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dells

Noun
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

Small, sheltered valleys, often wooded or grassy, whose secluded natural setting can create pastoral, tranquil, or hidden imagery in a poem.

Detailed Definition
A dell is a little hollow or valley, usually in a rural or wooded setting. The plural "dells" is a poetic, somewhat old-fashioned landscape word.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Hurriedly through its ferny dells” uses dells for small, sheltered valleys; A dell often suggests rural quiet, greenery, and enclosure; “The stream whispered among the dells” gives the landscape a pastoral soundscape; A contemporary poem can unsettle the idyll: “Plastic gathered in the suburban dells”
Additional Notes
"Dells" in the quoted line is a specialized poetic word for small valleys and may be unfamiliar to many readers.; Found in the poem, Speak of the North! A lonely moor by Charlotte Brontë
Also Known As
valleys glades dales hollows
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