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Anacatathesis

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 rhetorical device that repeats a word or phrase but reverses its grammatical order in a subsequent clause; it creates structural mirroring, emphasis, and a balanced, aphoristic quality.

Detailed Definition
Anacatathesis is a rare metrical term referring to the substitution of a longer metrical foot for a shorter one within a line, often to accommodate natural speech rhythms or emphasize a phrase; it introduces rhythmic variation while preserving overall metrical integrity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Anacatathesis rearranges letters within words to create poetic variation; In Greek epigrams, it produced elegant metrical substitutions; Modern examples appear in Oulipian experiments like Queneau’s "Exercises in Style"; This technique is cousin to anagram but operates at morphemic level; Anacatathesis reveals language’s plasticity and hidden harmonies.
Additional Notes
Repetition inverting word order from previous clause. Related to chiasmus and antimetabole. Reverses for emphasis or contrast. Example: "Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you." Creates rhetorical balance.
Also Known As
grammatical reversal syntactic inversion
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