The document discusses unstressed syllables in English speech. It asks questions about whether unstressed syllables can be heard clearly, if they sound the same as written, and what words make up unstressed syllables. It explains that native speakers do not pronounce unstressed syllables the same as written and that listeners rely on context and sound to understand sentences even with changed or missing unstressed syllables. The document emphasizes the importance of unstressed syllables in English and provides examples of how sentences sound with and without them.

1. English 4 Listening
Week 6 Unstressed Syllables

2. Why are unstressed syllables important? Some
things to think about…
1. Can you hear every syllable in a sentence clearly?
2. Do unstressed syllables sound the same as they
appear?
3. What words make up unstressed syllables in a
sentence?
4. When we hear stressed syllables, how do we fill in
the gaps with the changed or missing unstressed
syllables?
5. But why are they important?

3. 1. Can you hear every syllable in a sentence clearly?
Not when native speakers speak.
1. Do unstressed syllables sound the same as they
appear? Usually not.
2. What words make up unstressed syllables in a
sentence? Function words
3. When we hear stressed syllables, how do we fill in
the gaps with the changed or missing unstressed
syllables? Guessing from sound, guessing from
context

4. 6. But why are they important?
Source: http://www.pronuncian.com/

5. Listen as I read these sentences with and
without unstressed syllables.
Source: http://www.writingrhymeandmeter.com/

6. Some facts…
• any vowel(except some diphthongs)can be reduced to
• / / or /I/.
• In spoken English, there are many more
unstressed syllables than there are stressed
syllables.
• two vowels, / / and /I/, are the most
frequently used vowel sounds in spoken
English.

7. The schwa