Speakers of different languages perceive rhythm differently

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Speakers of different languages perceive rhythm differently

I put this in the Aesthetics section instead of the Music section because it has direct bearing on how we perceive music from a philosophical/scientific viewpoint.

This is part of what I call the Epistemology of Music.

I found the results of tying speech rhythms to perception of musical rhythm fascinating. The Gestalt unit (grouping of beats as 2 or 3) is innate to the mind, but the start or stop beat in terms of duration is learned from the language.

Cool.

Michael