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Cataphoric reference

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

A forward-pointing reference to something that will be explained later in the poem

Detailed Definition
Cataphoric reference occurs when a pronoun or placeholder precedes and points forward to a noun or concept introduced later in the text; in poetry, this technique builds suspense, creates mystery, or destabilizes linear logic by requiring the reader to hold ambiguity until resolution arrives.
Example
Example in poetry:
Cataphoric reference: A pronoun or reference pointing forward to a noun later in the text—e.g., in Donne’s “The Good-Morrow”: “I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I / Did, till we loved?” where “thou and I” resolves the initial “I wonder.”
Additional Notes
Cataphoric reference points forward to a word or idea introduced later in the poem (opposite of anaphora); creates suspense or delayed clarity—use judiciously.
Also Known As
Forward reference Later-pointing Anticipatory mention Future-text indicator
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