1. English Pronunciation
Rhythmic Structure
In English Utterances

2. Stress-timing and syllable-timing
arrangement of notes or especially words (as in poetry) into strong and weak beats (诗的) 韵律、格律、音步
Stress-timing and syllable-timing
Two types of meter in the world’s languages: Stress-timing and syllable-timing
Stress-timing: Equal intervals between prominent syllables
Prototypical languages: English, Dutch, German
Syllable-timing: Equal syllable durations
Prototypical languages: French, Spanish

3. If vowel durations highly variable: language sounds ‘stress-timed’
Languages with vowel reduction: English, Dutch, German
If vowel durations similar: language sounds ‘syllable-timed’
Languages such as French and Spanish which do not have vowel reduction

4. The rhythmic patterns of Chinese and English
Syllable-timed Stress-timed
French Putonghua Spanish English
Fig. 1: Chinese Putonghua on the rhythmic scale in relation to French, Spanish and English

5. Syllable-timed Rhythm of Chinese.
All syllables, whether stressed or unstressed, tend to occur at regular time-intervals.
The time between stressed syllables will be shorter or longer in proportion to the number of unstressed syllables.

6. Stress-timed Rhythm of English
English is not read in single words with spaces between them, but in groups of words, several words following smoothly one after another.
Stressed syllable will tend to occur at relatively regular intervals.
The time from each stressed syllable to the next will tend to be the same no matter how many the number of intervening unstressed syllables.

7. The Distribution of English Stresses
1. Form words are typically unstressed.
2. Content words are normally stressed.
3. Form words are stressed where contrast is expressed.
4. Any word being repeated is usually not stressed.
5. Many stressings are idiomatic.

8. Beats Try to say the sentences below: 1 2 3 4 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
1 and then a
2 and then a
3 and then a
4 and then a

9. Rhythmic pattern in English
/Tom /John /Steve /Sam
/Tomson /Johnson /Steven /Samson
/Tomson and/Johnson and/Steven and/Samson
/Tomson and then/Johnson and then/Steven and then/Samson
A rhythm unit is formed by a stressed syllable, together with unstressed syllables which may come before that stress and/or after it.

10. When English speakers are speaking, they usually:
• make some parts of words stronger and clearer than other parts
• join parts of the words together
• arrange words into groups and join them together
• make some words stronger and clearer than other words.

11. Mark out the stressed syllables.
I shall have to try and get some cash from our bank at lunchtime. Then we can let them have the money that they want as soon as they like. What are they asking us to pay them?

12. Read the following passage aloud.
I shall have to try and get some cash from our bank at lunchtime. Then we can let them have the money that they want as soon as they like. What are they asking us to pay them?
(15/41 – 63% unstressed)

13. Example 1 — I need a couple of shirts, grey terylene please.
— Certainly, sir, I'll just get some out. Would you mind taking a seat for a moment? I shan't be long.
How many stressed syllables?
How many unstressed syllables?

14. （Unstressed syllables 20/36，55.5%）
— I need a couple of shirts, grey terylene please.
Certainly, sir, I'll just get some out. Would you mind taking a seat for a moment? I shan't be long.
（Unstressed syllables 20/36，55.5%）

15. Example 2 大妈：我可不去开会！人家说什么，我老听不懂。
四嫂：也没什么难懂的。反正说的都离不开修沟，修沟反正是好事，好事反正就得拍巴掌，拍巴掌反正不会有错儿，是不是？老太太？
（选自老舍剧作《龙须沟》第三幕第二场片断）
北京话口语里的轻声比普通话的轻声要发达得多
普通话口语里的轻声比书面语的轻声要发达得多

16. Example 2 大妈：我可不去开会！人家说什么，我老听不懂。
四嫂：也没什么难懂的。反正说的都离不开修沟，修沟反正是好事，好事反正就得拍巴掌，拍巴掌反正不会有错儿，是不是？老太太？
（共65个音节，轻声音节15个，占23%）
（选自老舍剧作《龙须沟》第三幕第二场片断）
北京话口语里的轻声比普通话的轻声要发达得多
普通话口语里的轻声比书面语的轻声要发达得多

17. Fig 2: Duration for “里头”(litou), meaning “inside”
Fig 3: Duration for “拿来”(nálai), meaning “to fetch it”

18. Who’s coming to the birthday par- ty?
By a non-native speaker of English.
Who’s coming to the birthday par ty?
By a native speaker of English.

19. Syllables din ner par ty
Native speakers
0.125
0.075
0.103
0.052
Non-natives
0.123
0.143
0.199
0.168
Table 2: Syllable length for “dinner party” in “Who’s coming to the dinner party?”
Time unit : sec

20. Fig. 6: The average syllable lengths for “dinner party” in “Who’s coming to the dinner party?”

22. Fig: “was at war” in the sentence “England was at war with America”.
in physics, the amplitude of a sound wave is its strength 振幅
Amplitude
was at war
Fig: “was at war” in the sentence “England was at war with America”.
-- (By non-native speaker of English)
Amplitude
was at war
Fig: “was at war” in the sentence “England was at war with America”.
-- (By native speaker of English)

23. Rhythm practice Points to remember: Stress the information words.
Reduce the vowels of the function words.
Link words together.
Squeeze the function words together and say them quickly.

24. Patterns of rhythm 1. Sentences with two stressed syllables  
 
Come here.
Do it now.
Leave it alone.
They did it well.
I think he ought to.

25. 2. Sentences with three stressed syllables.
  
Don’t go now.
Sam works hard.
I think he wants us to go.
I’m sorry I’m late again.
I wonder if he’ll tell them in advance.

26. 3. Sentences with four stressed syllables.
   
He used to play it every day.
She ought to know the way by now.
You said that he wanted us to come for the party.

27. Compare the following:
Black or white?
soft and light
Dan and Sue
bread and milk
Get a purse.
a dark room
cold winter
It was black and it was white.
It’s soft and it’s light.
It was Danny and it was Susie.
Some bread and some milk.
Get us her purse.
It was dark in the room.
It was cold in the winter.
More exercises.

28. Compare the following:
Do you think you would be able to finish it in a month?
She said that she would like us to take it away.
He turned to the left an the end of the street.
I shouldn’t have thought that she could appreciated the approach.
More exercises.

29. Review
Rhythm

30. This is a very good pen.
Emily has a very good fountain pen.
It’s half past eleven.
It’s a quarter past eleven.
My watch says it’s twenty-five past seen.
Ann found the book she lost at last.
Elizabeth found the article she was studying at the library.