Home › Glossary › Letter A

Antiphon

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 antiphon is a responsive chant or lyric in which alternating voices or groups echo or answer one another, often in liturgical settings.

Detailed Definition
An antiphon is a short chant or responsive verse, originally used in liturgical settings where two choirs alternate lines or phrases; in poetry, it refers to a refrain or repeated line that alternates with changing stanzas, creating a dialogic or call-and-response structure that enhances thematic resonance.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Greek tragedy, the Antiphon is a choral response to a soloist; Gregorian chant uses Antiphon as refrains between psalm verses; Hildegard von Bingen’s liturgical poetry includes Antiphon structures; contemporary choral poetry performances revive Antiphon for communal resonance; the form emphasizes dialogue between individual and collective voices
Additional Notes
Responsive singing or reading between two groups. Call-and-response structure. Common in liturgical and traditional verse. Creates communal participation. Compare with antiphonal lyric for literary adaptation.
Also Known As
Responsive chant Call-and-response Alternating chorus
Skip to main content