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Altered sonnet

Form
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 sonnet that deliberately alters traditional elements—such as rhyme scheme, meter, line count, or volta placement—while retaining core sonnet identity.

Detailed Definition
An altered sonnet is a sonnet that deviates from traditional structural, metrical, or thematic conventions—such as the Petrarchan or Shakespearean forms—through modifications in rhyme scheme, line count, volta placement, or stanzaic organization, often to suit modern sensibilities or experimental aims while retaining the sonnet’s essential lyrical intensity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Terrance Hayes’ “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin” reworks the traditional sonnet with irregular rhyme and contemporary themes; Wanda Coleman’s “American Sonnet” series uses jazz-inflected rhythms and fragmented syntax to subvert Petrarchan form; Natasha Trethewey’s “Native Guard” employs altered sonnets that blend personal and historical narratives with nontraditional meter; Jericho Brown’s “Duplex” form merges sonnet structure with blues aesthetics and couplet repetition
Additional Notes
An altered sonnet retains the 14-line structure of a traditional sonnet but modifies rhyme scheme, meter, or volta placement; poets use this form to honor tradition while asserting individual voice—compare with Shakespearean or Petrarchan sonnets.
Also Known As
Modified sonnet Variant sonnet Reconfigured sonnet Disrupted sonnet Rearranged fourteen-liner Revised-over sonnet
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