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Dochmiac stanza

Form
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 stanza composed of dochmiac meter, often expressing agitation or grief in Greek tragedy

Detailed Definition
Dochmiac stanza employs the dochmius—a highly irregular metrical foot typically scanned as stressed-unstressed-stressed-stressed-unstressed—which conveys agitation or emotional intensity; used in ancient Greek tragedy (e.g., Aeschylus), this form resists regularity to mirror psychological turmoil or dramatic climax.
Example
Example in poetry:
Dochmiac stanza: A stanza using dochmiac meter to convey emotional turmoil: “Alas! the gods have turned away / Their eyes from us in dire dismay.”
Additional Notes
Stanza using dochmiac feet for syncopated, emotional rhythm. Very rare, particularly in English. Creates metrical agitation. Related to Greek tragic meters. Experimental classical application.
Also Known As
Dochmiac verse Bacchic stanza Greek excited meter
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