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Epicene

Grammar
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 grammatical or lexical form that is gender-neutral or blends masculine and feminine traits, often used in mythological or symbolic contexts.

Detailed Definition
Epicene in poetry describes language, imagery, or voice that is gender-neutral or ambiguously gendered, resisting binary categorization; it may be used to explore fluid identities, universalize experience, or critique gendered conventions, as in poems that address “the child” without specifying sex or use plural pronouns for singular subjects.
Example
Example in poetry:
Epicene: Using gender-neutral language like “they” or “child” to avoid specifying gender, as in: “The traveler paused, weary but resolute.”
Additional Notes
Nouns with same form for masculine/feminine. Grammatical term (e.g., "singer" for any gender). Affects pronoun choice in poetry. Related: gender in language, grammatical gender.
Also Known As
gender-neutral androgynous
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