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Dactylic tetrameter brachycatalectic

Meter
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 dactylic tetrameter line missing its final half-foot (typically the last unstressed syllable), yielding a metrically abrupt or emphatic ending.

Detailed Definition
Dactylic tetrameter brachycatalectic describes a four-foot dactylic line missing its final two unstressed syllables, resulting in a sharply truncated rhythm that emphasizes the stressed syllable at the end; this rare metrical variation is used for dramatic or emphatic effect, often in lyrical or choral passages of ancient Greek and Latin poetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
Dactylic tetrameter brachycatalectic: "Marching through the stormy night—" (four dactylic feet missing the final two unstressed syllables, ending on a long syllable).
Additional Notes
Dactylic tetrameter brachycatalectic shortens final foot by two syllables (four dactyls, ends with single stress). Creates clipped ending. More common than regular catalectic. Adds punch to line conclusion—see Browning's "How They Brought the Good News."
Also Known As
Doubly-shortened four-foot dactylic Extra-truncated tetrameter Ultra-curtailed four-measure verse
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