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English syllables are stress-timed. English is classed as a ‘stress-based’ language, which means the meanings of words can be altered significantly by a change in word stress and sentence stress. This is why it is important to learn how to use word stress in English and develop an understanding of sentence stress and English stress patterns.
English is a stress-timed language. That means some syllables will be longer, and some will be shorter. Many languages, however, are syllable-timed, which means each syllable has the same length. Examples of syllable-timed languages: French, Spanish, Cantonese. So, when an American hears a sentence of English, with each syllable having the same ...
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English is a stress-timed language The English language is often referred to as stress-timed. This means that stress in a spoken sentence occurs at regular intervals and the length it takes to say something depends on the number of stressed syllables rather than the number of syllables itself. Try saying or listening to the sentences below:
Jan 31, 2018 · By. Kenneth Beare. Updated on January 31, 2018. Correct intonation and stress are the key to speaking English fluently with good pronunciation. Intonation and stress refer to the music of the English language. Words that are stressed are key to understanding and using the correct intonation brings out the meaning.
- Kenneth Beare
Next, work on stress and intonation. English is a stress-timed language, meaning certain words are emphasized while others are reduced or linked together. Practice stressing the correct syllables and using rising and falling intonation patterns.
The word ‘eating’ has two syllables so you need to know this is pronounced with the stress on the first half of the word (‘ eat ing’). However, the unstressed ‘ing’ ending of the word ‘eating’ still needs to be stressed more than the less important words in the sentence. This creates the regular stress-timed rhythm of English.
Sep 28, 2023 · The rhythm of English language depends on two types of stress. When we say “stress” here, we mean that we emphasize or say a syllable or word more strongly than the other parts of the word or sentence, which makes those “stressed” syllables and words stand out and become more noticeable. English has two basic types of stress: 1 ...
