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Double-short foot

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 metrical foot consisting of two short syllables, traditionally used in classical prosody

Detailed Definition
A double-short foot is a metrical unit in classical poetry consisting of two short (light) syllables, often appearing in Aeolic or Ionic meters; in English prosody, it approximates a pyrrhic foot and is typically used in combination with heavier feet to create rhythmic variation and fluidity within a predominantly stressed meter.
Example
Example in poetry:
Greek iambic trimeter often includes double-short feet (∪ ∪) for fluidity; In Latin, the double-short foot appears in anapaestic rhythms; Catullus uses double-short feet in playful hendecasyllabics; Double-short feet appear in nursery rhymes for bouncy meter; Contemporary poet Annie Finch uses double-short feet in dactylic incantations.
Additional Notes
Double-short foot: A term for a metrical foot containing two short or unstressed syllables; typically a pyrrhic (  ) or the first two syllables of an anapest or dactyl.
Also Known As
Disyllabic short foot Double breve Twin-light foot Double short measure Choriamb Minor Ionic
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