Home › Glossary › Letter A

Alcman's measure

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 choral lyric meter attributed to the Spartan poet Alcman, featuring dactylic and trochaic elements suited for communal performance.

Detailed Definition
Alcman's measure is a metrical pattern attributed to the ancient Greek poet Alcman, typically consisting of a dactylic tetrameter catalectic line. This measure features four dactylic feet with the final foot shortened or truncated, creating a distinctive rhythmic effect. Alcman used this meter in his choral lyrics, particularly in maiden songs and hymns, and it influenced later Greek lyric tradition through its combination of flowing dactyls with an abrupt, emphatic conclusion.
Example
Example in poetry:
Alcman’s measure (glyconic + pherecratean) appears in ancient Greek choral lyrics; It creates a lilting, song-like rhythm suited to communal performance; In fragment 1, Alcman praises a chorus of maidens with flowing lines; Rarely imitated in English due to quantitative complexity; Contemporary Hellenists like Anne Carson evoke its spirit through lyrical brevity.
Additional Notes
Alcman's measure is another name for the Alcmanic meter or Alcmanic strophe, a type of quantitative verse form from Ancient Greek poetry, similar to the Sapphic and Alcaic forms.
Also Known As
Alcmanic measure Lyric Doric meter Spartan Alcman rhythm Alcmanian Alcmanic
Skip to main content