Home › Glossary › Letter C

Classical middle eleven

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

An eleven-syllable line situated between classical and modern metrical forms

Detailed Definition
Classical middle eleven denotes an eleven-syllable line positioned centrally within a stanza or poem that serves as a structural or thematic pivot, often balancing contrasting ideas or emotions; drawing from classical traditions, it may employ metrical consistency to anchor the poem’s rhythm while enabling nuanced shifts in tone or perspective.
Example
Example in poetry:
An eleven-syllable line blending classical and vernacular stress patterns, such as in some translations of Propertius; A hybrid line in English that uses five iambic feet plus an extra unstressed syllable (feminine ending) totaling eleven; A line like “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, my friend” adjusted to eleven syllables; A poetic line that mirrors the medial caesura of Greek eleven-syllable forms while using English stress
Additional Notes
Classical middle eleven refers to a balanced eleven-syllable line in ancient poetry that avoids extremes of speed or weight—often used in lyric or dramatic verse for moderate pacing and clarity of expression.
Also Known As
Central classical eleven medial hendecasyllable balanced eleven-line segment classical pivot eleven Hendecasyllabic pentameter
Skip to main content