Which language type features a roughly equal distribution of stress across syllables?

Which language type features a roughly equal distribution of stress across syllables?

• A. Stress-timed language
• B. Syllable-timed language
• C. Mono-timed language
• D. Rhythm-timed language

Answer: (B)

Think about how languages pace and chunk their syllables. In syllable-timed languages, each syllable tends to have about the same duration, so the rhythm feels even and the stress is distributed more evenly across many syllables. This gives you a sense that each syllable contributes roughly equally to the timing, rather than letting a few stressed syllables dominate the rhythm. That’s why this option fits: it describes a pattern where stress is spread across syllables in an even way. In contrast, stress-timed languages create rhythm from regularly spaced stressed syllables, with many unstressed syllables shortened or reduced in between, producing an uneven cadence. The other terms listed aren’t standard descriptors for this phenomenon, so they don’t fit the concept as well.

Think about how languages pace and chunk their syllables. In syllable-timed languages, each syllable tends to have about the same duration, so the rhythm feels even and the stress is distributed more evenly across many syllables. This gives you a sense that each syllable contributes roughly equally to the timing, rather than letting a few stressed syllables dominate the rhythm. That’s why this option fits: it describes a pattern where stress is spread across syllables in an even way.

In contrast, stress-timed languages create rhythm from regularly spaced stressed syllables, with many unstressed syllables shortened or reduced in between, producing an uneven cadence. The other terms listed aren’t standard descriptors for this phenomenon, so they don’t fit the concept as well.