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cadence structure

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

A poem organized around rhythmic phrasing and natural speech patterns rather than strict meter

Detailed Definition
Cadence structure organizes a poem around natural speech rhythms and breath patterns rather than strict metrical feet; common in free verse, it emphasizes the rise and fall of vocal inflection, pauses, and emotional pacing to create musicality, allowing poets like Whitman or Rich to shape lines according to organic human utterance rather than imposed prosodic rules.
Example
Example in poetry:
Free verse that builds momentum through rhythmic accumulation, as in Ginsberg’s “Howl”: “who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking…”; Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” using anaphora and flowing syntax to create rising musicality; Whitman’s cataloging in “I Sing the Body Electric,” where listing generates forward propulsion; A poem that climaxes with emotional intensity through syntactic layering and crescendoing imagery
Additional Notes
Cadence structure organizes lines or stanzas around rhythmic flow rather than strict meter; common in free verse—students should listen for natural speech rhythms and emotional pacing.
Also Known As
rhythmic architecture cadential framework prosodic flow melodic contour cadential frame cadential pattern
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