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Assonantal

Adjective
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

Describing verse that repeats similar vowel sounds within words (e.g., "lake"/"fate") to create internal sonic cohesion without full rhyme.

Detailed Definition
Assonantal describes poetic lines or stanzas unified primarily by repeated vowel sounds within words, especially in stressed syllables, producing a subtle internal music; unlike consonantal rhyme, assonance emphasizes vocalic resonance, as in “lake” and “fate,” and is a hallmark of Celtic and Spanish verse forms.
Example
Example in poetry:
Assonantal: Referring to assonance; e.g., the assonantal chain in Wilfred Owen’s “Strange Meeting”: “It seemed that out of battle I escaped / Down some profound dull tunnel,” with repeated “u” sounds.
Additional Notes
Related to or using assonance. Describes verse with vowel repetition but not full rhyme. Less exact than consonantal rhyme. Common in folk poetry and modern free verse seeking subtle sound patterns.
Also Known As
Vowel-linked assonance-based vocalic resonance vowel-rhymed
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