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Attic style

Movement
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 Greek stylistic quality emphasizing clarity, elegance, and restraint

Detailed Definition
Attic style denotes a poetic mode characterized by classical restraint, lucidity, elegance, and understatement, modeled after the prose and drama of ancient Athens; it avoids ornamentation in favor of precision, balance, and intellectual clarity, often employed in epigrammatic or philosophical verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Attic style denotes classical Greek elegance, clarity, and restraint: Translations of Sappho’s fragments embody this: “Like the sweet apple reddening on a high branch”; Ben Jonson’s lyrics emulate Attic brevity: “Drink to me only with thine eyes”; Modern example: “Clear water, clear thought—no murk” (minimalist lyric); The style avoids ornament for direct emotional precision; Contemporary poet Anne Carson channels Attic style in “If Not, Winter”; It values proportion, balance, and understatement.
Additional Notes
Attic style refers to a poetic style characterized by simplicity, clarity, restraint, and polished elegance, associated with the dialect and taste of ancient Athens; contrasts with the more ornate Asiatic style.
Also Known As
classical restraint Greek clarity Hellenic form attic clarity
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