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chance-reading augury

Concept
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 poetic or divinatory practice involving random selection and reading of textual passages to reveal hidden meanings or omens.

Detailed Definition
Chance-reading augury is a divinatory practice where random passages from poetry (e.g., Virgil or the Bible) are interpreted as prophetic messages; historically used by Romans ("Sortes Vergilianae") and medieval scholars, this technique treats poetic text as oracular, transforming literary ambiguity into personal or political guidance through serendipitous encounter.
Example
Example in poetry:
Chance-reading augury draws poetic meaning from random text encounters: Burroughs’ cut-up technique as chance-reading augury; students open dictionaries for oracle-like lines; contemporary poets use social media feeds as chance-reading augury; the practice revives ancient bibliomancy; it treats language as divinatory medium
Additional Notes
A form of divination (augury) where a randomly selected line or passage from a book is interpreted as a prophecy or answer; A specific technique for Book divination; Less about the poem's content than its use as a tool.
Also Known As
divinatory chance-reading augury of chance poetic divination Bibliomancy
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