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Attenuated caesura

Sound
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 caesura so subtle or softened by enjambment or phrasing that it barely interrupts the line’s rhythmic flow.

Detailed Definition
Attenuated caesura is an extremely subtle or nearly imperceptible pause within a line, often marked only by a slight breath or vowel shift; this delicate break maintains fluidity while offering micro-emphasis, common in free verse seeking organic speech rhythms without overt punctuation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Attenuated caesura: In Louise Glück’s “Mock Orange,” the subtle pause in “It is not the moon, I tell you. / It is these flowers…” is an attenuated caesura—barely perceptible but crucial to the poem’s restrained emotional tension.
Additional Notes
Attenuated caesura is a subtle, almost imperceptible pause—often marked by a slight breath or syntactic hinge—used to maintain flow while adding nuance.
Also Known As
Weakened caesura diminished pause reduced break softened medial stop
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