The influence of rhythmic (ir)regularities on speech processing: Evidence from an ERP study on German phrases

► Irregular but possible rhythmic variants are costly in language processing. ► Rhythmic irregularities modulate biphasic ERP patterns. ► The brain is sensitive to violations of alternating rhythm in natural speech. ► Stress shifts must be licensed by rhythmical conditions. ► Constant rhythmic patterns are not a purely perceptual phenomenon.