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Elision mark

Notation
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

An apostrophe (’) indicating omitted letters or syllables to maintain meter in poetry.

Detailed Definition
Elision marks show where sounds are dropped to preserve metrical flow, common in French, Latin, and English verse; they enable smooth enjambment and rhythmic continuity, allowing poets to conform to strict metrical schemes without distorting natural speech.
Example
Example in poetry:
Elision marks (’) show omitted letters: “o’er the hills”; In Shakespearean verse, “ne’er” compresses “never”; Romantic poets use “e’er” for “ever” to fit meter; In ballads, “’tis” replaces “it is”; Modern poets use elision for archaic effect: “lov’d”; In song lyrics adapted as poetry, elision maintains rhythm: “h’lo”.
Additional Notes
Elision mark: An elision mark (often an apostrophe or breve) indicates omitted letters or syllables, crucial in scanning verse with synalepha or poetic contraction; in classical metrics, it maintains syllable count—recognize its role in sustaining meter across enjambed or compressed phrases.
Also Known As
apostrophe (in practice) synalepha mark
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