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Bob and wheel

Structure
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

Medieval stanzaic device with a short "bob" line followed by a rhymed "wheel".

Detailed Definition
Bob and wheel is a Middle English stanzaic device consisting of a short “bob” line (often two syllables) followed by a rhyming “wheel” of four lines (usually trimeter), creating a rhythmic pivot; famously used in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for narrative emphasis and musical closure.
Example
Example in poetry:
Bob and wheel in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight": short "bob" line followed by rhyming "wheel"; Example: "Then / The king was crowned with joy and grace, / In hall so high and noble place"; The form creates rhythmic surprise after alliterative lines; Contemporary revival in Heaney’s translations; Bob and wheel anchors narrative with lyrical refrain
Additional Notes
Medieval form: short stanza (bob) followed by wheel (four rhyming lines) after longer stanza. Found in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." Related: tail rhyme, medieval prosody. Complex structure rewards structural analysis.
Also Known As
Tail-rhyme stanza bob-and-wheel unit wheel-and-bob short-line with wheel
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