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Exophoric Reference

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

A reference to something outside the text, requiring external knowledge for understanding.

Detailed Definition
Exophoric Reference in poetry points outward to elements beyond the text—such as real-world events, shared cultural knowledge, or the immediate context of utterance—requiring readerly inference to complete meaning; unlike endophora (internal reference), it anchors verse in external reality or situational specificity.
Example
Example in poetry:
T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” uses exophoric reference to mythic texts; Ezra Pound’s “Cantos” references historical figures outside the poem; Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” uses exophoric reference to real tennis matches; Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City” references actual Vietnamese songs; Layli Long Soldier’s “Whereas” references U.S. Congressional documents; contemporary poets use exophoric reference to news events.
Additional Notes
Exophoric Reference: A reference pointing outside the text (to events, people, shared knowledge); requires context beyond the poem to be understood.
Also Known As
External reference Outside textual pointer Contextual indication Situational deixis
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