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Enthymeme

Device
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 argumentative syllogism where one premise is suppressed or implied, requiring the reader to supply the missing information.

Detailed Definition
An Enthymeme is a rhetorical syllogism with an unstated premise or conclusion, relying on the audience to supply the missing logic; in poetry, enthymematic reasoning creates intellectual engagement by implying arguments through imagery or juxtaposition, as when a metaphor’s unstated comparison invites readers to infer deeper connections.
Example
Example in poetry:
Enthymeme: "All tyrants fall; he rules with iron hand— / So mark his end before the people stand."—a syllogism with an implied premise (tyrants are unjust rulers) left unstated for rhetorical effect.
Additional Notes
A logical argument with unstated premise, requiring readers to supply missing element. Rhetorical term from Aristotle, occasionally used in analyzing persuasive poetry. Related to syllogism but truncated. Study how compressed logic operates in didactic verse.
Other Meanings of “Enthymeme”
Also Known As
Truncated syllogism Informal argument Implied reasoning
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