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Conversational theory

Concept
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 idea that poetry can emulate or be structured around the dynamics of spoken conversation

Detailed Definition
Conversational theory in poetics posits that poetry functions as a form of dialogue—between poet and reader, self and other, or past and present—emphasizing responsiveness, context, and relational meaning over solitary expression; it draws from Bakhtin’s dialogism and underpins much contemporary lyric practice.
Example
Example in poetry:
Bakhtin’s concept of heteroglossia informs conversational theory in poetry, where multiple voices coexist; Charles Bernstein’s Language poetry challenges monologic authority through fragmented dialogue; Juliana Spahr’s “This Connection of Everyone with Lungs” theorizes conversation as ecological interdependence; M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!” uses broken syntax to theorize silenced voices as conversational absence.
Additional Notes
Conversational theory in poetics argues that poetry functions as a form of dialogue between poet, reader, and cultural context; emphasizes accessibility and relational meaning over obscurity.
Also Known As
Dialogue poetics speech theory relational lyricism conversational aesthetics Conversational poetics Interactive aesthetics
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