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Alogism

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

The deliberate use of illogical or nonsensical statements to create a humorous or absurd effect.

Detailed Definition
Alogism denotes a deliberate illogicality or absurdity in poetic language, often used for surreal, satirical, or philosophical effect; it disrupts rational coherence to evoke dreamlike states or critique conventional thought, as in Dadaist or absurdist poetry where logic yields to imaginative disjunction.
Example
Example in poetry:
Alogism in Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”: “Beware the Jabberwock, my son!”; alogism in Russell Edson’s prose poems defies logical syntax; alogism in Surrealist poetry (e.g., André Breton) disrupts rational discourse; alogism uses illogical statements to access subconscious or absurd truths
Additional Notes
Illogical or absurdist statement used deliberately for effect. Surrealist and Dada technique disrupting sense. Differs from nonsense by philosophical intent; study with experimental modernism.
Also Known As
Illogicality Absurdity
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