This thesis aims to survey the phonological features of English rhythm with a view of working out effective ways to develop oral communicative competence of Korean speakers. English rhythm is composed of stress, juncture, numbers of unstressed syllabl...
This thesis aims to survey the phonological features of English rhythm with a view of working out effective ways to develop oral communicative competence of Korean speakers. English rhythm is composed of stress, juncture, numbers of unstressed syllables and divisions of thought groups, etc. Of these stress pattern and unstressed syllables are the most prominent features determining the characteristics of English rhythm. In contrast Korean language has syllable-timed rhythm, which gives Korean speakers great difficulties in learning English rhythm. It is then apparent that the greatest difficulties in learning English rhythm is stress and unstressed syllables. Another factor which contributes to the difficulty in learning English rhythm is the absence of contacts with natural English by Korean learners of English.
To conclude, the Korean learners of English, which is quite different from their mother tongue, have to understand stress patterns and the sounds of reduced forms chiefly found in uttering function words as well as sentences, structures and vocabulary etc., and habituate themselves to these elements through listening and speaking drills. For this the first task is to arrange materials containing the most typical stress pattern and sequenced according to the number of syllables and the types of stress patterns, and then to have the learners practise speaking and listening the materials by using tape - recorders or language laboratories as a source of natural English.