英语语音stress and rhythm

Unit 22 Stress and Rhythm (重读和节奏),When English speakers are speaking, they usually: make some parts of words stronger and clearer than other parts (word stress) join parts of the words together (sound linking) arrange words into groups and join them together (pauses and word groups) make some words stronger and clearer than other words (sentence stress).,Every language in the world has its own rhythmic patterns. There are two types of rhythm in the worlds languages: Stress-timing （重音定时节奏） and syllable-timing （音节定时节奏） Stress-timing： Equal intervals between stressed syllables (重读音节之间使用一样的时间间隔) Prototypical languages: English, Dutch, German Syllable-timing： Equal syllable durations （每个音节使用一样的时间长度） Prototypical languages: French, Spanish All languages of the world are said to fall into one group or the other,Two Types of Rhythm,Rhythm in English speech is based on stress (英语的节奏基于重读，或者节奏以重读音节为节奏单位),The English speech is Stress-timing, that is, the stressed syllables follow each other at roughly equal intervals of time. In English, variation of syllables or words that have strong stress with those that have weaker or reduced stress is typical and contributes to the rhythm of English. Therefore, rhythm in English speech is based on stress.,Examples: (a dot = short, a dash = long),Example One: clap you hands in time to the stress as you read the sentences。读以下句子的时候，请随着重读音节拍手. Note: the stressed syllables follow each other at roughly equal intervals of time,Rhythm in English speech is based on stress (英语的节奏基于重读，或者节奏以重读音节为节奏单位),/Tom /John /Steve /Sam /Thomson /Johnson /Steven /Samson /Thomson and /Johnson and /Steven and /Samson /Thomson and then /Johnson and then /Steven and then /Samson,Rhythm in English speech is based on stress (英语的节奏基于重读，或者节奏以重读音节为节奏单位),Example Two: read the following pairs of phrases and sentences. Black or white? It was black and it was white. soft and light It's soft and it's light. Dan and Sue It was Danny and it was Susie. bread and milk Some bread and some milk. Get a purse. Get us her purse. a dark room It was dark in the room. cold winter It was cold in the winter. Note: it takes about the same length of time to say each pair of these phrases and sentences because the number of syllables may vary but the number of stressed syllables are the same.,Fig. 1: Chinese Putonghua on the rhythmic scale in relation to French, Spanish and English Syllable-timing Stress-timing French Putonghua Spanish English,The rhythmic patterns of Chinese and English,Please read the sentence aloud: Whos coming to the birthday party?,The rhythmic patterns of Chinese and English,Whos coming to the birthday par- ty? By a non-native speaker of English.,Whos coming to the birthday par- ty? By a native speaker of English.,Table 2: Syllable length for “birthday party” in “Whos coming to the birthday party?” (Time unit : sec),Rhythm Unit (节奏单位，或节奏群),A rhythm unit is formed by a stressed syllable, together with unstressed syllables which may come before that stress and/or after it. A rhythm unit = one and only one stressed syllable + unstressed syllable(s) E.g.: “Whos/ “coming to the/ “birthday/ “party? (4 rhythm units),Four chief features of a rhythm unit: 节奏单位（群）的四大特点,1. it contains one (and only one) stressed syllable and it may also contain unstressed syllables. 2. no matter how many syllables a rhythm unit may contain, it is spoken in almost the same length of time as the other rhythm units. 3. no pause or break between the words in one rhythm unit. A pause is normally possible only at the end of a rhythm unit.,4. In a rhythm unit, unstressed syllables are quite short before the stressed syllable, and relatively long after the stress. E.g.: It was a “cold/ De“cember/ “morning. “It was a” and “De” are quite short. But “-ber” and “-ning” are fairly long.,英语话语的重读规律是: 重读音节与非重读音节相间出现。 重读音节与非重读音节一起组成节奏单位（群）。 在不受迟疑（可使人说话速度放慢）或激动（可使人说话速度加快）等因素影响的情况下, 话语中句子重读音节之间的间隔时间大致相等。 也就是说，根据英语的节奏规律，话语说起来所需的时间不取决于它有多少个词，多少个音节，而取决于它有多少个句子重读音节。 假如句子重读音节之间的非重读音节数多，结果必然是说起来要快一些，含糊一些。,Requirements for a good English rhythm: 如何掌握好英语的节奏,1. (emphasize the stressed syllables): giving proper emphasis to stressed syllables; 2. (weakening the unstressed syllables): weakening (弱化) unstressed words and syllables and obscuring (使模糊) the vowels in most of them. 3. (pauses): organizing words properly into word groups by means of pauses. 4. (sound linking): blending (连起) the final sound of each word and syllable with the initial sound of the following one within the same word group. 5. (weak forms),在英语中，一句话说起来所需时间长短不取决于句中的单词数或音节数, 而取决于句中有多少个重读音节。 句中重读音节通常语速会慢一些, 音节听起来自然也清楚一些。 重读音节之间拥挤着出现的非重读音节听起来轻快而且含糊。 练习英语话语节奏的重点是：学会顺利地、匀称地从一个重读音节移动到下一个重读音节，特别要学会使用弱势读音和连读等方法，把重读音节中间夹带的非重读音节读好。,总之：,Now some practices:,Sentences with two stressed syllables.,Please eat. What is that? Write it down. Take it back. Do it now. Give him some more. Turn on the light. Leave it alone. Finish it if you can. They did it well. He told us a lie. They walked in the dark. Hang it on the wall. Clean it with a brush. They waited for an hour. He'll finish it today. They heard of it before. I think he ought to They went on a Saturday.,