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Antispastic trimeter

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 three-foot line composed of antispasts (unstressed-unstressed-stressed-stressed)

Detailed Definition
Antispastic trimeter is a three-foot line incorporating the antispast metrical foot, producing a rhythmically complex and often jarring cadence; though uncommon in English poetry, it appears in experimental or classically inspired verse seeking rhythmic disruption.
Example
Example in poetry:
Antispastic trimeter: Three antispastic feet (– u u –); e.g., “Stars shine above the sleeping town,” scanned as – u u – | – u u – | – u u –.
Additional Notes
Three antispastic feet per line. Rare meter with pivoting rhythm. Shorter length makes more sustainable than longer antispastic lines. Provides rhythmic complexity while maintaining manageability.
Also Known As
Antispastic three-foot Short-long-long-short trimeter Bounded trimeter
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