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Auditory elision

Device
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

The omission of sounds or syllables in reading to create rhythmic compression and implied auditory gaps.

Detailed Definition
Auditory elision drops phonetic elements, accelerating pace and suggesting unspoken resonances in poetic delivery. Rooted in elision techniques of Latin verse, it elides in Hopkins' dense compressions for energetic bursts. Poets employ it to mimic speech's natural shortcuts, heightening intensity. This device appears to focus attention on retained sounds, enhancing contrast and mystery. Elision auditorily tightens form, reflecting life's omissions, and amplifies poetic economy in oral performance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Gerard Manley Hopkins elides syllables in "The Windhover" for breathless flight; In Alexander Pope's heroic couplets, auditory elisions quicken satirical pace; Hypothetical: Eliding vowels in a rapid chase scene for urgency; Latin influences in Milton's "Paradise Lost" elide for epic flow; e.e. cummings elides in "anyone lived" for rhythmic compression.
Additional Notes
Auditory elision compresses rhythm, from classical scansion to modern elisions; practice by omitting vowels in drafts; related to syncope; Hopkins elides for energy; tip: use in fast-paced sections; professors trace to Latin poetry, examining how it enhances oral delivery and implies unspoken depths.
Also Known As
Phonetic elision Sound omission
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