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Amphibrachic tetrameter

Meter
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 metrical line containing four amphibrachic feet (unstressed-stressed-unstressed), creating a tripping, dance-like movement; often employed in humorous or whimsical poetry, and in traditional nursery rhymes.

Detailed Definition
Amphibrachic tetrameter consists of four amphibrachic feet per line, each foot comprising an unstressed syllable, a stressed syllable, then another unstressed syllable (da-DUM-da); though rare in English, it appears in light verse or song lyrics for its lilting, musical quality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Amphibrachic tetrameter consists of four amphibrach feet; a Russian example by Nekrasov translated: “The troika races, bells a-ringing,” capturing the galloping rhythm of the amphibrach.
Additional Notes
Five-foot line in Alcaic pattern. Rare—Alcaic stanzas use 11-, 11-, 9-, 10-syllable lines. Possibly variant or error. Consult classical prosody sources if encountered.
Also Known As
Amphibrachic four-foot Rocking tetrameter Short-long-short tetrameter
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