Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

Rhythm

Introducing rhythm

Squeeze the syllables: The important point in introducing
the rhythm of English is to help students hear and feel that
some syllables are emphasized and last longer, and other
syllables are unstressed and are shortened and reduced so
that they squeeze in between the stressed syllables.

Start with a simple sentence with three one-syllable words,
such as Cake tastes good. Have students repeat, clapping on
the stressed words. (In this short sentence, they’ll clap on all
the words.) Then add extra unstressed syllables, showing how
the stressed syllables remain about the same distance apart,
and the unstressed words are reduced. For example:

CAKE TASTES GOOD.

The CAKE TASTED GOOD.

The CAKE might have TASTED GOOD.

The CAKE might have TASTED deLIcious.

The CAKE shouldn’t have TASTED so deLIcious.

(Variations of this activity are found in Celce-Murcia et al.
2010, Avery and Ehrlich 1992, and many other sources.)

Syllable symbols: In introducing rhythm, we can use

symbols or pictures of various sizes to represent syllables and

rhythm patterns and help students visualize rhythm:

Everyone studied in the library.

Everyone talked about the party.

Listening to rhythm

Move with the rhythm: As students listen to sentences, a

poem, or a nursery rhyme, have them clap, tap their !ngers,

or stomp their feet on the stressed syllables to show the

rhythm. Simple musical instruments, such as a xylophone,

small drum, or tambourine, can be used in the same way.

Word and phrase matching: Help students connect the

rhythm of a phrase to the rhythm of a familiar word with the

same pattern. For example, the sentence I ˈgave it to her has

the same rhythm pattern as the word reˈfrigerator. The

process of noticing and recognizing the similarity of patterns

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