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Eleven-digit measure

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 line containing eleven syllables, common in Italian and French verse traditions (e.g., hendecasyllable).

Detailed Definition
Eleven-digit measure describes a metrical line containing eleven syllables, common in French versification (the alexandrine’s precursor) and occasionally adapted in English to create rhythmic fluidity or tension against iambic norms; its asymmetry can evoke contemplation, unease, or lyrical expansiveness depending on stress placement.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Beneath the stars, we whispered secrets old” (an 11-syllable line, typical of an eleven-digit measure); Italian hendecasyllabic lines in Dante’s Divine Comedy; The classical Latin elegiac hendecasyllable used by Catullus; Traditional Japanese haiku as a comparative metaphor (though syllable count differs).
Additional Notes
A metrical line, often in syllabic verse or a specific tradition, consisting of eleven syllables; important in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese poetry (the endecasillabo).
Also Known As
Eleven-syllable measure Hendecasyllabic meter Eleven-count meter Undecasyllabic verse Hendeadactylic Imaginary dialogue Hendecadactyl
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