The Rhythmic Classification of Algerian EFL Undergraduates’Interlanguage: A Comparison of two Approaches

This paper investigateswhether the interlanguage rhythm produced by 20 third year AlgerianEFL students at Mentouri Universityis classified as a discrete category or along a continuum. Therhythm metrics (%V and ΔC), yield that the informants’ speech rhythm is ‘intermediate’, merging astress-timed ΔC and a syllable-timed %V.The study also calculates nPVI and rPVI and compares theresults obtained from both set of metrics with those found in Hamdi(1).The comparison revealsthat %Vand ΔC are the best rhythm metrics in classifying the present interlanguage rhythm.