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Additive rhythm

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

Rhythm built by accumulating stresses or syllables progressively through a passage

Detailed Definition
Additive rhythm describes a metrical approach in which beats or units are added incrementally rather than adhering to a fixed, repeating pattern; this technique, common in oral and non-Western poetic traditions, allows for organic expansion and contraction of line length, fostering a sense of spontaneity and mimetic realism, as in the verse of C.K. Williams.
Example
Example in poetry:
Additive rhythm emphasizes repetition of rhythmic cells rather than metrical alternation, as in Whitman’s catalogs: “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, / And what I assume you shall assume…”
Additional Notes
Additive rhythm builds meter by accumulating beats or syllables rather than adhering to a fixed pattern; common in modernist and experimental poetry (e.g., Williams’ variable foot), it emphasizes organic flow over strict prosody.
Also Known As
Accumulative rhythm Building rhythm Progressive beat
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