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Amphimacer trimeter

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 line consisting of three amphimacers (cretic feet), each with a stressed-unstressed-stressed pattern

Detailed Definition
Amphimacer trimeter is a metrical line composed of three amphimacers or cretic feet, each following the stressed-unstressed-stressed pattern. This results in a nine-syllable line with a balanced, wavelike rhythm marked as ′ ˘ ′ | ′ ˘ ′ | ′ ˘ ′. Among amphimacer lines, trimeter is relatively more practical in English poetry, though still uncommon due to the language's natural preference for iambic and trochaic patterns. The three-foot line creates a formal, measured effect without the excessive length that makes longer amphimacer lines unwieldy. Its symmetrical structure can produce a dignified, almost ceremonial quality in verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Amphimacer trimeter (three cretic feet) appears in Tennyson’s “Break, break, break”: “Break, break, break, / On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!” (approximate); the cretic trimeter mimics hammer blows or heartbeats in war poetry; Greek tragedy used cretic trimeter in kommoi (lyric laments); modern poets use Amphimacer trimeter for abrupt, declarative statements; its rhythmic punch makes it effective in slogans or epitaphs
Additional Notes
Amphimacer trimeter contains three amphimacer feet; compact yet sonorous—ideal for epigrammatic or ceremonial lines with strong rhythmic identity.
Also Known As
Cretic trimeter Three-foot amphimacer Triple cretic line Three-foot cretic
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