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Alcaic

Foot
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

Refers to the metrical pattern of Alcaic verse, a classical stanza form rather than a single foot

Detailed Definition
Alcaic denotes a complex stanzaic meter devised by the Greek poet Alcaeus, composed of four lines with specific combinations of dactyls, trochees, and spondees; though not a single foot, the term appears in foot glossaries due to its composite metrical units, and it influenced Renaissance and Romantic poets seeking elevated, personal lyric expression outside standard English meters.
Example
Example in poetry:
Horace’s Odes frequently employ the Alcaic stanza: “Quid dedicatum poscit Apollinem”; Sappho’s original Alcaic verse: “Some say a host of horsemen…” uses the classic four-line form; In English, Swinburne’s “Sapphics” adapts Alcaic meter: “All the night sleep came not upon my eyelids”; Thomas Hardy imitates it in “The Mother’s Tragedy”: “She looked at the moon, and her eyes grew dim”; The Alcaic meter typically follows the pattern: eleven-syllable line, eleven-syllable line, nine-syllable line, ten-syllable line; Ben Jonson’s “Ode to Himself” uses Alcaic structure to evoke classical dignity.
Additional Notes
Alcaic: Refers to a stanza form attributed to the Greek poet Alcaeus, typically composed of four lines with a specific metrical pattern involving dactylic and trochaic elements; in Latin, Horace adapted it with lines like – u – – / – u u – u – / – u u – u – / – u – –; essential for understanding classical lyric meters and their adaptation across cultures.
Also Known As
Alcaic stanza
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