Oral stress - SS1 English Lesson Note

A. Stress Timing: 

Stress timing is a feature of English pronunciation that refers to the way that stressed syllables are spaced out in a sentence. In a stress-timed language, stressed syllables are evenly spaced, with an equal amount of time between each one. This gives the language a regular, rhythmic feel. English is a stress-timed language, while many other languages, such as French and Spanish, are syllable-timed languages. In syllable-timed languages, the syllables are evenly spaced, regardless of whether they are stressed or not. This gives the language a more flowing, less regular rhythm.

How to Identify Stress Timing: 

One way to identify stress timing is to listen for the regular rhythm of the language. In a stress-timed language, you should be able to hear a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. You can also identify stress timing by looking at the way that words are stressed in a sentence. In a stress-timed language, stressed syllables are usually longer and louder than unstressed syllables.