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Antispastic five-foot

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 pentameter line based on the antispastic foot (short-long-long-short), creating a symmetrical, alternating tension; its measured counterbalance enhances formal poise and intellectual rigor in classical-imitating verse.

Detailed Definition
Antispastic five-foot refers to a metrical line composed of five antispastic feet, each foot typically consisting of a long syllable followed by two short syllables (— ∪ ∪), creating a rhythmic pattern that contrasts with more common iambic or trochaic meters; this rare metrical form appears primarily in experimental or classical-inspired verse and demands precise prosodic control to maintain musicality without sounding forced or archaic.
Example
Example in poetry:
Antispastic five-foot (cretic + iamb x5) appears in Greek drama for solemn effect; Rare in English; approximated in liturgical verse like “Holy, holy, holy”; The rhythm (– u – u x) creates stately, processional cadence; Modern attempts appear in neo-classical hymns or ceremonial poetry.
Additional Notes
Antispastic five-foot is a line of verse consisting of five antispasts (a rare metrical foot: ∪−−∪, unstressed-stressed-stressed-unstressed); also known as antispastic pentameter, it is complex and practically unused in English accentual-syllabic verse.
Also Known As
Five-foot antispast Quintuple antispastic Pentameter antispast Antispastic pentameter
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