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cataphoric suspension

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 rhetorical effect where a pronoun or reference appears before its antecedent, creating suspense or delayed comprehension.

Detailed Definition
Cataphoric suspension is a syntactic strategy where a pronoun or placeholder appears before its referent is revealed, creating anticipatory tension; in poetry, this device delays semantic resolution to build mystery or focus attention, as in “She wept—her name was Ruth,” where the delayed antecedent heightens emotional weight through suspenseful unfolding.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Cataphoric suspension occurs when a pronoun or reference is given before the noun, e.g., ‘Although he was tired, John kept working.’”; “Suspension by forward referencing delaying noun introduction in poetic syntax.”
Additional Notes
A rhetorical technique where the meaning or key information is suspended or delayed until a later point in the sentence or line, often using a cataphoric reference (a word that refers forward to an idea); Creates tension and anticipation; Opposite of anaphoric.
Also Known As
suspended reference deferred reference cataphoric delay Cataphoric deferral
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