Speech Rhythm in Varieties of English

Speech Rhythm in Varieties of English
Author: Robert Fuchs
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2015-09-25
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3662478188

This book addresses the question whether Educated Indian English is more syllable-timed than British English from two standpoints: production and perception. Many post-colonial varieties of English, which are mostly spoken as a second language in countries such as India, Nigeria and the Philippines, are thought to have a syllable-timed rhythm, whereas first language varieties such as British English are characterized as being stress-timed. While previous studies mostly relied on a single acoustic correlate of speech rhythm, usually duration, the author proposes a multidimensional approach to the production of speech rhythm that takes into account various acoustic correlates. The results reveal that the two varieties differ with regard to a number of dimensions, such as duration, sonority, intensity, loudness, pitch and glottal stop insertion. The second part of the study addresses the question whether the difference in speech rhythm between Indian and British English is perceptually relevant, based on intelligibility and dialect discrimination experiments. The results reveal that speakers generally find the rhythm of their own variety more intelligible and that listeners can identify which variety a speaker is using on the basis of differences in speech rhythm.

Speech Rhythm in Learner and Second Language Varieties of English

Speech Rhythm in Learner and Second Language Varieties of English
Author: Robert Fuchs
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2023-09-19
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9811989400

This book presents cutting-edge research on the production and perception of speech rhythm by speakers of English in countries where it is used as a foreign language or an institutionalised second language (also sometimes known as the Expanding and Outer Circles). It contributes to a better understanding of speech rhythm, which has long been recognised as an important supra-segmental category of speech, focusing on its relevance in World Englishes, Second Language Acquisition and learner varieties of English, as well as the sociolinguistic and perceptual significance of this phonological variable.

A COURSE IN PHONETICS AND SPOKEN ENGLISH

A COURSE IN PHONETICS AND SPOKEN ENGLISH
Author: J. SETHI
Publisher: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
Total Pages: 234
Release: 1999-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9788120314955

This much improved revised edition of the book takes into account the needs of the student in the context of the present curricula followed in various universities and English language teaching institutes. This edition therefore devotes a new chapter to Assimilation, a section to Tones in relation to Attitudes, and highlights certain important aspects of pronunciation, such as rules of word accentuation.Starting with general phonetics, the book goes on to give a brief functional account of general phonology and then a selective and yet fairly exhaustive description of the phonetics and phonology of English. It also provides a number of conversational passages in phonetic script as well as in ordinary spelling for practice in reading aloud. What sets this text apart is its novelty of approach and lucidity of treatment. English pronunciation is followed as per the "Received Pronunciation of England". This text is specially designed for postgraduate students of English, undergraduate and postgraduate students of Linguistics, and for those undergoing secondary and tertiary level teachers' training programmes in English.

English Speech Rhythm

English Speech Rhythm
Author: Elizabeth Couper-Kuhlen
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 361
Release: 1993-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027250375

This monograph reconsiders the question of speech isochrony, the regular recurrence of (stressed) syllables in time, from an empirical point of view. It proposes a methodology for discovering isochrony auditorily in speech and for verifying it instrumentally in the acoustic laboratory. In a small-scale study of an English conversational extract, the gestalt-like rhythmic structures which isochrony creates are shown to have a hierarchical organization. Then in a large-scale study of a corpus of British and American radio phone-in programs and family table conversations, the function of speech rhythm at turn transitions is investigated. It is argued that speech rhythm serves as a metric for the timing of turn transitions in casual English conversation. The articular rhythmic configuration of a transition can be said to contextualize the next turn as, generally speaking, affiliative or disaffiliative with the prior turn. The empirical investigation suggests that speech rhythm patterns at turn transitions in everyday English conversation are not random occurrences or the result of a social-psychological adaptation process but are contextualization cues which figure systematically in the creation and interpretation of linguistic meaning in communication.

Melodies, Rhythm and Cognition in Foreign Language Learning

Melodies, Rhythm and Cognition in Foreign Language Learning
Author: M. Carmen Fonseca-Mora
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2016-09-23
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1443813621

Melodies, Rhythm and Cognition in Foreign Language Learning is a collection of essays reflecting on the relationship between language and music, two unique, innate human capacities. This book provides a clear explanation of the centrality of melodies and rhythm to foreign language learning acquisition. The interplay between language music brings to applied linguists inquiries into the nature and function of speech melodies, the role of prosody and the descriptions of rhythmical patterns in verbal behaviour. Musical students seem to be better equipped for language learning, although melodies and rhythm can benefit all types of students at any age. In fact, in this book melodies and rhythm are considered to be a springboard for the enhancement of the learning of foreign languages.

Universal or Diverse Paths to English Phonology

Universal or Diverse Paths to English Phonology
Author: Ulrike Gut
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2015-03-30
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110346087

The book is concerned with the acquisition of English phonology, both segmental and suprasegmental, by learners of English as a second language, as a third language and by speakers of a postcolonial (“new”) variety of English. It focuses on the acquisition process and factors influencing it, based on insights from all three disciplines.

English Phonology and Pronunciation Teaching

English Phonology and Pronunciation Teaching
Author: Pamela Rogerson-Revell
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2011-03-03
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1623567173

This book aims to provide a clear description of key aspects of English phonology in order to help teachers diagnose and prioritize problem areas in pronunciation. It also aims to develop an awareness of current issues and relevant research in the field to inform teachers decisions, not only about what to teach, but how to teach pronunciation, particularly in EIL contexts. Specifically, it aims to enable readers to: * Understand key terms and concepts in phonology and phonetics * Become aware of current issues and debates in research and apply these to pronunciation teaching, particularly in EIL contexts * Conduct phonological analysis of learner language, including phonemic transcription * Diagnose and assess learner's pronunciation difficulties and needs * Plan a structured pronunciation syllabus The book assumes no prior knowledge and is a key resource for both newcomers and experienced practitioners in the fields of English Language Teaching as well as students of applied linguistics.

Foreign Language Pronunciation, from Theory to Practice

Foreign Language Pronunciation, from Theory to Practice
Author: Zdena Kráľová
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 120
Release: 2021-09-16
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1527574881

This book comprehensively deals with foreign language pronunciation. It considers several essential issues, including the relationship between native and foreign language pronunciations, the problems of non-native learners when learning foreign language pronunciation and the factors that can positively or negatively affect its learning. The book analyses foreign language pronunciation from both the linguistic and pedagogical points of view. It will thus appeal to all foreign language learners, teachers, linguists, and methodologists.