On Syllable-Timed Rhythm and Stress-Timed Rhythm in World Englishes : Revisited

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This paper draws attention to the tendency for stress-timed rhythm to be replaced by syllable-timed rhythm in a large number of new varieties of English. After a brief introduction to these different types ofrhythm, we investigate a number of varieties of English that have shifted in this respect: Standard Nigerian English, New Zealand English, South African Black English, Hong Kong English and other varieties. The main reason for the changes in these varieties seems to be the influence of neighbouring or coexisting languages,while the change is started or catalysed, we suspect, by the general unmarked status of syllable rhythm as compared to stress rhythm, as borne out by language acquisition. Our study shows that (i) prosodic features are susceptible to borrowing just like lexical items, segmental phonology, morphosyntactic constructions orsemantic distinctions and (ii) it is possible and desirable to make distinctions with respect to markedness in the realm of prosody

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