Non-native patterns of English syllable timing

Abstract

This study compared the timing of syllables in the speech of non-native speakers of English with American English timing patterns. The subjects, native speakers of Thai, Malaysian and Japanese, read English words in isolation and with one and two syllable suffixes added. Although the non-native speakers compressed words when producing them with suffixes, they showed little awareness of the English pattern of compressing suffixed words in proportion to the number of added syllables.