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Capillary action

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 technique of drawing meaning upward through a poem against apparent gravity or expectation

Detailed Definition
Capillary action in poetry refers to the subtle, almost imperceptible movement of meaning or sound through minute textual channels—such as internal rhyme, assonance, or lexical echoes—that draw the reader’s attention across lines or stanzas via delicate, cohesive forces rather than overt structural markers.
Example
Example in poetry:
Capillary action: Subtle, incremental movement of meaning between lines—e.g., in Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish,” details slowly accumulate (“here and there / his brown skin hung in strips”) to build emotional absorption.
Additional Notes
Capillary action in poetry describes subtle, pervasive thematic or imagistic diffusion—like liquid rising through narrow spaces; use recurring motifs to achieve this effect.
Also Known As
Wicking effect upward flow capillary movement absorption action
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