Home › Glossary › Letter E

Environmental sonnet

Form
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 fourteen-line poem addressing environmental themes, nature, or ecological concerns

Detailed Definition
A fourteen-line sonnet focused on environmental themes, ecological concerns, or natural subjects while maintaining traditional sonnet structures and conventions. Environmental sonnets bring contemporary ecological awareness into dialogue with classical forms, demonstrating how traditional verse structures adapt to address modern environmental crises. These poems may celebrate natural beauty, mourn environmental losses, explore ecological relationships, or advocate for environmental protection while honoring centuries of sonnet tradition.
Example
Example in poetry:
Environmental sonnet appears in John Clare’s “Sonnet: The Fallen Elm,” mourning deforestation; In Wordsworth’s “Nutting,” nature’s violation is framed in sonnet-like stanzas; Contemporary poet Juliana Spahr’s “Gentle Now” uses sonnet fragments for ecological elegy; A.R. Ammons’ “Corsons Inlet” adapts sonnet form to coastal observation; Terrance Hayes’ “American Sonnet” series addresses climate and race.
Additional Notes
A fourteen-line sonnet focused on environmental themes or ecological concerns. Traditional form applied to contemporary environmental content. Can be descriptive, elegiac, or advocative. Demonstrates how classical forms adapt to modern issues.
Also Known As
eco-sonnet nature fourteen-liner environmental formal verse green traditional poem Ecopoetic sonnet Landscape quatorzain
Skip to main content