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fable

Genre
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 narrative in verse or prose that uses animals or inanimate objects as characters to convey a moral lesson

Detailed Definition
A fable is a brief, didactic narrative—often featuring anthropomorphized animals, plants, or inanimate objects—that conveys a moral lesson through allegory and simple plot structure; originating in ancient oral traditions and codified by writers like Aesop, fables use concise language, clear cause-and-effect logic, and symbolic characters to teach ethical principles, social norms, or practical wisdom in an accessible, memorable form.
Example
Example in poetry:
Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare” teaching perseverance; “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” warning against dishonesty; “The Ant and the Grasshopper” advocating preparation; “The Lion and the Mouse” showing kindness repaid
Additional Notes
A fable is a brief, often didactic or moralistic, narrative featuring anthropomorphized animals, plants, or inanimate objects that act as characters, conveying a practical lesson (the moral); while often prose, a poetic fable gains an extra layer of memorability and rhythm from its verse structure.
Also Known As
Animal fable Moral tale Allegorical story Apologue Teaching story
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