Home › Glossary › Letter D

doubly truncated

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 line missing two syllables at its end, creating a sharply truncated or abrupt close that heightens emphasis or emotional tension.

Detailed Definition
Doubly truncated refers to a verse line that has been shortened by two syllables at its conclusion, creating a sharp, abrupt cadence; this technique intensifies focus or finality, frequently employed in dramatic monologues or martial verse where brevity conveys urgency, resolve, or irrevocable action.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s early sonnets sometimes use doubly truncated lines for emphasis; In Greek tragedy, doubly truncated lines signal divine interruption; Milton’s “Lycidas” uses doubly truncated lines in pastoral lament; Doubly truncated appears in Hardy’s elegies for abrupt grief; Contemporary poet Jorie Graham uses doubly truncated lines to fracture perception.
Additional Notes
doubly truncated: A metrical term for a line where the final foot has been cut short by two syllables. Related: Double catalexis.
Also Known As
Twice truncated Doubly shortened Dual truncation Double cutting-off Brachycatalectic line
Skip to main content