Table 2.
Excerpt of the Reading Passage.
| Utterance: | Number of syllables: |
|---|---|
| 1. Yes thanks, | 2 |
| 2. we went down town to see a film. | 8 |
| 3. Do you have any plans for today yet? | 10 |
| 4. (Yes)* I’ll be going to the exhibition in the Todd Centre. | 15 |
| 5. Would you like to come as well? | 7 |
| 6. Pam told my brother yesterday | 8 |
| 7. that it is better than she expected. | 10 |
| 8. Why don’t you meet me there at about two? | 10 |
| 9. I would with pleasure | 5 |
| 10. but I’m not sure whether I can join you. | 10 |
| 11. I promised my nephew to take him to the zoo | 12 |
| 12. to see the new camels and tigers that came in last week | 14 |
* “Yes” in utterance 4 was excluded from analysis as speakers varied considerably in whether they placed a pause after this word and how long this was, which might have affected the rhythm measure.