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The influence of rhythm on word stress and utterance stress.

Alongside with regularity of stresses another important feature of English rhythm is alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables. This tendency may be accounted mostly for a high frequency of monosyllabic notional words (usually stressed) and intervening form-words (unstressed). The alternation of one stressed and one unstressed syllables occurs but rarely, as in the following example:

e.g.: I ‘can’t |be‘lieve |my`eyes.

The ratio of stressed and unstressed syllables may be one to two, one to three, or even more,

e.g.: They’re ‘leaving |to’morrow |by `air.

The ‘car is |more con‘venient |than the `train.

The cases of consecutive stressing are rare due to the active tendency of alternation. This tendency results in modifying even the “normal” stressing of notional words in an utterance. Stressable words can lose their prominence if the immediately following and preceding words are stressed,

e.g.: She’s a ‘very good `actress. But She’s a ‘good `actress.

The tendency to alternate strong and week syllables accounts for making two syllables prominent in many English polysyllabic words,

e.g.: ,abso’lutely, e ,xami’ nation, ,conver’sation, ,demo’cratic.

In connected speech, however, the stress placement may be conditioned by the influence of rhythm, and one of the stressed can be dropped completely,

e.g.: The ‘girl looked ‘absolutely `lovely.

The conver’sation lasted for ‘two `hours.

Speech Exercises

Ex.1 Read the nursery rhymes with very different rhythms. (‘) stands for any stressed syllable. Why does rhythm vary from one rhyme to another?

a) ‘Jack and ‘Jill went ‘up the ‘hill

To ‘fetch a ‘pail of ‘wa-‘ter.

‘Jack ‘fell ‘down and ‘broke his ‘crown,

And ‘Jill came ‘tumbling ‘af-‘ter.

b) A ‘farmer went ‘trotting u‘pon his grey ‘mare

‘Bumpety, ‘bumpety, ‘bump;

With his ‘daughter be’hind him, so ‘rosy and ‘fair,

‘Lumpety, ‘lumpety, ‘lump.

c) ‘Hey diddle ‘doubt, my ‘candle’s ‘out, my ‘little maid’s ‘not at ‘ home.

‘Saddle my ‘hog, and ‘bridle my ‘dog, and ‘fetch my ‘little maid ‘home.

Ex. 2 Try reading the phrases out. These are groups of different lengths which should take the same amount of time to say.

Table 4

Four groups of words of similar difficulty:

Table 5

and another three groups, rather more difficult:

Table 6

Переглядів: 1895