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Dissonance

Sound
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 deliberate use of clashing, discordant sounds (e.g., harsh consonants) to evoke tension, discomfort, or emotional rawness.

Detailed Definition
Dissonance in poetry refers to the deliberate use of harsh, clashing, or discordant sounds—through consonant clusters, cacophony, or rhythmic irregularity—to evoke tension, unease, or emotional conflict, often mirroring thematic discord or psychological turmoil.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” harsh consonants (“black shoe,” “vampire”) create dissonance with nursery-rhyme meter; In Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est,” guttural sounds (“gargling,” “froth-corrupted”) create dissonance with Latin motto; In Gwendolyn Brooks’ “The Bean Eaters,” “plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood” uses dissonant diction for humble realism; In Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City,” disco lyrics clash dissonantly with war imagery; In Tracy K. Smith’s “The United States Welcomes You,” bureaucratic language creates dissonance with lyrical form.
Additional Notes
Dissonance is the deliberate use of harsh, clashing sounds (consonants or rhythms) to convey tension, conflict, or unease; it contrasts with euphony and is often employed in war poetry or poems of psychological distress.
Other Meanings of “Dissonance”
Also Known As
Cacophony Harsh sound Discordant tone Unharmonious quality Cacophony (related) Discord
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