English is a stress timed language. This means that stressed syllables occur at regular intervals when you say a sentence. In stress timed languages, the amount of time it takes you to say a sentence depends on the number of stressed syllables in a sentence, not on the total number of syllables.
The combination of stressed content and reduced function words creates this stress timed rhythm.
Many other world languages are syllable timed. That means that every syllable has more or less the same emphasis. In syllable timed languages, the amount of time it takes to say a sentence is determined by the total number of syllables.
Stress timed-the length of a sentence is determined by the number of stressed syllables
Syllable timed-the length of sentence determined by the total number of syllables
If you stress every syllable equally, the rhythm of your speech will sound choppy to native English speakers. This “choppiness” creates a strong accent to the American listener and can affect your comprehensibility.
English teachers who want to learn more about syllable timed languages and stress timed languages may want to consult Linda Grant’s book titled Well Said: Pronunciation for Clear Communication or Celce-Murcia & Brinton’s Teaching Pronunciation: A Reference for Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Susan Ryan is an American English pronunciation teacher and accent reduction coach. She currently lives in South Florida. Read more articles by Susan at http://www.confidentvoice.com/blog/
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