The Leading Tone Project

The idea that everything occurs linearly, over the course of time, is evident in the way we construct our sentences and track our understanding of our own lives. It is within this understanding we perform, compose, and listen to music. Since language occurs over time, there is the understanding that words and ideas are uttered like marks on a continuous line, some closer together, others with large gaps in-between. It has been the work of linguists and philosophers to understand the patterns, or the rhythm, of speech and language in this way, and while there is no definitive or consistent model for how language is rhythmically produced in any language, it has been determined that rhythm is considered and perceived when language is spoken or heard. It is this perception of rhythm in speech that defines how language comprehension is acquired before phonetic skills. This paper will explore the effects of rhythm in language during infant's prelexical period, the correlations of rhythm and developing reading skills, and finally, explore how the intervals between vocalic utterances become normalized and consistent in poetic readings.