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Aeolic base line

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 basic metrical pattern forming the foundation of Aeolic verse forms.

Detailed Definition
An Aeolic base line is a foundational metrical unit in Aeolic verse, a lyric tradition originating in ancient Greece associated with poets like Sappho and Alcaeus, typically composed of glyconic or pherecratean meters and characterized by a choriambic nucleus (– u u –), providing rhythmic stability while allowing for lyrical flexibility and emotional nuance in strophic composition.
Example
Example in poetry:
Aeolic base line|"Sweet airs that give delight and hurt not" (Sappho); "To the nymphs of my fatherland" (Alcaeus); "Softly the zephyr blows" (Lesbian lyric); "Faint aromas fill the valleys"
Additional Notes
Aeolic base line refers to the foundational metrical pattern in Aeolic verse (e.g., glyconic or pherecratean); essential for understanding Sappho’s and Alcaeus’s lyric structures.
Also Known As
Aeolic foundational line Aeolic base Aeolic metrical root Aeolic strophe base
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