A Probe into the Differences Between China English Rhythm and American English Rhythm

This thesis makes a comparative study on the differences between China English rhythm and American English rhythm as well as the relationship between speakers＇ intonation perception and production with the combined method of sound recording and perception test. Chinese is Tone Language, while English is Intonation Language Although both tone and intonation are manifested by pitch variation, tone is used to convey the meaning at the word level, while intonation at the sentence or discourse level. The findings of the research indicate that while learning a foreign language based on intonation, Chinese English speakers, as influenced by their tone language, have great difficulties in grasping the rhythm pattern. This is also confirmed by the perception test. The research suggests that we should pay more attention to the training of intonation rather than the pronunciation of single words.