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Acatalexis

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The absence of catalexis in a metrical line, meaning the line is metrically complete.

Detailed Definition
Acatalexis is the metrical condition in which a poetic line ends with a complete foot, fulfilling the expected syllabic and rhythmic pattern of its meter; it is the norm in most English verse and stands in opposition to catalexis, where the final syllable or beat is omitted for rhythmic variation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s "To be, or not to be" ends with acatalectic iambic pentameter: "And lose the name of action."; In Emily Dickinson’s "Because I could not stop for Death," the final line "Were toward Eternity—" is acatalectic, omitting the expected unstressed syllable; The acatalexis in Blake’s "The Tyger": "Dare its deadly terrors clasp?" creates rhythmic tension by truncating the final foot; Acatalectic lines in Old English alliterative verse often end on a stressed syllable for emphasis, as in "Beowulf": "He slew the monster, ended its life."; Acatalexis in modern free verse, like Plath’s "Daddy": "Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m through," uses abrupt closure for emotional impact.
Additional Notes
State of being acatalectic (metrically complete). Opposite of catalexis. Neutral condition—neither creates special effect. Important primarily in comparative prosody.
Also Known As
Completeness Full measure Catalexis absence
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