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Anacrustic onset

Sound
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

An unstressed syllable or syllables at the beginning of a line that precede the regular metrical pattern.

Detailed Definition
Anacrustic onset describes the presence of anacrusis at the beginning of a poetic line, where one or more unstressed syllables precede the metrical pattern, softening the line’s start and enhancing musicality, as frequently found in hymns or ballads.
Example
Example in poetry:
Anacrustic onset adds unstressed syllables before the first metrical foot: Shakespeare’s “To be, or not to be” begins with an anacrusis (“To”); Blake’s “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright” opens with an extra beat; Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” starts with two anacruses; Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” opens with “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan”—the “In” is anacrustic; modern examples include Auden’s “Stop all the clocks,” where “Stop” is metrically extrametrical.
Additional Notes
Extra unstressed syllable(s) before first metrical foot of line. Creates syncopated rhythm; opposite of truncation. Listen for pickup notes at line openings.
Also Known As
anacrusis pickup
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