The Mimic Method

Speak a Foreign Language Like a Native

Examples of Rhythm in Speech

In the recordings below, I articulate 5 random phrases. Below each file is the transcription of the phrase in writing. I also highlighted the stressed, unstressed and silent syllables.

  • Luchamos por la libertad del gatito
  • lu cha mos –  por la li ber – tad – del – ga ti to

  • Dans ma ville il n’y avais pas du parc-mettre
  • dan – ma vi ly nya vai – pas du parc – mettre

  • I can’t get enough of that sugar crisp!
  • I can’t – get – e nough – of that – su gar – crisp

    • Pode tirar uma foto da gente?
    • po de ti ra ru ma fo to da gen – te

  • 我要你睡觉
  • wo yao ni shui jiao

Don’t worry if you have a hard time understanding why the phrases are broken up this way. It takes a bit of training to tune your ear to stresses and breaks.

The important take-away here is that you can’t predict the rhythm from just reading the words.

Sometimes words run together or silent syllables will take place within a single word (like in our hotdog example).

Like I said before, this is because most adult language learners take a “words approach” to foreign languages.

You can hear this in the way most new foreign speakers sound. Does this type of foreign accent sound familiar to you?

 
The problem with the word approach isn’t so much in speaking as it is in understanding.
 
Someone might understand you word-for-word, but you won’t understand them when they speak syllable-for-syllable.
 
If you have been studying a language for years but struggle to follow native speakers because they speak too fast, then you have a rhythm problem.
 
This is why rhythm will always be the foundation of any language.
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