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Anapestic dimeter

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 foot of two short syllables followed by a long, repeated twice per line

Detailed Definition
Anapestic dimeter features two anapestic feet per line (da-da-DUM da-da-DUM), producing a light, galloping rhythm common in lighthearted or narrative verse, such as in Byron’s “The Destruction of Sennacherib” or comic poetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
Anapestic dimeter drives limericks: “There once was a man from Peru”; Dr. Seuss’s “Horton Hears a Who!” uses anapestic dimeter for child-friendly bounce (“On the fifteenth of May, in the jungle of Nool”); Lord Byron’s “The Destruction of Sennacherib” opens with anapestic dimeter for galloping urgency; modern advertising jingles often employ anapestic dimeter for memorability; the meter’s two unstressed beats create forward momentum ideal for narrative verse
Additional Notes
Two-foot anapestic line: four unstressed plus two stressed syllables. Short, bouncing rhythm. Related to dimeter variations. Byron used in "Destruction of Sennacherib." Creates galloping effect even in brief span.
Also Known As
dimeter anapest anapestic two-footer
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