Say this sentence aloud and count how many seconds it takes.
首先請(qǐng)大聲朗讀下面這個(gè)句子，算算花了幾秒。
The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.
Time required? Probably about 5 seconds. Now, try speaking this sentence aloud.
需要多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間？差不多5秒?，F(xiàn)在，大聲朗讀下面這個(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.
需要多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間？也就5秒。
Wait a minute the first sentence is much shorter than the second sentence!
等等等等，第一個(gè)句子比第二個(gè)短好多??！兩個(gè)句子放到一起比比看：
The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.
He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening.
You are only partially right!
你說(shuō)對(duì)了一半。
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).
這個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的練習(xí)體現(xiàn)了我們說(shuō)非常重要的一個(gè)問(wèn)題，就是，和其他音節(jié)語(yǔ)言不同，一種重音語(yǔ)言。這是什么意思呢？意思就是說(shuō)，在中，我們會(huì)重點(diǎn)強(qiáng)調(diào)特定的詞，而其他的詞就說(shuō)的很快，有的學(xué)生說(shuō)是吞音了。其他語(yǔ)言中，比如法語(yǔ)或者意大利語(yǔ)，每個(gè)音節(jié)都是同等重要的，他們也有重音，但是每個(gè)音節(jié)的長(zhǎng)度是固定的。
Many speakers of syllabic languages don't understand why we quickly speak, or swallow, a number of words in a sentence. In syllabic languages each syllable has equal importance, and therefore equal time is needed. English however, spends more time on specific stressed words while quickly gliding over the other, less important, words.
很多說(shuō)音節(jié)語(yǔ)言的人不明白為什么我們能把說(shuō)的這么快或者吞掉這么多音，因?yàn)橐艄?jié)語(yǔ)言中每個(gè)音節(jié)都是同等重要的。是突出強(qiáng)調(diào)重要的詞，剩下的不太重要的詞就帶過(guò)了。
Let's look at a simple example: the modal verb "can". When we use the positive form of "can" we quickly glide over the can and it is hardly pronounced.
舉個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的例子，我們用肯定式的"can"的時(shí)候，會(huì)很簡(jiǎn)單的滑過(guò)這個(gè)詞，"can"幾乎不發(fā)音?！ ?BR> They can come on Friday . (stressed words underlined)
他們周五能來(lái)。（有下劃線的應(yīng)該重讀。）
On the other hand, when we use the negative form "can't" we tend to stress the fact that it is the negative form by also stressing "can't".
而當(dāng)我們用否定的"can't"的時(shí)候，我們會(huì)加強(qiáng)否定語(yǔ)氣。于是重讀的就變成了：
They can't come on Friday .
他們周五不能來(lái)。
As you can see from the above example the sentence, "They can't come on Friday" is longer than "They can come on Friday" because both the modal "can't" and the verb "come" are stressed.
所以大家就知道，上面的例句中，"They can't come on Friday"說(shuō)起來(lái)就比"They can come on Friday"要長(zhǎng)了。因?yàn)?can't"和"come"都重讀了。
關(guān)于can和can't重讀的問(wèn)題，這里有個(gè)很好的例子。下面一段音頻出自美劇《靈指神探》（Pushing Daises）第一季的第二集（點(diǎn)擊查看筆記）。
Ned：So it's probably better if you stay in the car for these morgue visits. Someone might recognize you.You really can't come in.（請(qǐng)大家注意聽(tīng)can't的發(fā)音）
（Chuck故意跟了進(jìn)來(lái)）
Ned：Did I say "can"?Because I swallow my consonants sometimes."N'T.N'T." Can't come in
Ned：我們進(jìn)太平間的時(shí)候你呆在車?yán)?，可能有人?huì)認(rèn)出你的，你真的不能跟我們一起進(jìn)來(lái)。
Ned：我剛說(shuō)的是“can”嗎？因?yàn)槲矣袝r(shí)候說(shuō)話會(huì)吞音。"N'T.N'T." Can't come in.
這里Ned說(shuō)的話如果只靠的話可能我們是聽(tīng)不出他說(shuō)的是can't，但是美國(guó)人說(shuō)話如果不是否定式的話can是不會(huì)重讀的，所以我們聽(tīng)這里可以從重讀來(lái)判斷Ned說(shuō)的其實(shí)是否定的can't。這就是重音在溝通中的重要性。
So, what does this mean for my speaking skills?
那么，這對(duì)我們說(shuō)來(lái)說(shuō)意味著什么呢？
Well, first of all, you need to understand which words we generally stress and which we do not stress. Basically, stress words are considered CONTENT WORDS such as
首先請(qǐng)大聲朗讀下面這個(gè)句子，算算花了幾秒。
The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.
