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Alliterative phrase

Device
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 short group of words linked by the repetition of initial consonant sounds

Detailed Definition
Alliterative phrase is a sequence of words beginning with the same consonant sound, used for emphasis, rhythm, or mnemonic effect; in poetry, it enhances texture and oral performance, as in “wild wind whistling” or Beowulf’s “helm beran, byrnan scyldan” (bear helmet, shielded by mail).
Example
Example in poetry:
Alliterative phrase in “Peter Piper picked a peck...”; Seamus Heaney’s “bawn” and “bicker” in “Bogland”; alliterative phrase in Gwendolyn Brooks’s “We real cool. We / Left school”; alliterative phrases enhance rhythm and mnemonic quality in oral poetry
Additional Notes
Alliterative phrase is a group of words linked by alliteration; often used as a stylistic device to unify lines or highlight thematic connections, especially in Anglo-Saxon poetry and contemporary lyrical writing.
Also Known As
Sound-pattern phrase Initial-rhyme phrase Consonant-repetition phrase
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