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Audience Address

Performance
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

Direct speech from the performer to listeners. It makes the audience an acknowledged presence in the poem.

Detailed Definition
Audience address occurs when a poet speaks to listeners rather than presenting the poem as if no one were present. A performer may ask questions, invite replies, give instructions, or use eye contact and gesture to establish contact. This technique can make a reading feel conversational, confrontational, intimate, or communal. It is central to many spoken-word, slam, and live dramatic poetry practices.
Example
Example in poetry:
A performer looks directly at the listeners and says, “You have seen this street before,” making the audience part of the poem’s world; While reading a climate poem, the poet asks the audience, “What will you save?” and pauses for the question to resonate; In a dramatic monologue, the speaker addresses an imagined “you,” and the performer uses eye contact to make the audience feel addressed; A slam poet opens with “Listen,” using a direct command to establish an immediate connection with the room
Additional Notes
Audience address breaks the boundary between performer and listeners through direct pronouns, eye contact, questions, commands, or acknowledgement of the room. “You” may invite intimacy, challenge complacency, or create discomfort, so its purpose should be clear. Compare apostrophe, where the speaker addresses an absent person, object, or idea. Study hint: identify who “you” is and pause after key questions to allow a response.
Also Known As
Direct Address Audience Engagement
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