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common tongue

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

Everyday spoken language employed for authenticity or accessibility in poetry

Detailed Definition
Common tongue denotes the vernacular or native language of a people, especially as opposed to Latin or other scholarly or liturgical languages; in poetic contexts, it signifies a commitment to writing in the living, spoken idiom of one’s culture, as championed by Dante or the Romantics.
Example
Example in poetry:
Langston Hughes’ “The Weary Blues” incorporates the common tongue of Harlem jazz culture; Amiri Baraka’s “SOS” uses the common tongue of Black vernacular to channel collective urgency; Joy Harjo’s “Eagle Poem” blends Native American oral tradition with the common tongue of contemporary lyric; Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” integrates the common tongue of everyday racism into poetic discourse
Additional Notes
Common tongue emphasizes linguistic accessibility and shared cultural idiom; poets using it aim for immediacy and connection, often aligning with populist or community-oriented aesthetics.
Also Known As
Popular speech Native vernacular Layman’s language Basilect register Colloquial language Plain speech Vernacular speech Basilectal register
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