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catalectic opening

Meter
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 line that begins with one or more missing syllables, producing an incomplete opening foot

Detailed Definition
Catalectic opening refers to a metrical line that begins with an incomplete foot, omitting one or more expected syllables at the start; this inversion of typical catalexis (which usually affects line endings) creates rhythmic asymmetry and emphasis, occasionally used in experimental verse to disrupt predictability and foreground initial words through metrical surprise.
Example
Example in poetry:
“A catalectic opening may start a trochaic line missing the final unstressed syllable, e.g., ‘Come, cease!’”; “A truncated first line missing a syllable to create a sharp opening.”
Additional Notes
The omission of the final unstressed syllable in a line of metrical verse, but specifically occurring at the beginning of the line; A relatively rare metrical variation that slightly disrupts the expected rhythm from the outset; Related to acatalectic.
Also Known As
incomplete opening truncated beginning catalectic start Acephalous verse
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