Say this sentence aloud and count how many seconds it takes.
大聲的朗讀這個(gè)句子，看看你花了多長時(shí)間:
The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.
Time required? Probably about 5 seconds. Now, try speaking this sentence aloud.
多久?5秒鐘?現(xiàn)在試著大聲朗讀這個(gè)句子：
He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening.
Time required? Probably about 5 seconds.
多少時(shí)間?大約5秒鐘.
可是第一個(gè)句子比第二個(gè)句子短哦。
This simple exercise makes a very important point about how we speak and use English. Namely, English is considered a stressed language while many other languages are considered syllabic. What does that mean? It means that, in English, we give stress to certain words while other words are quickly spoken (some students say eaten!). In other languages, such as French or Italian, each syllable receives equal importance (there is stress, but each syllable has its own length).
大聲的朗讀這個(gè)句子，看看你花了多長時(shí)間:
The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.
Time required? Probably about 5 seconds. Now, try speaking this sentence aloud.
多久?5秒鐘?現(xiàn)在試著大聲朗讀這個(gè)句子：
He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening.
Time required? Probably about 5 seconds.
多少時(shí)間?大約5秒鐘.
可是第一個(gè)句子比第二個(gè)句子短哦。
This simple exercise makes a very important point about how we speak and use English. Namely, English is considered a stressed language while many other languages are considered syllabic. What does that mean? It means that, in English, we give stress to certain words while other words are quickly spoken (some students say eaten!). In other languages, such as French or Italian, each syllable receives equal importance (there is stress, but each syllable has its own length).