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Choriambic pentameter

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 five-unit line composed of choriambic feet (— ∪ ∪ —), blending a trochee and an iamb; it creates an elegant, flowing rhythm, often used in Greek and Roman lyric poetry for balanced grandeur.

Detailed Definition
Choriambic pentameter is a five-unit line centered on choriambic rhythm, offering a slightly compressed alternative to hexameter; it appears in Greek choral odes and later imitations, balancing grandeur with lyrical intimacy.
Example
Example in poetry:
Choriambic pentameter: five choriambic feet (¯ ˘ ˘ ¯ x5); extremely rare; attempted in Victorian experiments: “Majestic mountains crumble into dust, / Time’s relentless hand erases every name”; Not standard in English prosody; mostly theoretical or in classical imitation.
Additional Notes
Five-foot line using choriambic meter, creating elaborate twenty-syllable pattern. Rare even in classical verse due to complexity. Virtually absent from English poetry. Related to other extended choriambic lines.
Also Known As
Five-foot choriambic choriambic five-measure long-short-short-long pentameter five-unit choriamb
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