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Epanaphora

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

Repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive clauses within a line

Detailed Definition
Epanaphora (more commonly anaphora) is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines, clauses, or stanzas to build rhythm, emphasis, or emotional intensity; a cornerstone of oral and liturgical poetry, it structures prophetic utterance (e.g., Ginsberg’s “Howl”) and communal incantation through insistent recurrence.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Let not your heart be troubled... Let not your hands be idle” (biblical); Whitman: “I celebrate myself, and sing myself”; Ginsberg: “who dreamed and made incarnate gaps in Time & Space”; Epanaphora builds incantatory rhythm in political poetry like Amiri Baraka’s.
Additional Notes
Another term for anaphora—repeating word/phrase at line starts. Creates rhythm, emphasis. Famous in speeches ("I have a dream..."). Distinguish from: epistrophe (end repetition).
Also Known As
Initial repetition Opening anaphora Beginning echo
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