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Concessive turn

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

A rhetorical shift acknowledging an opposing idea before countering it

Detailed Definition
A concessive turn is a rhetorical shift in a poem where the speaker acknowledges an opposing viewpoint or complicating factor before reaffirming their position; this move adds nuance and credibility, as in “Although time erodes all things, love persists,” balancing concession with resolution.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116: “Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds”—a concessive turn acknowledging change but affirming constancy; In “Ode to a Nightingale,” Keats concedes: “Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!” despite human mortality; In “One Art,” Bishop concedes “—Even losing you...” after claiming loss is easy; In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Eliot concedes “I am not Prince Hamlet” before retreating into insignificance.
Additional Notes
Concessive turn: A rhetorical or poetic turn that introduces an exception or contrast using “although,” “yet,” or “but”; often deepens complexity.
Also Known As
Allowing volta Yielding shift Conceding turn Concessional volta
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