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Attached stress

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 stress whose prominence depends on its interaction with neighboring syllables, rather than standing independently.

Detailed Definition
A syllable that receives metrical emphasis not because of its natural linguistic stress or semantic importance, but because of its position within an established metrical pattern. The stress is "attached" or dependent on surrounding unstressed syllables and metrical context rather than on normal speech patterns. This concept helps explain why certain syllables are stressed in scansion despite being unstressed in ordinary pronunciation, highlighting the tension between meter and natural speech.
Example
Example in poetry:
A syllable stressed only because it follows unstressed ones; Accent that gains emphasis from surrounding weak syllables; Stress dependent on metrical context for its force; Emphasis attached to pattern rather than natural speech
Additional Notes
Understanding this concept helps explain why certain syllables receive stress in metrical verse but not in natural speech. Key to scansion and metrical analysis.
Also Known As
Contextual stress Positional accent Dependent emphasis Metrical stress Enclitic stress
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