Home › Glossary › Letter B

Berimbau

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 Brazilian single-string percussion instrument used in capoeira

Detailed Definition
The berimbau embodies the fusion of music, movement, and resistance in poetry; its hypnotic rhythm symbolizes Afro-Brazilian heritage, cultural survival, and the dialogue between combat and dance, making it a potent metaphor for resilience, identity, and embodied memory in lyrical narratives.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Afro-Brazilian poetry, the berimbau’s single string sings the history of capoeira resistance; Poets liken its gourd resonator to a “mouth echoing ancestral chants”; The berimbau appears in diaspora verse as a bridge between Angola and Bahia; Its rhythmic patterns inspire poems with call-and-response structure; The berimbau’s wire becomes a metaphor for tension—between freedom and control, song and struggle; Contemporary poets use the berimbau to explore memory stored in vibration.
Additional Notes
The berimbau, a single-string Brazilian instrument played with a stick and stone, drives capoeira rhythms; its metallic twang and variable pitch reflect dialogue and resistance—ideal for poems about cultural survival, coded communication, or the dance between conflict and grace.
Also Known As
Berimbau de Angola
Skip to main content