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Equipollent meter

Meter
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

Lines with equal metrical weight despite different syllable counts

Detailed Definition
Equipollent meter describes a verse system where stressed and unstressed syllables are counted equally in determining line length, as in classical quantitative meter (long/short) or certain accentual traditions; in English, it contrasts with syllabo-tonic norms by prioritizing stress count over total syllables, yielding flexible but rhythmically clear lines.
Example
Example in poetry:
Meter with equal stress per line regardless of syllables: sprung rhythm (Hopkins); Old English alliterative verse; Modern: free verse with isochronic beats; Example: “Glory be to God for dappled things” (equal stresses)
Additional Notes
Meter where feet have equal time duration despite different syllable counts. Quantitative approach adapted to stress-based English. Study with musical scansion.
Also Known As
balanced meter equal-weight rhythm
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