Stress and Rhythm in English and Czech

Mgr. Petra Nováková

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

This thesis sets out to trace the differences in stress and rhytm in English and Czech. I argue that misplacing the word stress in English is a greater source of intelligibility problems than mispronouncing the individual sounds. Czech learners of English in particular seem to be unaware of the significance of the stress within English pronunciation. They do not realize how much native speakers rely on the stress pattern of a word and that is why misunderstandings often arise. The practical part of the thesis is based on the research done at grammar schools in Brno. It investigates students’ awareness of English word stress. Results are evaluated and conclusions drawn.

Keywords

Czech and English pronunciation, teaching pronunciation, English and Czech word stress, sentence stress, rhythm, problems of Czech learners with English pronunciation

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 28. 5. 2007

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Obhajoba proběhla 15. 6. 2007
• Vedúci: PhDr. Kateřina Tomková, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Bachelor programme / odbor:
Philology / English Language and Literature