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Colloquialism

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

The deliberate use of informal, regional, or conversational language in poetry to create intimacy, realism, or social commentary.

Detailed Definition
A colloquialism is an informal word, phrase, or expression drawn from everyday speech and used in poetry to convey realism, intimacy, or cultural specificity; it can ground abstract themes in lived experience, as in the works of Philip Larkin or Gwendolyn Brooks.
Example
Example in poetry:
Colloquialism: Frost’s “The Death of the Hired Man”: “Nothing to say”; Hughes’ “Mother to Son”: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”; Contemporary: “Y’all ever feel like a Wi-Fi signal?” (original)
Additional Notes
Informal expression characteristic of casual speech. Adds authenticity and immediacy. Use judiciously in formal poetry. Related to: colloquial register, vernacular.
Also Known As
Informal diction conversational language cultural idiom
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