Episode 167: The Rhythm of English
The History of English Podcast
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The Stress Pattern in English Words
English has this natural up and down stress pattern. We have a tendency to spread out the peaks and valleys at somewhat regular intervals. And that pattern can alter the pronunciation of a word, either temporarily in a given sentence or permanently over time. In poetry, it's called the meter of the poem. Poetry is ultimately about organizing language into certain repeating patterns.
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