Time required? Probably about 5 seconds. Now, try speaking this sentence aloud.
需要多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間？差不多5秒?，F(xiàn)在，大聲朗讀下面這個(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.
需要多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間？也就5秒。
Wait a minute the first sentence is much shorter than the second sentence!
等等等等，第一個(gè)句子比第二個(gè)短好多??！兩個(gè)句子放到一起比比看：
The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.
He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening.
You are only partially right!
你說(shuō)對(duì)了一半。
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).
這個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的練習(xí)體現(xiàn)了我們說(shuō)非常重要的一個(gè)問(wèn)題，就是，和其他音節(jié)語(yǔ)言不同，一種重音語(yǔ)言。這是什么意思呢？意思就是說(shuō)，在中，我們會(huì)重點(diǎn)強(qiáng)調(diào)特定的詞，而其他的詞就說(shuō)的很快，有的學(xué)生說(shuō)是吞音了。其他語(yǔ)言中，比如法語(yǔ)或者意大利語(yǔ)，每個(gè)音節(jié)都是同等重要的，他們也有重音，但是每個(gè)音節(jié)的長(zhǎng)度是固定的。
Many speakers of syllabic languages don't understand why we quickly speak, or swallow, a number of words in a sentence. In syllabic languages each syllable has equal importance, and therefore equal time is needed. English however, spends more time on specific stressed words while quickly gliding over the other, less important, words.
很多說(shuō)音節(jié)語(yǔ)言的人不明白為什么我們能把說(shuō)的這么快或者吞掉這么多音，因?yàn)橐艄?jié)語(yǔ)言中每個(gè)音節(jié)都是同等重要的。是突出強(qiáng)調(diào)重要的詞，剩下的不太重要的詞就帶過(guò)了。
Let's look at a simple example: the modal verb "can". When we use the positive form of "can" we quickly glide over the can and it is hardly pronounced.
舉個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的例子，我們用肯定式的"can"的時(shí)候，會(huì)很簡(jiǎn)單的滑過(guò)這個(gè)詞，"can"幾乎不發(fā)音?！ ?BR> They can come on Friday . (stressed words underlined)
他們周五能來(lái)。（有下劃線的應(yīng)該重讀。）
On the other hand, when we use the negative form "can't" we tend to stress the fact that it is the negative form by also stressing "can't".
而當(dāng)我們用否定的"can't"的時(shí)候，我們會(huì)加強(qiáng)否定語(yǔ)氣。于是重讀的就變成了：
They can't come on Friday .
他們周五不能來(lái)。
As you can see from the above example the sentence, "They can't come on Friday" is longer than "They can come on Friday" because both the modal "can't" and the verb "come" are stressed.
所以大家就知道，上面的例句中，"They can't come on Friday"說(shuō)起來(lái)就比"They can come on Friday"要長(zhǎng)了。因?yàn)?can't"和"come"都重讀了。
關(guān)于can和can't重讀的問(wèn)題，這里有個(gè)很好的例子。下面一段音頻出自美劇《靈指神探》（Pushing Daises）第一季的第二集（點(diǎn)擊查看筆記）。
Ned：So it's probably better if you stay in the car for these morgue visits. Someone might recognize you.You really can't come in.（請(qǐng)大家注意聽(tīng)can't的發(fā)音）
（Chuck故意跟了進(jìn)來(lái)）
Ned：Did I say "can"?Because I swallow my consonants sometimes."N'T.N'T." Can't come in
Ned：我們進(jìn)太平間的時(shí)候你呆在車?yán)?，可能有人?huì)認(rèn)出你的，你真的不能跟我們一起進(jìn)來(lái)。
Ned：我剛說(shuō)的是“can”嗎？因?yàn)槲矣袝r(shí)候說(shuō)話會(huì)吞音。"N'T.N'T." Can't come in.
這里Ned說(shuō)的話如果只靠的話可能我們是聽(tīng)不出他說(shuō)的是can't，但是美國(guó)人說(shuō)話如果不是否定式的話can是不會(huì)重讀的，所以我們聽(tīng)這里可以從重讀來(lái)判斷Ned說(shuō)的其實(shí)是否定的can't。這就是重音在溝通中的重要性。
So, what does this mean for my speaking skills?
那么，這對(duì)我們說(shuō)來(lái)說(shuō)意味著什么呢？
Well, first of all, you need to understand which words we generally stress and which we do not stress. Basically, stress words are considered CONTENT WORDS such as