is the regular occurrence of
phonetics in a given time.
Rhythm in English speech is based on stress . It is ,in brief, the pattern of regular
arrangement and alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables.
2. Rhythm group and its division
1) The smallest unit of English rhythm is the rhythm group, which is called a foot
in English poetry. The rhythm group is made up of only one stressed syllable
plus what unstressed syllable(s) that may follow.
2) Any unstressed syllables that precede the first rhythm group may be regarded
as silent beat.
|John and his / |brother / | went into the / `room/.
|Would you / |mind / |calling back /`later/?
Its /|not /|quite what I / `wanted /.
This feature of English has great influence upon the speed of utterance and
the length of sounds, especially the vowels.
e.g.
|John