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expanding couplet

Form
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 couplet that develops or widens its meaning progressively outward

Detailed Definition
An expanding couplet begins with two tightly linked lines but allows their relationship to unfold or complicate across subsequent couplets, creating narrative or thematic growth; unlike closed heroic couplets, it uses the pair as a generative unit that accumulates meaning through serial variation and development.
Example
Example in poetry:
A couplet that grows in complexity, such as in Pope’s An Essay on Criticism where “A little learning is a dangerous thing; / Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring” expands conceptually
Additional Notes
A couplet (two lines) that is lengthened or elaborated upon in subsequent couplets, often through internal repetition or the accretion of detail; creates a slow, deliberate sense of growth.
Also Known As
Unfolding couplet Lengthening pair Expansive distich Centrifugal couplet
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