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Craquelure

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

Network of fine cracks in a poem's surface suggesting age or fragility

Detailed Definition
Craquelure in poetry refers to a surface texture of fine fractures or discontinuities—lexical, syntactic, or imagistic—that suggest underlying tension or aging; it evokes the cracked glaze of porcelain as a metaphor for fragility, memory, or the passage of time inscribed on language.
Example
Example in poetry:
Craquelure: Surface texture of a poem showing fine cracks of meaning—e.g., in Celan’s “Deathfugue,” fractured syntax (“black milk of daybreak”) reveals trauma beneath lyrical surface.
Additional Notes
Craquelure refers to fine cracks in imagery or syntax that suggest fragility, age, or tension beneath surface calm; borrowed from visual art terminology.
Also Known As
Crackle effect surface cracking age cracking fissure pattern
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