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Diaphora

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

Repetition of a word to mean first one thing and then another, or to emphasise it.

Detailed Definition
Diaphora is a rhetorical figure where a word is repeated in successive clauses but with a shift in meaning—from literal to figurative, general to specific, or vice versa—creating semantic tension or layered interpretation; in poetry, it exploits polysemy to deepen resonance, as when “light” shifts from illumination to understanding within a single stanza.
Example
Example in poetry:
Diaphora: "John the Baptist, John the Apostle—same name, different men" (rhetorical distinction); "Rose the flower, Rose the woman—homonymic play" (contextual clarity); "Bank of river vs. bank of money—diaphora prevents confusion" (semantic precision); "In poem: 'Will (name) willed his will (document) to Will (son)'" (triple meaning)
Additional Notes
Rhetorical repetition of word with different meaning each time. Creates semantic layering. Related to antanaclasis and polyptoton. Exploits homonymy or contextual shifts for effect.
Also Known As
Repetition variation Semantic repetition Repeated distinction Traductio
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