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Accentual hexameter

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

A metrical system in which each line contains exactly six stressed syllables, with the number of unstressed syllables varying freely.

Detailed Definition
Accentual hexameter is a six-stress line that follows accentual rather than syllabic or quantitative principles, adapting classical hexameter to stress-timed languages like English; it maintains six strong beats per line but allows flexible syllable counts between stresses, as seen in some modernist experiments.
Example
Example in poetry:
Accentual hexameter: "He strode through the storm with a heart full of thunder" — six stressed syllables per line regardless of total syllable count, as in Old English-inspired verse.
Additional Notes
Six-stress line in accentual meter. Syllable count varies. Creates powerful, emphatic rhythm. Less common than pentameter or tetrameter. Often used for heroic or elevated subjects.
Also Known As
Stress-based hexameter Beat hexameter Accentual six-beat line
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