SPONTANEOUS PERIODICITY

What happens when people speak text together out loud?

It turns out that we have a strong tendency to `versify' text.

USA. Listen to the United States `Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag'. Children recite this in schoolrooms across America every day. Although this text was not intended to be a verse, it is ALWAYS performed as though it were (even if such performance is rhythmically awkward).

A group of adult midwest Americans, 1997.

I PLEDGE al-LEGiance TO the FLAG
Of the U-NITed STATES of A-MERica [REST]
And TO the re-PUBlic for WHICH it STANDS.

Looking only at the first 3 lines, for the moment, there are 4 beats per line (as written above). The first and third are stronger while the second and fourth (eg, `-leg-', and `flag') are weaker. Notice that the second line has 3 syllables of `upbeat' (before the first strong beat on `-NIT') and then has a silent rest on the fourth beat.

USA. Responsive Reading. In many American churches, novel texts are sometimes read by the entire congregation in unison. Speakers attempt to stay together, so theytry to agree on an obvious rhythm for the reading. Here is an example.

CLIP-responsive reading

_____________________________________________________

The next examples are supposedly prose passages by preachers and news broadcasters.

NEXT