最近又開始學糾音。這是一個很好的網站：http://www.elementalenglish.com/rhythm-in-speech/
比如，這裏我印象深刻的是“I HAVE to Go to School."在沒有學習之前，我一直把“I”也重讀，結果就是典型的中式英語的語調，但是隻重讀“HAVE”而不重讀“I”之後，聽著就地道多了。。
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Many students think that learning English is about learning grammar, consonants, vowels, and vocabulary. These form the basic foundation of a language, however, if you want to be understood when speaking American English, and if you want to understand native speakers, it is essential that you improve your stress and rhythm.
Stress
Stressing means that speakers of English make certain syllables and words:
- louder
- longer
- higher in pitch
Basically, stressing means to emphasize a sound. Every word in English has just one syllable with a primary stress or emphasis.
However, it is not only essential to stress certain syllables and words, but we must also de-stress other syllables and words.
De-stressing means that speakers of English make certain syllables and words:
- more relaxed
- weaker
Examples | Listen & Repeat
- Engineer –> [en g? NEER] (2nd syllable is de-stressed; 3rd syllable is stressed)
- English –> [ING glish] (1st syllable is stressed; 2nd syllable is slightly de-stressed)
- Photograph –> [PHO d? graf] (1st syllable is stressed, 2nd syllable de-stressed, 3rd syllable is secondary stress)
Stressing and de-stressing syllables and words gives us rhythm in English.
Rhythm
Rhythm is the musicality of English–the ups and downs and the connected speech and the linking of words, which together, change how we say sentences.
Remember, speaking with correct rhythm (musicality) is essential to being understood when you speak!
Rhythm comes from the combination of the two types of stress in American English:
1) Syllable stress in words (as discussed above)
2) Word stress in sentences
Word stress in sentences
Americans stress words in sentences that are important to the meaning of the sentence. They carry the content of the sentence. Basically, if you took these content words out of the sentence, you would not understand the meaning of that sentence.
Content Words
- main verbs
- nouns
- adjectives
- adverbs
- negatives
- wh-words
- interjections
Examples | Listen & Repeat
- I HAVE to GO to SCHOOL.
- I WANT my BROTHER to WIN.
- It’s NOT the BEST IDEA.
Function Words
- articles
- conjunctions
- prepositions
- pronouns
- auxiliary verbs
Listen and Repeat
(Function words written in lower case)
- I HAVE to GO to SCHOOL.
- I WANT my BROTHER to WIN.
- It’s NOT the BEST IDEA.
Examples
- *HAVE GO SCHOOL
- *WANT BROTHER WIN
- *NOT BEST IDEA
In fact, we hear children speak like this all the time when they’re learning to speak English, and we still understand their basic messages.
Listen and Repeat
- “She WANTS to PLAY a GAME.”
- “I’d LIKE you to JOIN us for DINner.”
- “We’ll CHOOSE the WINner on SATurday or SUNday.”
- “MAny of the STUdents are GOing on vaCAtion toMOrrow.”
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